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CC Fair And Rodeo This Week

PRCA Rodeo Preview
	Shyla Marshall Moapa Valley Progress Submitted Apr. 9, 2008 With the Clark County Fair and Rodeo coming to town, you are in for some fun and excitement! As always, you can count on some fast runs and wild rides! The Logandale Rodeo is the eighth stop on the 2008 Wrangler Pro Rodeo Tour. At this year’s rodeo, over 600 contestants will compete for more than $250,000 in prize money! There will be two days of slack, three performances, and a Tour Final’s.		The PRCA Rodeo is one of the big attractions at the Clark County Fair and Rodeo this week.
	The first go-round of timed event slack will be on Tuesday April 8 at 8:00 am. There will be 100 cowboy’s competing in tie-down roping and steer wrestling. Also 100 team ropers will compete. Following that, at 5:00 pm the barrel racers will take to the arena. The second go-round of slack will start on Wednesday April 9 at 8:00 am. As in the first go-round, the arena will be full of many of the top professional cowboys and cowgirls from across the United States and Canada. The first performance will begin on Thursday April 10 at 6:00 pm. The next two performances will be on April 11-12 at 7:00 pm. The top twelve competitors in each of the seven events from the first three go-rounds will return for the finals. The finals or Wrangler Tour Round will happen on Sunday April 13 at 6:00 pm. Established local talents, and professional rodeo cowboys, Austin, Jason and Randon Adams; Montee Munns; and Matt Shiozawa, will be competing in this year’s Clark County Rodeo! The 2008 rodeo season began on October 1, 2007. In previous years the Wrangler Pro Rodeo Tour consisted of 21 rodeos. However, for the 2008 season, it has expanded to 26 choice events. Three of the top four Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) sanctioned rodeos according to their prize money will be included in the tour. These include Cheyenne (Wyo.) Frontier Days, San Antonio (Tex.) Stock Show and Rodeo, and the Reno (Nev.) Rodeo. The contestants are able to count 15 of the 26 rodeos as official rodeos. These will count towards their Wrangler Pro Rodeo Tour standings. The top 35 finishers in each event, along with the winners from the Dodge National Circuit Finals Rodeo, will qualify for the first round of the Ariat Playoffs. The livestock will be provided by the Growney Brothers Rodeo Company along with the Sankey Rodeo Company. These PRCA Stock Contractors are two of the best! Growney’s bull known as “Red Rock” was the 1987 PRCA Bull of the Year; 1990 Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame Inductee; and 1999 nominated by USA Today as one of the “Animal Athletes of the Century.” Another Growney bull, “Wolfman.” was the PRCA Bull of the Year; 1997-1999 Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame Nominee; and when paired with bull rider Wade Leslie in Central Point, Oregon in 1991, they together earned the only 100 point ride in history! The Sankey Rodeo Company has earned a valued place in the world of professional rodeo as well. “Broadway” was the 2003 3rd Place Bareback Horse of the Year; “Surprise Party” multiple National Finals Rodeo (NFR) Qualifier and 2000 Saddle Bronc of the Year; and “Wild Card” a 10 time NFR Qualifier and 1998 Saddle Bronc of the Year. In addition, “William” a 13 time NFR Qualifier and 1996-1997 Reserve Bareback Horse of the Year and “Skitso” a 12 time NFR Qualifier and 1994 and 1997 Saddle Bronc of the Year. Thus, the Clark County Rodeo will be provided with the best of the best- in regards to not only the cowboys and cowgirls, but also the livestock they will compete on. In 1991, Boyd Polhamus reached the pinnacle of his profession at just 26 years of age. He was called to announce his first Wrangler NFR. Polhamus was the 2007 PRCA Announcer of the Year! Polhamus has been a Wrangler NFR announcer twelve years along side legendary 8 time Announcer of the Year, Bob Tallman. Polhamus will be back to call the action at the Clark County Rodeo! Dale McCraken will also be part of the excitement! McCraken is a 27 year veteran of the rodeo clown business, and known from across the U.S. and Canada for the Gizmo Comedy Show. McCracken started out as a bull fighting clown but eventually decided to turn comedian. In Branson, Missouri he began his stand-up comedy show. Apparently many of the gadgets and gizmos he used went wrong, which led to his name “Gizmo, World’s Greatest Inventor!”