Yee-haw! New ERA in U.S. rodeo kicks off in Redmond
It was an historic night for rodeo in America, and in Central Oregon. The world’s top rodeo athletes kicked off their national tour Friday night at the Bank of Cascades Center in Redmond.
A mix of longtime rodeo fans and first-time rodeo-goers waited in long lines to attend the first-ever Elite Rodeo Athletes Premier Tour event, hosted by the High Desert Stampede.
“We have tickets bought from all over the United States, including 16 states right now and Europe, to see this rodeo in Redmond,” said Dennis Fast, chairman of the High Desert Stampede.
The Elite Rodeo Athletes, or ERA, is a new rodeo league founded by the top 87 professional rodeo athletes, including three from Central Oregon.
The ERA is taking away many rodeo athletes from the Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association, or PRCA, due to the fact that ERA athletes can’t compete in the PRCA unless they give up their shares in the ERA. Only 15 percent of athletes have chosen to give up their shares to continue with the PRCA.
“They won’t be riding in any other rodeos in the whole Northwest,” Fast said. “They won’t be in Sisters, they won’t be in St.Paul, they won;t be in Pendleton. They’re going to be here. This is kind of like Vegas on tour.”
The big name stars are competing for big money. Each night’s payouts will exceed $100,000, totaling close to $5 million throughout the tour.
In addition to high payouts, the athletes will not have to be competing as often. Instead of the average 120 events rodeo participants compete in each year, they will only have to take part in 20 nights of competition.
“They can also maintain their bodies. I think it’s going to extend their careers, especially in the rough events. So its less events for more money,” said ERA Vice President of Sponsorship Scott Davis.
The athletes say they believe the new ERA Tour will make the sport more fan-friendly and offer a better career for cowboys and cowgirls.
“It’s great to be able to start a new league of cowboys that will benefit all cowboys young and old and everyone in between,” said bareback rider Will Lowe.
More than 4,000 fans attended the rodeo Friday night and a bigger turnout is expected for Saturday. After Saturday’s event, the ERA tour will continue to eight more U.S. cities before the five-day championship in Dallas, Texas in November.
The two-day Redmond rodeo will air on FOX Sports 2 on April 6 and 7.
For more information, visit eraprorodeo.com.
