The Garden City Telegram
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PRCA rodeo kicks off Thursday night
Published 6/10/2009 in Beef Empire Days-Sports
By BRETT MARSHALL
When the three night Beef Empire Days PRCA Rodeo begins Thursday, fans will once again be treated to some of the top performers in the world.
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Brad Nading/Telegram — Clint Cooper, Decatur, Texas, pulls his rope tight as he dismounts his horse and heads for a calf during a run in the tie down roping comeptition in the 2008 Beef Empire Days PRCA Rodeo at the Finney County Fairgrounds.
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Laurie Sisk/Telegram — A large results board is lowered into place on Tuesday as Beef Empire Days rodeo workers prepare for the start of the PRCA Rodeo, which began today with slack and continues each night at 7 through Saturday.
The action-packed event starts at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Finney County Fairgrounds with same time starts on Friday and Saturday. Around 500 contestants are entered in bareback riding, saddle bronc riding, bull riding, barrel racing, steer roping, steer wrestling, and ladies breakaway roping.
One of the top contestants entered is saddle bronc rider Taos Muncy of Corona, N.M. Muncy, 21, became the youngest world champion in the event in 2007 and had won two early 2008 events before he broke both bones in his right leg during competition at the Red Bluff (Calif.) Roundup in April of last year. He was in fifth place at the time of the injury.
"Taos is certainly one of the best saddle bronc riders we have in the country," PRCA announcer Mike Mathes said. "His injuries took him out of most of last year, but he just came back recently and started competing again."
Muncy sustained a broken ankle on Feb. 17 when a colt he was working at a ranch in Texas ran him into a chute gate. He stood second in the world at the time. Last weekend, though, Muncy won the Flint Hills Rodeo event in Strong City with 81 points. Muncy is now ranked No. 7 in the world.
Mathes said for fans to be looking for current World Champion Justin McDaniel in the bareback riding event. He won last year's National Finals Rodeo and finished the year with more than $216,000 in earnings. He set a record with 859 points by placing in eight of 10 rounds. This year, McDaniel is ranked No. 5, and he has won his specialty at the Dixie National Rodeo in Jackson, Miss., the Clovis (Calif.) Rodeo and the Angelina County Benefit Rodeo (Lufkin, Texas).
"People are going to see one of the best young bareback riders we've had in recent years," Mathes said. "We're very pleased to have Justin competing this week."
In the bull riding competition, there are 75 contestants entered, 25 will compete each of the three nights.
"This is always one of the highlight events and we'll probably have some extra stock brought in so everyone will be competing on fresh bulls," Mathes said.
One of the specialty events will be Max Reynolds from Nebraska, who performs bull-whip skills, mounted shooting and other stunt works. Reynolds appeared in the movie "Buffalo Girls."
Due to the large number of contestants, the slack competition was scheduled to start today at 3 p.m. at the Finney County Fairgrounds Arena. There were two rounds scheduled for today with many of them being the timed events.
In the ladies barrel racing event, 2006 World Champion Mary Burger of Pauls Valley, Okla. will be among the top contestants. Burger was ranked No. 7 in 2008. She has been riding Rare Fred since she began her professional career just three years ago.
This year's rodeo stock will be provided once again by Korkow of Pierre, S.D.
Friday night's event will be "Tough Enough to Wear Pink Night" with proceeds from that night going to fight breast cancer and breast cancer awareness. Mathes said millions of dollars have been raised in this program and a belt buckle and chaps will be auctioned off Friday night with proceeds designated for the Garden City Chapter of Breast Cancer Awareness. All spectactors attending are encouraged to wear pink.
The Budweiser Clydesdales will be open for viewing to the public from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day, then after 5 p.m. The ticket booth will open at 10 a.m. daily at the Fairgrounds.
Beef Empire Days Rodeo
What: 2009 Beef Empire Days PRCA Rodeo
Where: Finney County Fairgrounds, Garden City
Who: Professional cowboys and cowgirls compete
Events: Bareback riding, saddle bronc riding, bull riding, barrel racing, steer roping, ladies breakaway roping, team roping, tie-down roping, steer wrestling
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