SAN ANGELO, Texas — The COVID-19 pandemic has affected a lot of sporting events, but as the San Angelo Stock Show & Rodeo begins preparations for the 67th annual Cinch Roping Fiesta, executive director Justin Jonas said the sport of rodeo has only gained momentum through this time.
"Everybody was in their house for a month or two months and not going into work, and the Cowboy Channel just replayed a lot of rodeos: our rodeo, San Angelo's rodeo, was replayed several times. We got all kinds of interest that have come into the office because of it, but also their views have grown all over the nation," Jonas said.
This year, cowboys Caleb Smidt and Tyson Durfey will compete in a 20-head match on Oct. 24, meaning the winner will take home $20,000. On Friday, Oct. 23, there will be a preliminary calf roping where anyone with a PRCA card can compete, and whoever places in the top five will compete against the top 30 in the world Saturday.
"A lot of these are younger guys who are up and coming guys that just haven't had their chance yet but they do good in our prelim and they get the chance to go and rope against the big guys on Saturday," Jonas said.
As of right now, the Stock Show & Rodeo can only sell 50% of the tickets so that everyone has enough space to keep a social distance. Jonas said the rodeo will enforce whatever rules the government has in place at the time of the fiesta.
“We’re going to abide by all of the government’s rules. They’re probably going to have to come in with a mask. We’re going to have signs that say ‘practice social distancing.' The sections are going to be sold 50% to a section, so people are going to have to space out, but there’s going to be plenty of room to space out," he said.
Jonas said he was expecting the rodeo to struggle financially because of a loss of sponsorship and decreased attendance, but the rodeo is actually receiving more sponsorships than last year.
"You would think that during these times we wouldn't have sponsorships like we have, but they've actually grown 30% from last year. That's just saying something for our town that backs our event. We’re just so thankful for everything that they do," he said.
Tickets will start selling online at sanangelorodeo.com on Oct. 1. The event will also be aired live on the Cowboy Channel.