Rodeo is no longer just a summertime thing. You don't have to wait until the Days of '47 celebration or the Utah State Fair or Pioneer Days in Ogden to see North America's top bronco-busting, bull-riding, lariat-tossing, steer-wrestling cowboys.
For the first time ever, a sanctioned PRCA (Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association) rodeo will be held during the winter at the Salt Palace Arena. The Wrangler Pro Rodeo Classic opens Friday night (tonight), at 8 p.m. and continues Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $7.99 and $9.99, except for opening night (KSL-TV Family Night), when all seats are $4.99 and $6.99. There are also discounts for children for the Saturday and Sunday performances. Tickets are available at the Salt Palace box office, the Huntsman Center and all Smith'sTix outlets.A couple of weeks ago, we had an opportunity to interview Larry Mahan, one of the all-time greatest world record holders in the history of rodeo. Although he's retired from the rodeo arena itself, he's still involved in the livestock and rodeo industry and follows the sport.
"Everybody likes to start out the year by getting to as many of the good rodeos as they can, so (the Salt Lake City) rodeo will probably have much of the top talent," he said from his ranch in Camp Verde, Texas.
"I still love the game and I'm very interested in it, even though I don't compete anymore. I might announce one or two rodeos a year and I did some color commentary for ABC, but my other business interests have kept me pretty busy," he said.
Mahan also had glowing comments for a number of his Utah friends and colleagues - especially actor Wilford Brimley (who sponsored a celebrity rodeo last year in the Salt Palace); D.A. "Swanny" Kerby, who has a reputation for providing some of the finest rodeo stock in the region, and former Utahn Kieth Merrill, who produced the Oscar-winning documentary feature, "The Great American Cowboy," which focused on the 1973 competition for World Champion All-Around Cowboy Title. Mahan was guest of honor two years later when the film was presented at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow.
Mahan also spoke of the many pleasant experiences he's had in his visits to Salt Lake City. In fact, he was in the Salt Palace just recently - not aboard a bucking bronco in the arena - but involved in bringing something new out of the chute: intorducing bottles of his new line of Larry Mahan Texas-Style Barbecue Sauce at the Smiths's Food Show.
Not that Mahan is a newcomer to the field of business. For many years, his exclusive line of Larry Mahan boots, hats and Western wear has been featured in stories throughout the country. Just this past year, one of the country's fashion publications ran a spread on the resurgence of Southwestern fashion trends and the "Dude Style" dress code for the '90s. A photograph of one of Mahan's elegant python boots covered an entire page in the magazine.
In conjunction with Celebrity Foods, Mahan will shortly add chili and salsa to his barbecue sauce (based on an old Mahan family recipe) to his line of Western gourmet grub.
Obviously, Mahan is as much at home with the kitchen range as he is on the open range.
And, although he won't be in town for the event, he was excited that Utahns will have a chance to see some of the nation's top cowboys competing in the Salt Palace arena Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Cowboys will be competing in six events for a purse of $1,000.
Some of the contenders expected to be in Salt Lake City for the Pro-Rodeo Classic are Dave Appleton of Arlington, Texas, the 1988 world champion all-around cowboy; Clint Johnson of Spearfish, S.D., three-time saddle bronc-riding champion; Marvin Garrett, Gillette, Wyo., 1988 bareback riding champion; Jim Sharp, Kermit, Texas, 1988 bull-riding champion; Joe VBeaver, Victoria, Texas, three-time world calf-roping champion; John W. Jones Jr., Morro Bay, Calif., 1984 and '88 world steer-wrestling champion; Shaun Burchett, Pryor, Okla., 1987 and '88 world steer-roping champion, and Jake Barnes, Bloomfield, N.M., and Clay O'Brien Cooper, Gilbert, Ariz., world champion team-roping champions, 1985-88.
- TALKING TO LARRY MAHAN is a little different from most interviews. It's more like a couple of guy swapping tales out in back of the rodeo chutes.
When I mentioned Kieth Merrill's name, Mahan asked if I'd seen him lately. I told him no, that Merrill was living in northern California these days and has been busy producing films for the IMAX process. But Mahan had fond memories of his work on the film "The Great American Cowboy," which won Merrill one of filmdom's most prized awards - an Oscar.
Commenting on livestock producer Swanny Kerby, Mahan said, "He's one of the great producers. I've always respected his stock and the way he puts on a rodeo. He always brings in good stock. He's a legend, that fellow."
Mahan also had some anecdotes to relate about Wilford Brimley. We were surprised to learn that Brimley, according to Mahan, has a more than passable singing voice (he DOES have a sort of impish Burl Ives look about him when you think about it), and that Brimley's son is an up-and-coming musician himself, having recently moved to Nashville to get closer to the country music industry.
Mahan acknowledged that rodeo is a tough sport.
"The premiere years are in a person's early 20s, physically. If a cowboy could get the experience that he needs in the game in his late teens, then they could almost be at their peak in their 20s. Youngsters can start out at age 7 or 8 riding calves and work up, but rodeo isn't like gymnastics. The caliber of the animals on the top end of the sport is too powerful for riders who are in their teens," he explained. "It takes a while, especially in the riding events, to work into the game."
An exception to this, he noted, is current All-Around World champion Ty Murray, who grew up in a rodeo environment and had total support from his parents in youth rodeos. Now just 20, Murray "rode better at 14 than I did when I was 18 and ready to turn pro," said Mahan. "It will be interesting to see how he handles (his fame) mentally. He's a kid out of college with a $3 million contract. I hope he'll be able to handle it well."
Commenting on longevity in the sport, Mahan said, "I was 33 when I was riding in the Cow Palace and realized it just wasn't there any more - not the same spirit and crispness and 100 percent dedication. Other things were slipping into the picture and business opportunities were dividing my time."
We asked for Mahan's comments about the ongoing controversy concerning the humane treatment of rodeo livestock.
Mahan was quick to point out that healthy, well-maintained animals are a rodeo contractor's "stock-in-trade," if you will. If an animal wasn't well cared for, it would not perform - and you'd have a grandstand full of unhappy rodeo fans.
There are more than 70 PRCA approved livestock contractors and the competition is fierce to maintain and provide the healthiest animals they can find.
In the arena, too, the animals are definitely not mistreated. The PRCA has strict regulations governing the treatment of animals. The PRCA sanctions about 30 percent of the rodeos in the country. Another 50 percent are sanctioned by smaller rodeo organizations, many of which also have regulations covering the humane treatment of the livestock. There are always veterinarians on the premises to ensure that the requirements are being met.