Page 6
THE BATTALION
THURSDAY, MARCH 2, 1978
focus
Star-spangled Houston Rodeo return!
Does
keep (li
cite the
Bagf
Does
Popcorn, kids, cowboy
blend for the big showl
BY PAIGE BEASLEY a $275 certificate is awarded to each Cows and st t‘ers, four tintofe
ing al
in the s
tone it <
month?
| Does
§igh sc
Hunior 1
"regnai
A gei
ers tt
ould 1
Battalion Staff
Cowboys ride into town dressed in
faded jeans, chaps and spurs. Their
jeans, tucked down deep in their
tooled-leather boots, are decked by
silver-buckled belts adorned with
fancy engraving displaying their
names. Businessmen put on western
hats and boots to join the newcomers
in celebrating the 46th annual Hous
ton Livestock Show and Rodeo.
The eighth wonder of the world,
the Astrodome, attracts the world s
greatest cowboys, who come to claim
of the 12 tired winners.
A few bets are being made in the
audience, as the next event draws
closer.
And they re off.
Three colorful chuck wagons pul
led by teams of four ponies race
around the arena, bringing spec
tators to their feet as they cheer their
favorite team to victory.
ifes; Ye
si/.e of their young owners,J Butt
sluggishly toward the arenajLvers t(
showing, while being tuggedagjte, di
pulled at full force. To thinksaalws, ai
these young 4-H inembersandi |ut stu<
tore Farmers of America wanttoi
a herd, when one seems tobec
ing difficulty.
Studr
feet, th;
lent la
ndadr
They have one more lap to
go...and it’s a neck-and-neck finish.
Popcorn, chewing
and 23,000 animals — Ho# !alifon
ton Livestock Show
Cowboys decked in silver-
buckled belts adorned with
fancy engraving displaying
their names — join busi
nessmen in new western hats.
the coveted title of Houston’s ’’All
Around Cowboy.’ The most rugged
and vigorous tests await the chal
lenge of champion cowboys during
the week-long extravaganza.
“I win, yells a middle-aged lady
as she throws her arms — and pop
corn — in the air. 1 win, I win the
bet, she say s. “My team won. She
grabs a dollar from the man behind
her, and runs to the concession stand
to replace the bag of popcorn.
Lights in the Astrodome dim, and
the star of the show rides toward the
center of the arena in a freshly waxed
pickup truck. Flash bulbs light up
the entire building, as some of
America’s thirst countn and western
entertainers come on stage.
Nerves start twitching an
drops of perspiration form c«|
foreheads of each contestant a
moment some have waited allil
for approaches. Tension moimj
they search the judge’s face y
sign showing approval oftheireJ
ig on '
Lead
jnabh
:hool |
The children’s barnyardgivesl
youngsters the opportunity,to(|
farm animals. Touch in this cm
chides pinching, grabbing,pell
poking and hitting.
“It s show time, cries the an
nouncer in a reverberating voice.
Who’s tired.
There is a lot of excitement going on at the Houston Livestock
Show and Rodeo. With all the excitement several animals give
birth unexpectedly, as was the case with the cow on the left.
Delivering this calf kept this couple up early Saturday morn
ing but all three seem to be “sleeping it off” well.
Flashing billboard lights spell out
the names of cowboy s willing to
prove their strength and endurance
by tackling anything from bronc rid
ing, steer wrestling, calf roping to
bull riding.
Commercial
the figure of cl
billboard. Spt
music, sing th
blinking lights form
apping hands on the
etators clap to the
;* verses they know.
and mumble the ones they don't.
Hoopla ... but where’s the rodeo?
By DOUG GRAHAM
Battalion Staff
Enormous is the word for the
Houston Rodeo. No other word fits.
It offers the largest purses and the
finest cowboys and riding stock in
the country. Add country singers
and the modern tech no-wizardry of
Houston’s promoters, and you
should have the finpst. rodeo any
where. ’ i
Which is what I expected at my
first Houston rodeo and my first trip
inside the Astrodome. But what I
found was that in concentrating all
the glory of rodeo under that vault
ing dome, something was lost.
What was lost? I’m not sure.
Perhaps it was transplanting rodeo
from its dirt roots to slick profes
sionalism, that did it. Houston’s
rodeo had lost something basic.
Two impressions hit me as I
watched .steerwrestling. The first
was the dome s vastness, and how far
away and small both the men and
steers seemed.
The second shocker was the
speed. The bulldoggers were quick.
One second the steer was up. The
next he was down.
There was no collision of flesh, no
bone-jarring planting of the heels as
cowboys leaped from their horses.
Instead of drama, one got the feeling
that the event was somehow....an-
they' slewed sideways in the dirt —
their matched teams of horses strain
ing in their traces. The drivers were
western chariot racers.
Next came a piece of Houston
space-wizardry. Below a central
screen that read:
the obvious bit of promotion hurt,
rather than helped, the show.
But then, I came for a rodeo, not a
varietv act.
WELCOME TO THE AS
TRODOME EIGHTH WONDER
OF THE WORLD. | $
{ Mac Davis, Uui ' s f|e a t.ri red-
entertainer, rode triumphantly into
the arena on a shining black and
silver pickup bed. He met his band
which was pulled into the arena’s
center on a portable rotating stage.
All around the dome yvas sterile
red, white, and blue bunting stretch
ing in fringed streamers over the cat
tle chutes.
I savy rodeo cloyvns submerged by
the vastness. Their skits, gestures,
and expressive faces yyere quaran
tined by the distance between them
and their spectators.
BiiU-.riding is the inOslcxcitingamd
dangerous event. BiYIls nbt only
throyv a man offhis back, but unlike
the bronco, yvill sometimes turn to
destroy their erstyvhile riders. The
danger to the men yvas real, but the
brilliant lights, and the distance from
the action, made it seem as if you d
have seen it just as yvell if you d
yvatched it on television.
What I got is yvhat I deserved, I
guess. Though for the men and ani
mals competing there yvas nothing
artificial, but for the spectators
something didn t ring true. Big
bucks breed big promotion. Big
promotion needs to reach huge audi
ences, audiences that might ordinar
ily not care to see a rodeo. Hence, it
yvas too smooth, too polished, and
too slick. Instead of rough fence
there was smooth painted bars. In
stead of crummy arena-side
bleachers there were tiers of com
fortable' individual seats. Add re
freshments, hoopla, and a concert,
and you have it.
Coyvboys yvait for their chance to
explode from the chute riding some
of rodeo’s toughest stock. Each con
testant matches his skills against a
clock that keeps ticking away s ale
able time and prize money.
Music, animal sounds and
thousands of voices become a
giant blur.
Hilarity breaks the seriousness of
the contest yvhen a yvhite-faced
clown yvith a feather in his cap and
wearing a pair of oversized patched
overalls yvalks into the arena to direct
a monkey perched on a dog s back
attempting to jump several hurdles.
The shoyv ends, and people ru
e ramps to beat the croyvd.
th
unfortunate
same idea.
everyone*
had
;h to
but
the
The Houston Rodeo. More than a
odeo, and much, much, less.
What happens yvhen 24 boys and a
fdozen calves are turned loose in the*
same arena? There is definitely' a
scramble — a calf scramble.
Twenty-f’oiir screaming boy s follow
the calves, leaping and tugging at
them yvhenever possible. The calves
never knenv yvhat hits them, but sud
denly they are tackled (tyvo, three, or
even more times), then haltered and
dragged across the finish line, yvhere
Thousands of people, dressed in
the typical attire of tight pants, and
boots and hats, stomp across the
street to the Astrohall to see more
than 23,000 cattle, syvine, horses,
rabbits, poultry, goats,and sheep.
But the animals don't lurv e to be seen
.to be believed — just smelled.
Observers trample popcorn,
cheyving tobacco and paperclips as
they walk doyvn the aisles of animals.
There is no problem until someone
steps on a piece of gum, yvhieh
strings along behind them for a feyv
yards.
ti septic.
Saddlebronc riding was next.
Each man spurred his horse to
wilder bucking, but were so far away
the nuances of their style could not
be discerned — the style which gar
nered points for both man and ani
mal.
Where yvas the dust? The smell?
The syveat and noise?
The chuckwagon races inspired
the most audience participation as
Mac Davis sang a song about how
he really was a cowboy despite his
fancy clothes, pickup, and money,
but I didn t believe him. He was like
too many of the people I saw who
yvere wearing suspiciously new
western wear.
When the TV-trained mass was
urged to clap along, tyvo ghost hands
appeared on the central screen as
prompters. But the hollow crackle of
clapping soon died, shaming the
applauding screen into darkness.
Another screen flashed MAC
DAVIS red-green, red-green. Be
side it, and its twin, yvere tyvo huge
illuminated signs: Marlboro, and
Coca-cola. Above the central screen
a huge nylon American flag formed
the third member of the American
triad — the real thing in the United
States of Marlboro countries.
The “country” concert was aimed
for a slightly western Donny and
Marie set of older folks. It had little
to do with real rodeo, and I felt that
“Hi, cow, saysafour-year-oldl
as she fearf ully reaches out totod nexpe
calf . She takes a quick step In keif,
yy ards though, when thecalfiiq | Stud
his long wet tongue annuullieta brch
hand. | prsity
Beer, barbecue, popcornW w e
cotton candy, sausage, bedfl 1 ?. s . e c
stop. Rodeo fans try it all. Slcsl ,^ t
take a beating and so do them f c “ es
books.
rick, y
Money doesn't stop many pi i latfon
They just move from one bws ap, on
another, registering hr fm « flhat
eating, or drinking and SMpIJnder
products. Iispec
A pot-bellied old tinier
the corner of the building, avicio,,
the crowd. When he stuffstlidl j
dog into his mouth, mustard.
over his bottom lip and drips
shirt ■elta
Music, animal sounds «•$. (
thousands of voices become ajg To £
blur. None distinguishable. » ex as
„ i .ii B var d(
But the room is arso a/««//m g q
sh e blur of people cramniidljj; res(
by-side y\ith little room to
Tired aching feet slow doviN the ]
traffic at the end of the day. C«“ 00r si
go home to rest for tomorrow.Molifu
nessmen to soak their blistendf^ntr
“Oil
pat a
falk f
kid.
Ags help rodeo
(Continued from page 1)
“This is the king of kings as for as
livestock shows. It’s the biggest and
most prestigious show. The experi
ence and benefits outweigh the pay,
said John Fischer, an animal science
major, yvho yvas yyorking at the Hous
ton shoyv for the first time.
Bill McCoy, a senior animal sci
ence major, said that by yvorking the
show be got to meet the most impor
tant people in the breed organiza
tions and livestock industries.
“Just being in an operation like
this, there’s no way you can do any
thing but learn. It’s so beneficial to
be around such top-notch jour
nalists, said Linda Norman, who
worked in the press room.
“When I first got in Ag-Journalism
I wasn’t sure I really wanted to go
into this field, but working down
here convinced me that there was an
interest in this for me, said Susie
Williams, a senior working in the
shoyv for the second time. “It
provides you with such an opportu
nity' to see what you’re getting into
before you graduate.
Jimmy Guillot, editor of the Gulf
Coast Cattleman magazine and 1977
graduate of Texas A&M said that by
working at the show for three years
yvhile a student gave him a realistic
view of the journalism field.
“I got hired as the editor of the
Gulf Coast Cattleman while yvorking
at last year’s show,” Guillot said. “I
was talking to the publisher of the
magazine and at that time he only
had a part-time editor and was need
ing someone for full time. So, yve got
to talking and I was hired to be the
full time editor when I graduated.
The Houston shoyv was real impor
tant in my getting a job. ”
“Most of the things Ive learned up
to this point has been in theory but
now I’m getting to put these things
into practice. I ve ney'er worked on a
job that has been so much fun but yet
where there has been so much pres
sure. It’s just like the real world,
said Mark Herron, a junior working
in the press room for the first time.
All the Aggies talked to said that
the experience, was one to always
remember. Underclassmen said that
they were already looking foryvard to
next year.
Battalion photos
by Paige Beasley
A mass of Aggies and would-be Aggies enjoyed balloons, ani
mals and companionship at the Houston Livestock Shoyv and
Rodeo this week. Right, Texas A&M students Kathy Wolfe and
Nancy Strickland, both seniors, line up for a souvenir. Top.
four Houston wranglers gang up to see the show. Lower left,
Ralph Herron, 4, sizes up the livestock.