76TH ANNUAL MEDIA GUIDE Media Guide Table of Contents Schedule of Events Rodeo Committee Photo & Video Guidelines About the PRCA The Events Animal Welfare For additional information or media credentials contact; Andy Woolstenhulme 801-450-7269 max.woolstenhulme@zionsbank.com
76TH ANNUAL MEDIA GUIDE Schedule of Events Saturday June 18 6:00 p.m. Tough Enough To Wear Pink Dinner & Auction Cattleman s Hall 911 West Center St. Saturday, June 25 10:00 a.m. Youth Open Horse Show Wednesday, June 29 5:00 p.m. Slack Thursday, June 30 8:00 p.m. PRCA Rodeo 8:00 p.m. PRCA Rodeo 7:00 a.m. Community Breakfast - Oakley City Hall $5 adults $3 children 11:00 a.m. Horse Pulls - Oakley Indoor Arena $5 adults $3 children All Day Co-ed softball tournament 8:00 p.m. PRCA Rodeo - Tough Enough To Wear Pink Night 7:00 a.m. 5k race 10:00 a.m. Parade Center St and State Rd 32 Patriotic Program follows parade at Cattleman s Hall BBQ - Oakley City Hall 1:00 p.m. Jr. Rodeo & Activities 8:00 p.m. PRCA Rodeo
76TH ANNUAL MEDIA GUIDE Oakley Rodeo Committee Gerald Young Chairman Ken Woolstenhulme Dick Woolstenhulme Tiny Woolstenhulme Wade Woolstenhulme Andy Woolstenhulme Terry Morrison Brad Nicholes Bonnie Jones Secretary Rustin Young Bill Miles Sam Aplanalp Oakley City Council Blake Frazier Alton Frazier DelRay Hatch Eric Rose Tiny Woolstenhulme Ron Bowen Mayor Media Contact Andy Woolstenhulme 801-450-7269
76TH ANNUAL MEDIA GUIDE The 2011 Oakley Rodeo is the 76th annual event. Begun in 1935, as many of the rodeos were then, the event was primarily an opportunity for local stockmen to get together and show off their skills with horses and cattle. There was no rodeo arena as we know it today so improvisation took over and the arena was in a meadow west of the current town site. Fences and containment were crude at best so cars and trucks ringed the arena and doubled as seating and barriers. Gerald Young, the current Chairman of the rodeo committee has been involved since the very beginning. He has been competitor, stock contractor and organizer in the 76 years since the rodeo was first held. With a few exceptions during the World War the rodeo has grown in participation and stature nearly every year since its inception. The original Oakley rodeo arena was constructed across from what is the town hall today. It was built largely with local labor and materials and served its purpose well until the current Oakley City Recreation Complex was built
76TH ANNUAL MEDIA GUIDE south of town. Unlike many of todays prestigious rodeos the Oakley Rodeo has always been an outdoor event which, in the opinion of organizers and long time supporters, is one of the main attractions. The cool night air and pleasant day time temperatures of early July contrast nicely with the heat of the Salt lake Valley drawing thousands of visitors for four nights. Oakley now enjoys a reputation as one the top rodeos in the country, both in its category and in the country over the long holiday weekend. The Fourth of July holiday is known as Cowboy Christmas in the rodeo world. Aside from the National Finals Rodeo held in Las Vegas each December, the Independence Day holiday offers the biggest opportunity of the year for a cowboy or cowgirl to add to their winnings due to the number of rodeos held across the country. Those earnings are exactly what earns a competitor the opportunity to compete at the National Finals as the top fifteen money earners in each event are invited to compete in the ten day finale. The rodeo athletes schedule is packed and requires great logistic coordination as many competitors will compete in at least two and sometimes three events in a day. Those logistics include borrowing and/or leasing horses, private chartered airplanes and over night hauls with a truck and trailer. Oakley has become a prominent stop for aspiring, current and former world champions over the holiday weekend. Joe Beaver, Fred Whitfield and Trevor Brazile, all world champions, have competed at Oakley with Brazile having made his most recent visit just last year during the 75th anniversary rodeo. Action behind the chutes or in the timed event alley often has Kamas Valley locals and world champions preparing alongside each other.
76TH ANNUAL MEDIA GUIDE Media Guidelines NOTE: The following guidelines govern media covering PRCA events, as well as those cosponsored and approved by the association. All media must review these guidelines. Failure to adhere to these guidelines may, at the discretion of the PRCA and/or the respective rodeo committee, result in forfeiture of media credentials and an immediate escort from the premises, as well as refusal of accreditation for future events. Unless specified otherwise, journalists and media are general terms for print, electronic, television, Internet and photo journalists. Credentials are distributed on an asavailable basis to journalists of recognized news outlets who are on assignment to cover the event and/or the PRCA. Journalists must represent recognized daily or weekly newspapers; news services; recognized publications and outlets that regularly cover rodeo; recognized national/regional radio and television networks; local radio and television stations; and/ or recognized Internet sites. In each case, this determination is at the sole discretion of the PRCA and the respective rodeo. Accreditation badge must be worn at
76TH ANNUAL MEDIA GUIDE all times. Freelance journalists and photographers must provide proof of assignment to be considered for accreditation. Freelance photographers must sign a form agreeing that the images they take will only be used for that specific publication and for that specific story they cannot be sold over the Internet or used in any other way. Credential applications and approved credentials to cover individual PRCA rodeos are available through each individual rodeo. Media credentials should be requested well in advance of the rodeo. Security checkpoints and procedures have been implemented in the interest of safety for everyone. Accredited media are expected to cooperate with the procedures and requirements implemented for access to the media, photographer and broadcast areas. Media access will vary by rodeo, and the media rules of the respective rodeo must be followed. Contestants may be available for interviews after they compete. Many of the individuals are volunteers, and accredited media and broadcasters are expected to treat them with courtesy and respect. Each individual is responsible for his/her personal property. The PRCA and/or the local rodeo committee are not responsible for thefts or damage to personal items. Television, radio and Internet The PRCA owns the rights to originate live, play-by-play coverage from the rodeo grounds, and in many instances, these rights may have been awarded to a broadcast or cable network and/or an Internet provider. Subject to limitations, local radio, television stations, networks and Internet
76TH ANNUAL MEDIA GUIDE providers who were not specifically granted those rights are nonetheless encouraged to cover PRCA events with the following limitations. The PRCA retains all rights to the filming, taping, recording in any media now or hereafter known, still footage/ photography, radio or television broadcasting or reproduction in any manner or form thereof of any PRCA-sanctioned event. The only exception is coverage for local, regularly scheduled newscasts. Any nonlocal news outlets must first get approval from the national PRCA office and the local rodeo before they can shoot footage at any PRCA-sanctioned rodeo. Some rodeo rounds are televised, and for those sessions, access may be limited. Any TV/radio broadcaster who does not comply with the above regulations will, without warning, have his/her accreditation withdrawn for the remainder of the rodeo and may be banned by the PRCA from covering future events. For local, regional and national TV news coverage, video of PRCA rodeos shall not exceed three minutes in length in the daily aggregate and must be part of a regularly scheduled newscast. Only prerecorded footage may be included in these reports. The outlet may not purport to show live play-by-play coverage from a rodeo unless approved in advance by the local rodeo and the PRCA. Local credentialed TV outlets may broadcast live from the rodeo grounds, as long as the broadcast does not include footage from inside the arena (which is covered above). The use of tripods is limited, based on available space.
76TH ANNUAL MEDIA GUIDE Television cameras are not allowed on the arena floor, with the exception of the TV network covering the event. The PRCA owns the rights to all recorded coverage of its rodeos, whether it airs on a national, regional and/or local network. Such television outlets will provide the PRCA with copies of their coverage upon request. Radio and Internet (audio or video) coverage may not purport to be live play-by-play from the rodeo unless this capacity has been approved and arranged in advance with the local committee and the PRCA. General photography guidelines Only PRCA-accredited photographers are allowed to shoot in the arena. The only exception to this is a post-rodeo ceremony shot, if applicable. Freelance photographers will not be accredited without proof of assignment for a specific media outlet and without signing an agreement to limit usage of the images to the specified assignment. Photographers must shoot from designated photo areas. Photographers may not shoot behind the bucking chutes during a roughstock event except with specific committee approval and may shoot from there for timed events only with the appropriate approval. Equipment guidelines: Cameras should be an SLR or DSLR, with an appropriate lens to capture action from an appropriate distance to ensure the safety of the photographer and to eliminate the chance of the photographer affecting the conduct of the event. Recommended lenses are 80-200 f2.8, 120-300 f2.8 and 300 f2.8/f4. Photographers shooting in the arena are required to use
76TH ANNUAL MEDIA GUIDE equipment sufficient to obtaining quality images at a respectable and safe distance from the action. (Norman/Quantam/Lumindyne 400-watt second flash and battery pack systems with high gain reflectors or the equivalent are recommended. The TTL setting is preferred.) Those shooting behind the chutes must use only equipment that can be carried. Commercial photography is prohibited unless it has received prior approval and the proper clearances have been made. Any secondary non-editorial or commercial use of any picture, film or drawing of a competitor is prohibited without prior consent of the PRCA and the contestant. All pictures must be taken at an appreciable distance, as far from the action as possible, and from angles that are not in the direct line of sight for the contestant or the judges. Most rodeos will have designated photo areas. Photographers who do not comply fully with the above regulations may, without warning, have their credentials withdrawn for the remainder of the rodeo and may be banned by the PRCA from attending future events.
76TH ANNUAL MEDIA GUIDE About the PRCA The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA), headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colo., is the largest and oldest rodeo-sanctioning body in the world. The recognized leader in professional rodeo, the PRCA is committed to maintaining the highest standards in the industry. The PRCA sanctions about 600 rodeos annually in 37 states and three Canadian provinces, and ensures that every PRCA-sanctioned event is managed with fairness and competence and that the livestock used is healthy and cared for to the highest standards. Here are some key facts about ProRodeo and the PRCA: Fans ProRodeo attracts about 30 million fans, many of whom attend PRCAsanctioned rodeos around the country annually. According to the Sports Business Daily, rodeo is seventh in overall attendance for major sporting events, ahead of golf and tennis. Fans can follow professional rodeo all year long through the PRCA s television coverage on ESPN2, ESPN Classic, ESPN Deportes and the In Country Televsion network; the ProRodeo Sports News; and ProRodeo.com
76TH ANNUAL MEDIA GUIDE and ESPN360.com. Cowboys The PRCA s membership includes nearly 8,000 cowboys, the largest segment of the association s membership. This membership segment includes cowboys who compete in professional rodeo for a living, crisscrossing the country with their own horses or equipment, as well as those who work at other jobs during the week and compete in rodeos on the weekends. Read more about individual athletes in the ProRodeo Cowboys chapter of this book. World champions World Champion is the most coveted title in ProRodeo. The sport s world champions are crowned at the conclusion of the Wrangler NFR, based on total season earnings at PRCA rodeos across the continent, including monies earned at the Wrangler NFR (see next page). The PRCA crowns eight world titlists, each of whom receives a gold buckle and a specially crafted trophy saddle. The eight 2009 PRCA world champions had 2009 earnings ranging from $80,923 to $310,219. Read more about current world champions in the 2009 World Champions chapter of this book. Contract personnel The personnel working a rodeo include the bullfighters, who help bull riders escape from powerful rodeo bulls; the barrelmen, clowns and specialty acts, who entertain the crowds; judges, who ensure that all rules of competition and livestock welfare are followed; stock contractors, who provide rodeo s livestock; announcers, who call the action; arena secretaries, who handle administrative duties; and timers, who operate the clocks for the timed and roughstock events. Read more about contract personnel in the Announcers, Clowns/Bullfighters/Barrelmen, Specialty Acts and Stock Contractors chapters of this book.
76TH ANNUAL MEDIA GUIDE Committees Local rodeo committees organize the PRCA-sanctioned rodeos held across the continent. Most are run by dedicated groups of volunteers who make the rodeos work from behind the scenes, procuring local sponsors for events, awards and programs; setting up safe facilities; staffing various functions and making the contestants and attendees feel at home. Charities PRCA-sanctioned rodeos annually raise many millions of dollars for local and national charities, from college scholarships for local students to the national Tough Enough to Wear Pink campaign against breast cancer. FanZone The ProRodeo FanZone, presented by Cabela s, is the official fan club of the PRCA. Among the many membership benefits: access to an exclusive Web site with blogs, a forum, a photo gallery and a behindthe-scenes look at the world of ProRodeo; exclusive quarterly contests and giveaways for members only; and a welcome package containing a FanZone koozie, hat pin, lanyard and personalized membership card as well as items from PRCA national sponsors. Sponsors The PRCA s loyal national sponsors support all aspects of rodeo, from entire events like the Dodge National Circuit Finals Rodeo and Justin Boots Playoffs and Championships to the Montana Silversmiths gold buckles awarded to world champions each year. Read more in the PRCA National Partners chapter of this book. Demographics The PRCA s nearly 4 million royal attendees across the U.S are about 49 percent male and 51 percent female; 63 percent have household income of $50,000 or more and 50 percent have
76TH ANNUAL MEDIA GUIDE children in the household. In surveys, 81 percent report that they have had a soft drink in the previous 30 days, 50 percent have had a beer in the previous 30 days and 95 percent have eaten at a fast food restaurant in the previous 30 days. ProRodeo fans come from all walks of life, but as a group, they are demographically similar to NASCAR fans, and are likely to also enjoy hunting, fishing and camping. ProRodeo.com The PRCA maintains a Web site with the latest news stories, cowboy blogs, world standings, rodeo results, cowboy and livestock bios, and tons of other information. The PRCA also has a Facebook presence. Television All eight Gold Tour rodeos of the Wrangler Million Dollar Tour presented by Justin Boots will be televised on In Country Televsion, a new network based in Denver that will be featured on DISH Network and DirecTV. The network, which reaches 32 million households, also will air coverage from the Dodge National Circuit Finals Rodeo and All American ProRodeo Finals.
The Events 76TH ANNUAL MEDIA GUIDE Bareback riding Bareback riding is one of the most physically demanding events in rodeo. A bareback rider sits directly n a bucking horse, with only his own riggin to hang onto. As the horse comes out of the chute, the cowboy s feet must be above the break of the horse s shoulders. He holds his feet up at least through the horse s first move, usually a jump, then spurs the horse on each jump, matching the horse s rhythm and showing control rather than flopping around. He may not touch the horse, his equipment or himself with his free hand. If the ride lasts eight seconds, two judges award up to 25 points each for the cowboy s exposure to the strength of the horse and his spurring technique and up to 25 points each for the horse s bucking strength and moves. Steer wrestling Steer wrestling demands coordination between two mounted cowboys the contestant and a hazer who controls the steer s direction and their horses. The cowboys back their horses into the box on each side of the steer. When the contestant nods, the chute gate opens and the steer gets a head start before the cowboys start to chase him. As the steer wrestler draws even, he dismounts from his horse, which is moving at perhaps 30 miles an hour. He grasps the steer s horns and digs his boot heels into the dirt to slow down the 500- to 600-pound steer. Then he wrestles the steer onto its side; when all four legs point in the same direction, the clock stops. Times vary widely depending on the size of the arena. Team roping Team ropers work as partners: one header and one heeler who move in precise coordination. They and their horses start in the box. When the header nods, the chute gate opens and the steer gets a head start. The
76TH ANNUAL MEDIA GUIDE header throws the first loop, which must catch the steer s head or horns, protected by a horn wrap. Then the header dallies wraps his rope around his saddle horn and moves his horse to pull the rope taut, changing the direction of the steer. That gives the heeler the opportunity to catch both of the steer s hind legs with his own rope; most heelers try to time their throws to catch the legs when they are in the air. After the catch, the heeler also dallies, to stop the steer. When the ropes are taut and both horses face the steer, the time is recorded. Times vary widely depending on the size of the arena. Saddle bronc riding In rodeo s classic event, the saddle bronc rider sits on a specialized saddle it has no horn, and the stirrups are set forward. In the chute, the cowboy adjusts his grip on the rein and perhaps the horse s position. When the gate opens, his boots must be above the breaks of the horse s shoulders. After the horse s first move, usually a jump, the cowboy begins spurring in long, smooth strokes, in sync with the horse s jumps legs straight when the bronc comes down, toward the back of the saddle at the top of the jump. His only handhold is a sixfoot braided rope; his free hand may not touch his equipment, his body or the horse. If the ride lasts the required eight seconds, it is scored by two judges one on each side who assess difficulty and control. Each judge awards up to 25 points for the cowboy s performance and up to 25 points for the animal s performance, for a potential of 100
76TH ANNUAL MEDIA GUIDE points. Tie-down roping To start this sprinting event, the tiedown roper and his horse back into the box; the cowboy carries a rope in one hand and a piggin string in his mouth. When the cowboy nods, the chute opens and the calf gets a head start. The cowboy throws a loop over its head; his horse stops and pulls the rope taut while the cowboy jumps off, dashes down the rope, lays the calf on the ground and uses the piggin string to tie any three of its legs together. Then he lifts his hands to show he is finished, and the field flag judge drops a flag to stop the clock. The horse is trained to keep the rope taut until the cowboy remounts and moves the horse toward the calf, giving the rope slack. If the calf s legs stay tied correctly for six seconds, it s a qualified run and the flagging time stands. Barrel racing Barrel racing is just that a race against time in a cloverleaf pattern around three barrels set up in the arena. A rider can choose to begin the cloverleaf pattern to the right or left. The time begins when the horse and rider cross the predetermined start line and stops when they come back across the same line. Each run is timed to the hundredths of a second, making every fraction of a second count. Each tippedover barrel adds a five-second penalty to the time. Although barrel racing is one of seven events common to most PRCA-sanctioned rodeos, it is administered by a separate organization, the Women s Professional Rodeo Association, which produces its own online media guide. Bull riding Bull riding is rodeo s most dangerous event. In the chute, the bull rider settles on the bull s back, wraps his braided rope around the bull s girth, then loops the rope around his hand and back into his palm so he can grip it tightly. When he nods, the gate is opened and the bull lunges out of the chute. Spurring is optional the primary goal is to stay on for eight seconds without touching
76TH ANNUAL MEDIA GUIDE himself, his equipment or the bull with his free hand. The cowboy will be scored highly for staying in the middle of the bull, in full control of the ride. If the ride lasts the required eight seconds, it is scored by two judges who assess difficulty (the bull s spinning, jumping and kicking, lunging, rearing and dropping, and side-to-side motion) as well as the cowboy s degree of control. Each judge awards up to 25 points for the cowboy s performance and up to 25 points for the animal s performance, for a potential of 100 points.
76TH ANNUAL MEDIA GUIDE Animal Welfare The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) is deeply committed to the proper care and treatment of the livestock used in rodeo. As an association, the PRCA: * has established rules and regulations governing livestock welfare, * created an animal welfare committee to assist in the association s efforts to ensure proper care of livestock, * conducts regular livestock welfare surveys to identify successful practices and areas for improvement, * educates its membership regarding best practices for livestock handling, * monitors compliance with its animal welfare rules and regulations, * educates the public and elected officials about the care provided to rodeo livestock, * networks with other organizations about best livestock practices and policies, * employs a director of livestock welfare to coordinate all efforts relating to care and handling of livestock at PRCA-sanctioned events, and * employs a livestock welfare superintendent to proactively work with rodeo commmittees, stock contractors, contestants and veterinarians to ensure all livestock at PRCA rodeos are being handled properly.