Two Texas cowboys walked away from San Angelo coliseum last weekend with saddlebags full of money after covering two bulls. Harve Stewart won over $7,700 on Friday with a two bull total of 178.5, including a 90 point ride in the short go-around. The Stephenville cowboy won the San Angelo Professional Bull Riders tour stop followed by Corey Melton of Toller. Melton had a two bull total of 176. He pocketed almost $5,000.
Stewart was the only one of 40 riders to cover his short go bull at Friday’s performance. The bulls appeared to have the upper hands both nights as several cowboys hit the dirt, including one thrown from camera range. Another cowboy spent the night in the hospital with a possible concussion before being released Saturday. Overall, the event was a success as we bucked bulls from both ends of the coliseum. The action literally moved from end to end in non-stop action. The Memorial Day weekend hurt attendance. But look for the PBR to return next year. It’s a lot of fun and we’ll research another date so more folks can see the best bulls and riders in the world.
About 600 bull fighting fans joined us Tuesday night in the 1st Community Spur arena for the taping of the television reality series, ‘America’s Toughest Jobs’. Retired professional bull fighter, Rob Smets sent a cast of amateurs into the ring to save cowboys from 1,500 pounds of bad intentions. I was impressed with the amateurs. They didn’t shirk their duties and managed to look good in front of the cameras. Of course, I was expecting the worst since they only had a few hours practice with a bull in a pen. Smets and his fellow professional bull fighters gave the cast members a crash course in how to fight bulls and stay alive in the process.
It was Smets who persuaded Hollywood to come to San Angelo. He wanted to showcase the Big Country and San Angelo. He used regional and local talent to ride bulls and a few of our rodeo committee members to operate and manage the chutes. After all the national headlines the past few months, a great television production showcasing San Angelo will be welcome. The program is tentatively set for a fall schedule.
From bull riding to team roping, the 1st Community Spur arena continues to draw top talent. Over 2,000 teams are expected next week for a United States Team Roping Championship. The USTRC is one of the biggest roping events hosted by San Angelo and consistently draws roping talent from around the southwest. It’s going to be a busy summer and we hope to see you all on the fairgrounds.
- Perry Curnutt, San Angelo Stock Show and Rodeo Marketing Director