“What do you like to do?” said Boyd Polhamus, while saddled on a horse in the arena.
“Cowboy stuff,” the mutton-busting boy told him.
The muttons were jumping, great lambs-a-leapin’, all around that famous Idaho Stampede dirt, making it pretty technical to hold on, but some did.
Stampede Board member Roger Todd was making sure honored guests were comfortable in the sponsor boxes, seats only a metal gate away from where the action is. Two ladies in the box loudly clapped and whooped, decked out in straw cowgirl hats with hot pink bandanas tied around them. The two were having the time of their lives, and the main events hadn’t even started yet. They were the epitome of ‘If you’re going to the rodeo, go all the way.”
I’d be willing to bet that those two could have given other rodeo-goers a few pointers. Pointers like, wear your most comfortable jeans. Purchase a large soda or cold water from the concessions stand; you’re going to be here a while. If you’ve got some comfortable, kicked around boots, it’s okay to wear ‘em. (Disclaimer: If you normally wear flip-flops, don’t try to pull off the boot thing. It might not work.)
When the girls carrying the flags flew around the arena on their gorgeous horses, dirt clods got flipped clear up into the twelfth row, which added to the experience.
The announcer, broadcasting to us via horseback for the first time in nearly a decade, created an even more involved vibe. When the saddle bronc riders burst out of the chute, he said over the cheering, “This one’s jerking this guy to pieces…He’ll have to buy shirts with one sleeve longer than the other one.”
I looked around and realized that a lot of people were, quite literally, on the edges of their seats. When Matt Reeves got done steer wrestling, the announcer guessed that he’d just broken an arena record, but it was not to be. He timed out at a 3.5, not the supposed 3.0. Still, exciting stuff.
Mounted cowboy shooting was added this year. Talk about coordination and timing. Caps shot from a gun pop balloons as the riders sped by. Precision maneuvering.
Intermission and the calf scramble. Initiator for the scramble years ago is Rodney Moore, who was given a respectful ride on the famous Stampede wagon around the arena. The kids in the scramble worked hard to get themselves a calf this year; several walked away holding their noses and/or slightly limping. The calves have a little weight to them, and they can run. When they're caught the don't take a tie-down lightly, either. During the scramble, the announcer said, “It’s not like non-competitive soccer, where at the end everyone gets a trophy.”
I was reminded again of cowboy and rodeo culture: You get what you earn.
All too soon, the Stampede’s opening night was over and slack was beginning. The seats emptied, all but a few, where families of riders sat patiently waiting…also a part of the culture. I remembered the lady that told me she read a whole book and three magazines one weekend while waiting for her roper to get done riding.
Those following the Stampede this week will play the waiting game, too. We’re going to have to wait clear up until Saturday to see who gets to bring home the prize. With the first day under our belts, we’ll just have to watch and see.
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