PRO RODEO ACTION IN MERRITT, BC AND OKOTOKS, AB TONIGHT
September 3, 2010

According to Elaine Grant-Gill, the Nicola Valley Pro Rodeo just wouldn’t be the same without a crisis to overcome.

“Last year, our PA system was stolen a week before the rodeo,” exclaims the committee treasurer, with a laugh that can only come from one dedicated volunteer.

This year, the rodeo based in Merritt, B.C. ended up sending one of the committee members to pick up Bert Davis – and his entire Muttley Crew. The Coppertown Clown suffered a vehicle breakdown last month and has been relying on the kindness well known within the rodeo community at large to fulfill his commitments, and for the committee in Merritt, there was no thinking involved when it came to making the trek to Lethbridge, Alta. and back. Part of the rodeo experience, says Grant-Gill, is the entire package – the rodeo and the added entertainment. It’s a formula that works. The two-day rodeo is celebrating their 52nd anniversary this weekend, beginning with the first performance on Sept. 4.

“Our rodeo is on Saturday and Sunday, starting at 1 p.m. both days,” Grant-Gill details, noting all the trials and tribulations are worth it once fans get in the stands and the rodeo begins.

“It’s good,” she smiles. “We’ve done it a long time and we just love it.”

It’s what keeps the southern Alberta-based Okotoks Pro Rodeo going, too.

Curtis Geier is a former bull rider and has been on the committee in Okotoks in one capacity or another since the rodeo first started up 19 years ago, and has served as rodeo manager for three years now.

“It’s what made me what I am today,” he says of the sport. “The camaraderie and all the friends I’ve made over the years through rodeo and all the new experiences that come along with it.”

But for all those new friends and experiences, there are some things that are constant.

“Our sponsors and the fans,” Geier says, noting that, in addition to countless volunteers and the support of the town of Okotoks, those two things are what really make the rodeo tick for three days every fall at the Okotoks Recreation Centre.

The first performance of the Okotoks Pro Rodeo gets underway Sept. 3 at 7 p.m.

Please visit RodeoCanada.com for more information on upcoming CPRA events.