Cowboy up! The High Desert Stampede is back at full capacity, with more competitors

Wednesday, the kick-off of four-day run, is NewsChannel 21 Family Night

REDMOND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- The cowboys are back at the Deschutes County Fairgrounds, as the High Desert Stampede gets underway Wednesday night for a four-night run.

Denis Fast, chairman of the event, says for the first time in two years, the rodeo will allow full capacity.

“After two tough years, this has just been great,” Fast said Wednesdsay. 

Cowboys from all over the country, including world champion tie-down roper and multiple-time Columbia Circuit champion Tyson Durfey, had to adjust the past two years. 

“It was literally hell" Durfey said. "It sucked. It was terrible!”

Durfey said the pandemic shut down about 70 percent of the competitions nationwide.

“That’s why I’m so proud of a community like Redmond, to jump in there and say, ‘Hey, we’re ready to do this -- we’re ready to get back to normal. Let’s put the cowboys back to work -- and hey fans, let’s go have some fun, too’,” Durfey said. 

The High Desert Stampede expanded, having some athletes compete during the day Wednesday, allowing even more to compete over the weekend.

“And again they are coming from all over the country, our airport is full of cowboy hats,” Fast said. 

Out of 700 rodeos, the Stampede is among the top 60 in the country.

"Slack" events, or competitions without a crowd, allow national cowboys to come by and compete, and give local cowboys a chance for a performance spot.

“More people want to enter than we can actually have in a performance -- and that’s a good thing,” Fast said. “It's a really good thing.”

Durfey is a 20 year cowboy and knows what it takes to win.

“Rodeo is a mental game, it's one of those games where you prepare literally for 8,10, 12 hours to compete for 8 seconds,” Durfey said. 

But he said the support for each other is what makes rodeo unique, compared to other sports.

“We want to win ourselves, but you know, when our competitor backs in the box, we’re cheering for them to win, too,” Durfey said. 

Fast said whether it's your first rodeo or your 100th, you'll be cheering by the end of the night. 

“You don’t have to be a fan to enjoy this -- but once you come, you might become a fan,” Fast said with a smile. 

The High Desert Stampede continues through Saturday. You can buy tickets online or at the door.