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Synopsis: The Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame honors cowboy and cow alike in Colorado Springs while honoring what may be the true American sport.
Is there one true American sport? Baseball has its origins in the English game of rounders and football draws many of its basic plays from soccer and rugby. Basketball was invented in America but one hundred years after its introduction it is truly an international game. If you are looking to identify the ultimate American sport, you could do worse than looking at rodeo.
Rodeo evolved from the everyday work chores of settling the American West. Cowboys took pride in their skills and after boasting to one another there was not much left to do but settle the matter. The first rodeo took place on July 4, 1869 when three ranch brands engaged in a bronc riding contest. The winner took home a suit of clothes. AmericaÕs oldest original sport was born.
Other events replicating a cowboyÕs work day of roping calves, throwing steers, and riding broncs were added. In the late 1800Õs Bill Pickett developed steer wrestling by biting the lip of a calf. In 1929 the Rodeo Association formed to standardize rules and events. The rodeo promoters reaped nearly all the benefits from the popular rodeos held around the country, to the detriment of the cowboys.
In 1937 the cowboys staged a strike to get a say in the rodeo. The first professional organization, the Cowboy Turtles Association, so named because it took so long to form, became a reality. With the popularity of the Hollywood western after World War II rodeo boomed. In 1959 the first National Finals Rodeo was held in Dallas. Each December in Las Vegas, Nevada, the top 15 cowboys in each event compete for over $2 million in prize money at the Nationals.
Today, the ProRodeo circuit spans the country. In the far reaches of the Western United States, ProRodeo is the only professional sport many people ever see in person. In addition, over 100 colleges and universities field interscholastic rodeo teams. Much of the heritage of this quintessentially American sport is captured at the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame and Museum. Upon leaving this action-packed tribute to the American West you would be hard pressed to name another sport as wholly American as rodeo. There are no obscure European references to the origins of rodeo and there are no grandiose plans to export rodeo across the world. Rodeo, which evolved from everyday work chores in the early west into a sport, is a unique American experience.
The Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame and Museum is located in Colorado Springs, Colorado, centrally positioned in the Midwest and is the home of the Pro Rodeo Association. The Hall of Fame is an educational museum dedicated to the preservation of the legend and reality of the American cowboy.
Visitors to the Hall are greeted by Ă’The Champ,Ă“ a larger-than-life bronze statue of the legendary Casey Tibbs aboard the famed saddle bronc Ă’Necktie.Ă“ Tibbs, a nine-time world champion, was one of America's most celebrated rodeo cowboys.
Your precisely orchestrated semi-guided tour of the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame and Museum begins in Theater I with a historical overview of roping and riding contests which led to the popular rodeos held throughout the country. The theater empties into Heritage Hall with its stunning collection of ropes, saddles, chaps, boots, and other cowboy gear as it has evolved over the past one hundred years. Those big cowboy hats donÕt just look good - they circulate air to help keep the cowboy cool in the prairie sun.
You barely have time to take it all in before the next show in Theater II. Here you taste the dust of a bull ride from atop the beast as you learn about professional rodeo today. You ride along with present-day cowboys as they Ògo down the roadÓ competing in professional rodeos. Like their ancestors in the early west todayÕs cowboys are independent contractors. No organization tells them where to appear and they earn only what they win.
The Hall of Champions immortalizes rodeo greats in each of the events and All-Around Cowboy. Showcases feature trophies, photographs, buckles, and tack of the great cowboys since 1929 when the first records were maintained. Each plaque is accompanied by a biography which all too often ends tragically in this dangerous sport.
The stock is as important as the cowboyÕs skills in rodeo scoring and there is a Hall of Fame for rodeo animals. Red Rock was a bull who went 309 attempts without ever being ridden until he retired. He came out of retirement and, like so many of his human athlete counterparts, was not the competitor he was before. He was ridden once.
All along the tour paintings and bronze sculptures depicting the cowboy and rodeo events highlight the walls and walkways of the Museum. The final stop is the Outdoor Garden Exhibit where you look behind the scenes in a mini rodeo arena.
The Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame and Museum is just off Exit 147 of I-25 at 101 Pro Rodeo Drive in Colorado Springs. The museum is open daily except for major holidays.
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