The Still Has The Best Bang For Your Bucks This Rodeo Season 

The Wrangler National Rodeo Finals are finally here in Vegas, and it’s going to be a ten-day long wild ride! If you aren’t roping or riding, then come rustle up a seat to watch the rodeo at The Still. They’ll have a live nightly viewing starting at 5:45 PM PST for the duration of the finals, which will be like having a front-row seat no matter where you are with The Still’s 27 high-definition TVs and over 50 craft beers. So come cheer on your favorite buckaroo and throw back a few at the best sports bar in Las Vegas! 

Rodeo 101 

What is the rodeo exactly? Garth Brooks describes it best: 

“Well, it’s bulls and blood

It’s the dust and mud

It’s the roar of a Sunday crowd

It’s the white in his knuckles

The gold in his buckle

He’ll win the next go ’round

It’s boots and chaps

It’s cowboy hats

It’s spurs and latigo

It’s the ropes and the reins

And the joy and the pain

And they call the thing rodeo.”

The actual events of the rodeo are Bareback Riding, Saddle Bronc Riding, Bull Riding (which is way more difficult and deadly than the one that drunk college girls ride in bars, by the way), Steer Wrestling, Team Roping with separate events for Headers and Heelers, Tie-down Roping, and Barrel Racing. These are divided into two categories: rough stock and timed. The timed events are usually who can rope or wrestle the animal in the least amount of time. The rough stock events are where the animals are being ridden, and are scored for form, balance, control, the rider’s rhythm, and sometimes spurring. The rider has to stay on the animal for at least 8 seconds, which feels like an eternity when you’re getting thrashed around like a ragdoll and still look good. In rough stock, the animals also earn points, for how high they kick, the force of their buck, how many times they spin or change direction, and how hard they are trying to throw off their rider. So, basically, zero chill equals lots of points–the complete opposite of golf. 

Get That Cowboy’s Number! 

All of the ProRodeo contestants in the rodeo finals will have a number on their backs, just like in other professional sports. But in rodeo, the lower the number, the higher the honor. Those numbers are assigned by the total money each contestant has earned over the course of the season, so this is one of those rare instances where size matters.  You can find a list of the rankings here, and note that there will be no number 21 this year as the PCRA has opted to use that number to honor and acknowledge the 21 souls who perished in the Uvalde, Texas shooting in May. Another reminder that life is precious, and you should honor it by doing what you love. 

Best of luck to the Cowboys and Cowgirls competing–may you steer clear of injury and win (from) the big bucks!