Barrel racing in Estes Park--cool, fast, fun!

Barrel racing is coming to Estes Park Labor Day Weekend. This will be the first Estes Park Barrel Race (EPBR) and it promises to be a truly great event.

In 2010, the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association (WPRA) voted the Rooftop Rodeo the Best Small Rodeo in America. Labor Days EPBR will feature many of the same ladies that competed at the Rooftop.  Here is the good news; you can compete right alongside of these terrific athletes! The EPBR will be divided into three classes-Open (the pros), Novice, and youth.  Basically all racers are welcome—men and women, boys and girls.  The event producers, True West Productions, have a computer system that groups contestant scores in what is known as a 4–D scale.  What this means is that folks can compete against individuals at their level.  Helps make for a level playing field. You can find a registration form at www.rooftoprodeo.com.  Competitors can rent a stall and RV spot at the fairgrounds.  Just give them a call (970-586-6104) for reservations. 

 

The event is set up to support the Rooftop Rodeo and its royalty program.  Sponsors are still needed to help defray the cost of producing the event.  If you would like to support the Rooftop and the youth in the royalty program, please contact Ann Griffith, Rooftop Rodeo Barrel Race Committee Chairperson, 970-586-1170/ 805-458-7376 and explore the possibilities.  All finances will be run through Top Hand Organization, Inc. a 501 (c) (3) corporation and appropriate tax documentation will be provided to all advertisers/sponsors/donors.

Labor Day is a perfect time to visit Estes Park.  It is cool and there are lots of things to do between races including a John Denver Tribute Concert at the fairgrounds on Saturday evening, September 3^rd, an Alpaca Market at the fairgrounds, and the Labor Day Arts and Crafts Show. 

Promotion Day--Rodeo Style

 OK, so the Rooftop is not really going to college but we did get promoted. Since the Rooftop first attained professional status by joining the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) it has been in the small rodeo category.  This category is for professional rodeos whose committees add $3,000.00 or less per event to be combined with competitor entry fees to make the total purse for which the cowboys are competing.  This year of the 474 professional rodeos in America, 298 are in the small category.  It is worthy of note that, in 5 of the last 8 years, the Rooftop has been voted as the Best Small Rodeo in America.

So, it was time to be promoted-from small rodeo to medium size rodeo.  The medium size category is defined as all professional rodeos who have added committee money of $3,001 – $9,999 (131 total rodeos).  The Rooftop, this year added $3,370 per event.  This is a good!  Good for the cowboys and good for the Town.  Lucky for us, the Rooftop already has the reputation of being a really big rodeo that just happens to be in one of the best small towns in America. 

So, what does this really mean for the Rooftop?  We already have a reputation among cowboy and cowgirl athletes for being the “go to rodeo” for great hospitality, genuine hometown friendliness, a phenomenal rodeo setting, great facilities, and topnotch rodeo stock.  The down-side is that, at just over $3,000 added money, we are now at the very bottom of the medium rodeo pay scale.  Gradually, over the next few years, as we continue to grow, we will be able to add more money; but this year, we may have a rough time in the voting because we are the new guys on the block.  However, there are many of us who are thinking that “who we are” will win out over “how much we pay”.  All votes will be counted and winners announced at the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas this November 30, 2011.  Keep your fingers crossed.  I am betting on winning the Best Medium Rodeo in America, first time out of the chute J