There is nothing like the thrill of watching rodeo contestants perform – plenty of heart pounding action, with big sound and patter from the announcers, dust flying from superb animal athletes, and fans cheering. To get to that moment, dedicated people – most of them volunteers – have worked for months to make the World’s Oldest Rodeo® an unforgettable, professional show for us all.
Meet three key people who have dedicated years to pursuing excellence for our rodeo: Robby Long, Arena Director; Charley Williams, Bucking Chute Chairman; and JordanRae Cook, Timed Event Chairman. Despite the grueling hours, dealing with large animals that demand respect, and conditions that are often dangerous, these three wouldn’t have it any other way and continue working with their teams for the sheer love of their sport.
Robby Long has been part of the chutes activities officially since 1999, and was involved with our rodeo long before that. He and Charley Williams, friends since elementary school, recall sweeping the rodeo bleachers with brooms and volunteering for many decades before rising through the ranks.
In addition to his full-time job, Robby serves as a rodeo director with oversight of arena inventory, care of the Justin Room (where cowboys rest between events), the bucking chutes, and timed events. He schedules work parties weeks in advance of the rodeo where his volunteers combat aging infrastructure, fix countless leaks, have replaced rotten wooden posts on the jumbo-tron with metal poles, make the areas safe for the animals, contestants, and workers, and countless other tasks.
As the rodeo action begins, Robby’s teams come together to make sure all livestock is loaded in sequential order according to each event. While a timed event is running, the team is moving roughstock (broncs and bulls used in bucking events) into position. During the rodeo, Robby and his teams work hand-in-hand with contract personnel to keep flow of the rodeo events happening smoothly.
Robby beams when he talks about his crew, saying “the entire team is extremely valuable and equally important.” One of the main things he stresses is how much time this team puts in. His all-volunteer team works weekends and nights building up to the rodeo, then during the rodeo often until 3:00 am.
They feed and water the stock and make sure the animals are well cared for before allowing themselves rest.
Easy-going Charley Williams, the second volunteer devoted to this trio, is the bucking chute chairman. He donates his weekend time leading up to the rodeo and lives on-site 24/7 during the rodeo. Charley and his team have the overall responsibility to manage the animals and make sure they’re comfortable, making sure to notify the stock contractor if sick animals are found. His volunteers are currently building a calf shade to keep the calves cool.
Charley’s motto is to “promote and give back to a rodeo that gave us so much as kids.” Our rodeo has been part of his life for as long as he can remember and he has fond memories of being behind the chutes when Harry Vold was there in the 70s. Some on his team are “lifers,” having helped with the bucking chutes for many decades. All are volunteers, serving faithfully with little recognition. He and his lifers have dug post holes by hand, patches miles of fencing, run livestock, and countless other critical behind-the-scenes chores.
When the action is rolling, Charley and Robby relay scores from judges to the announcers on roughstock events to keep the show running smoothly with no lag in announcing. In the middle of the action, their team provides two guys who run the bucking chute gate when the cowboy nods that he’s ready to go.
When the animals are done, Charley’s people are in the stripping chutes to remove all equipment from the bucking animals (bulls and horses).
It’s a dangerous job, served by long-time volunteers who know what the job entails. “Gotta be double tough. I’m just so proud of our team.”
“Cowboys have to travel a long way to get to us and there are no other rodeos close by,” Charley says. “They’re willing to make that trip and that tells you what this rodeo means to them.”
Our third behind-the-scenes superstar, Jordan Cook, is a third-generation volunteer and has been with our rodeo since she was 13. Her team runs all timed events which include tie-down roping, steer wrestling, breakaway roping, team roping, and barrel racing. Although most of the activities happen in timed events, the flashier bucking chutes events often draw more attention. Her folks are the only crew that does everything twice, since each contestant needs two runs to qualify. By this time, everyone else is asleep and this crew is still working, often until 1:00 or 2:00 am.
The Timed Events team consists of seven volunteers, with women filling five of those slots. Communication is key in timed events; for example, each steer must match up with the correct cowboy or the results are invalid. Jordan knows “if we mess up, it can screw up a cowboy’s chance to win prize money.”
The Timed Events team is described as a really fun, energetic, chaotic area to work in, making for hard work and long days. Jordan’s young crew has worked together many years and believe “anything cowboys and cowgirls need – that’s our job.” Jordan’s team unties calves after the roping competitions, rototills boxes before each performance, checks and re-checks gates to make sure they work, puts out barrels for racing, brings animals from back to front boxes (examples would be bringing a Clydesdale baby to the front box and pushing steers and calves from pens to the roping box), and helps assist with entertainment’s livestock, whatever they need.
These hardy volunteers cover many additional bases as well. They put up signs in the arena, set up the Blue Moon Saloon, cover anything PFD needs hands for as “jacks of all trades,” and work in the stripping chutes to remove equipment from timed event animals. The timed events are flawless because Jordan and her team work hard to bring them to us that way, without a hitch.
We hope you’ll join us for the 137th World’s Oldest Rodeo, July 1 – 7 and if you spot Robby, Charley, and Jordan, tip your hat to them for a job well done!
Captions:
Photo 1: Charley Williams, left, and Robby Long are ready to rodeo! Photo courtesy of Y. Gibbs.
Photo 2: Timed Event teammates L-r: Melinda Jordan, Sammi Rusnak, and Jordan Cook. Photo courtesy of Blushing Cactus Photography.