Rodeo rolls into town

J.D. Schnitker reveled Wednesday in the logistics of hauling feed and setting up a cage for his two steers, Midget and Popeye, in Barn D on the Ector County Coliseum grounds.

The 10-year-old, of Turkey, Texas, helped his uncle, Mike Fuston, and his mom, Lisa Schnitker, prepare for their participation in the upcoming steer and heifer show at the 75th SandHills Stock Show and Rodeo, which starts Friday.

J.D., a fourth-grader, said he arrived about 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, and he’d miss school toward the end of this week to help set up and show the two red-and-white Hereford steers — both younger than 2 years old.

This is the boy’s second year at the rodeo in Odessa, and he said he enjoys his experiences with the animals in the arena and at home. He’d like to turn it into a career.

“So I can just always be with cows again … bring back good memories,” he said.

J.D. is one of more than 800 contestants expected from throughout the world, each bringing their livestock — like heifers, steers and horses — to compete, show and possibly auction off at the annual stock show and rodeo.

The rodeo — one of the top 15 Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association rodeos in the United States — will celebrate its 75th year by kicking off some events with special openings, Patti Woolard, SandHills vice president of promotions, said.

Many of the contestants may be coming off the National Rodeo Finals in Las Vegas. That makes Odessa the first PRCA rodeo of the calendar year and gives participants chances to earn points for the 2008 season, she said.

This year, the SandHills rodeo offers a new event called the Daisy Protection Bullfighting Tour, which judges four two-man teams in protection and freestyle competition in rodeo bullfighting.

The rodeo also features the normal events of bull riding, ladies’ professional barrel racing, calf roping, steer wrestling, saddle bronc riding, bareback riding and team roping will also be a part of the rodeo. Livestock, such as lambs and horses, are scheduled to be shown throughout the week in the stock show.

Harry Vold, owner of Harry Vold Rodeo Co. in Fowler, Colo., said he looked forward to starting 2008. He’s begun each new year in Odessa for 42 consecutive years.

He and his daughter, Kirsten Vold, plan to stock about 100 horses for events like bareback bronc riding and saddle bronc riding.

The contractor noted that most of the world champions are entered in the Odessa rodeo.

“It makes for good competition,” Harry Vold, a native Canadian, said.

Woolard encouraged others to come out to the stock show — especially those who’ve never been — because it supports the community and it’s great entertainment.

“It’s just a lot of family fun. Any night of the rodeo could be the winner,” she said. “They could see the winner of the whole thing any night of the week.”

WANT TO GO?

>> What: 75th SandHills Stock Show and Rodeo.

>> When: 7:30 p.m. Jan. 4-5 and Jan. 9-12.

>> Where: Ector County Coliseum.

>> Cost: Tickets are on sale at the Coliseum box office or at Cavender’s Boot City in Midland. Tickets for the first five performances are $14 for box seats, $12 for reserved seats and $10 for general admission. On Jan. 12, admission goes up $2 for each ticket performance price.

>> Super Tuesday Roping: $5 entry for the roping event short go that begins at 7:30 p.m. The roping preliminaries start at 8 a.m.

>> Note: On Friday, as well as Jan. 9 and 10, $40 will get a group or four-member family four tickets, four hot dogs, four drinks and four bags of chips.

>> Call: 366-3951.

SOURCE: PATTI WOOLARD, VICE PRESIDENT OF PROMOTIONS FOR SANDHILLS STOCK SHOW AND RODEO