COWBOY CHRISTMAS…. BAH HUMBUG

The Fourth of July Run of rodeos. They ought to prosecute Ranch Headquarters for fraud.  What a get rich quick pyramid scheme.

You’ve got four or five days there when you can be up at a $5,000 added (or higher) rodeo.   A person MIGHT win $10,000 during that week.  OR a person might not.   Like overspending for Christmas presents—this will be the last we see of some of the troops for the rest of the year. In debt up to their little Saint Nicks. Unpaid entry fees multiplied by three times that much in fines and collection fees—they are salmon on the smoker.

If you put your name in the hat at all the biggies and figure to go get on the best ones (which is the standard MO for a serious NFR runner) you can have a $2,000-$3,000 in entry fees and airfares.   Winning $2,000 during that week isn’t tough at all.   A person could stay in a car and work enough rodeos in one region (nearly any region) and win two grand.   However, problems arise when you try the “coast to coast pick the best one strategy”.   Thirty or forty guys are going to invest $2,000-$3,000 each trying to win $10,000.  It’s possible that only one or two will get it done.   

No matter how smart you try to enter, if you didn’t manage to lock up July 1-2-3 in the early part of your entering—you’re probably going to be up several places on the fourth of July.  Why?  Not many people will be trading for that day and if you don’t get traded—that’s where  PROCOM dumps the garbage.   To further compound the problem, two of the biggest have short go’s—AT THE SAME TIME.   You absolutely HAVE TO be up SOMEWHERE that day so it’s imperative that you double up in case you don’t make one of those short go’s or are catching a bottom hole and can win more on a really good one at a one header. Whatever decision you make will be a last minute one—and if it involves an airplane—an expensive one.

Here are a few tips which may help this late in the entering process.  

1.  You can’t wait to buy plane tickets.   You need to buy discounted round trip tickets NOW so if you have to go—you can.  The tickets you don’t use, you can use later in the season or sell them to other guys how are standing there crying into their cell phones because the last minute one way fair is $1,200.

2.   If you’re still entering and you’re in a four man buddy group—split into two-twos.  Have one person enter everyone –enter the same way.  Sure…. you may get split up but that split may create a trade between your two-two man groups.

3. If you still have a biggie to enter that hasn’t closed—and you only have one perf you can be there--get on the phone NOW and find a couple of circuit guys and have them enter the same way you are (as individuals).  If one of them gets up and you don’t— you pay his entry fees to trade positions with you.   This is business.

4. Look at last year’s rodeo files and see if a rodeo that hasn’t closed yet is there.   If you have a day open but there was nothing but crap out—screw that rodeo.  Try to pick up a smaller rodeo near a bigger rodeo you figure you’re going to for sure.  Pick a rodeo with a good herd of bulls if possible.

5. If you only have one perf you can be somewhere and there are 76 guys entering for that performance—unless you’re willing to eat your entry fees if you don’t get traded without whining or stressing out—don’t enter.

6. If you’ve got a wild hair up your butt and are going nuts entering and you’re in a buddy group—get out of it.  It isn’t fair to the other guys.  Lots of friendships get ruined over this one week of rodeos.  

6. (a)    If you’re in car buddying is okay.  You can even four man buddy if you know you are all going to make the qual and you are all going no matter what.   However, you can’t expect guys to spend $1,000 to fly to get on a dud because YOU have a good one.

6. (b)   If you still have some rodeos to enter and you are buddied with a guy who isn’t certain to make the quals—cut him loose. He stands the chance of getting REALLY screwed up.  He’ll get in some and not in others and he won’t be able to spread the travel expense over enough rodeos.  You’ll break him.

 

7. If you make the short go at Greeley and you’re up somewhere else too.  If you’re in the top 4—you about have to come get on anything.  They won’t ride many and you’ll get a decent average check.  Otherwise, if there is much expense involved getting back you better have one you can be a bunch of points on and are likely to ride.

8. If you make the short go at Cody and you’re up somewhere else, about the same deal as Greeley.  With Sankey’s and Lovelace’s bulls they might ride a couple more but shouldn’t ride many.  Plus, it’s a TOUR rodeo and to get any points you have to participate in the short go.

9. If you’re already all screwed up…maybe ditch the coast to coast idea and try to drive to the ones you can get to.  Enter some of the smaller (at least $1,000 added) rodeos around the biggie you can drive to.  The fees aren’t as high and you’re already going to be close.   Christmas rodeos are usually easy.  They’ll ride 1-2 good ones then you might places on bulls you wouldn’t normally.    Try to block out all the Christmas get rich quick B.S. and just try to ride every bull you get on.  

10. If I were going to have a lot invested in airfares, I’d be spending some time on the internet making sure the bulls I had drawn warranted the expense of getting there.   It may be smarter to eat a few entry fees so you’ll have some operating capital for the rest of July.   Nearly every airport and many hotels have internet access.   Kinko’s and most of the major chain print shops do to and some are open 24 hours a day.  Every one knows someone who has internet access.  Get it set up now where they will  look up bulls for you.    The other alternative is to get some phone numbers of various circuit guys who are going to be staying close to home over the 4^th so you can call them once you get your stock from PROCOM.

11. Find out where the cheapest places to fly out of are.  Drive there and fly.  It wouldn’t hurt to have cars strategically placed for the summer run.   The first guy to ever really get to a ton of rodeos was Jerome Robinson.  At  one time he had several old cars placed across the country.  If they’d break down he’d just pull the plates and abandon ship.

12. If you haven’t got a cheap airfare, you can only go get on bulls you are likely to catch a top hole on (that means bulls that buck that YOU can ride).

13. Get rodeo office phone numbers (from Procom) for every rodeo you enter.   At the rodeos where your bull has already been out—maybe you can call and find out what the judge’s marked him.

14. If you have to get in a light aircraft  DON’T GO.   It can get you DEAD.    Big deal… a rodeo or two extra.   There will be other good ones and other rodeos.  This is just a game—play IT … don’t let it play YOU.    Bull riding is dangerous enough.

Bryan McDonald
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