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Stampede Rodeo to host PRCA's Xtreme Bulls tour - By Mark Heinz
This document was published online on Monday, November 13, 2006
Cody Country rodeo fans will be treated to some of the top bull riding action in the nation for at least the next two summers.
The Cody Stampede Board and Park County Travel Council on Friday announced PRCA's Xtreme Bulls tour has been secured for a performance on June 30, 2007, at Stampede Park.
The action will begin at 6 p.m. and tickets will be $25 for Buzzards Roost seats above the chutes and $20 for general admission.
Extra bleachers might be needed at Stampede Park for the show.
The event also has been snagged for summer 2008, although no date has been set for that performance.
It's hoped a deal can be struck with Winnercomm - the sports production company that hosts Xtreme Bulls - to secure the event for years to come, said Claudia Wade of the PCTC.
“The goal is to make Cody a regular stop on the tour,” she added.
The tour makes only 12 stops each year, Stampede Board president-elect Al McCreery said.
Xtreme Bulls features top cowboys and bucking stock, and is an important step to the PRCA National Finals in Las Vegas, Stampede Board member Marv Allerheiligen said.
“These are bulls you wouldn't normally see in Cody - or at any rodeo for that matter,” he said. “The cowboys are competing for a shot at the national finals.”
Xtreme Bulls will help kick off the Cody Stampede - July 1-4 - and should help boost it, he said.
“We're hoping it will rub off on the Stampede and improve the quality of bull riding for that event,” Allerheiligen added.
During the first round of competition, 45 cowboys will test their “skill and courage,” McCreery said.
Only a dozen will advance to the final round.
About 60 bulls will be used, from top breeders around the country, he added.
It's expected to cost $50,000-$60,000 to organize the event, Wade said.
The event will be filmed by ESPN and is expected to air on ESPN and ESPN2 in July or August, she added.
Tourism should benefit because four 30-second commercials featuring Cody Country and Yellowstone Park will be included in the broadcasts, Wade said.
“This should further secure Cody's reputation as the ‘Rodeo Capitol of the World,'” she said.
McCreery said all members of the Stampede Board will be involved in planning the show.
“It's going to take some serious work,” he added.
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