Rain, economy work against Rodeo numbers

Organizers at the 69th annual Pikes Peak or Bust Rodeo can control a few things, but the weather remains beyond their capabilities.

A rainstorm lasting 15-20 minutes near the start of Friday’s 7 p.m. rodeo prompted some potential fans to turn around, continuing a trend of average ticket sales for the four-day event at the Norris-Penrose Event Center – which continues through tonight.

A little more than 4,700 tickets were sold Friday, less than the usual sellout (about 5,500). The rodeo had 4,781 buy tickets for the opening performance Wednesday night compared to 5,159, a decline of 378, the year before.

While that dip from a record in 2008, coupled with a paid attendance of 4,382 on Thursday, was disappointing, Pikes Peak or Bust Foundation president Rob Alexander was hopeful earlier this week that the total attendance for all five performances would not suffer because of the economy.

Pikes Peak or Bust Rodeo vice president Bill Miller said the rodeo has sold out on Friday and Saturday nights in recent years.

Weather always remains the wild card when it comes to ticket sales.

"This is a walk-up town, always has been," Miller said. "Since we're an outdoor facility, people look out the window at 4 p.m. and decide if they're coming."

While overall attendance may be close to last year's totals, it appears Colorado Springs may not follow the national trend.

Record or increased attendance were reported at many of the winter rodeos, including RodeoHouston (a record 1.9 million over 18 days), Rapid City, S.D. (15 percent), and Jackson, Miss. (3 percent), according to ProRodeo Sports News.

More recently, Cody, Wyo., Prescott, Ariz., and Reno, Nev., all reported record attendance, Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association commissioner Karl Stressman said.

“It’s a trend we’ve seen clearly since February and early March,” he said. “People are going through tough times. They can’t afford to take trips so they’re staying closer to home.”

Stressman said many people want the country to move back toward its grassroots origins, where rodeo had its beginning.

The surge in attendance nationwide does bode well for the sport’s future.

With so many new faces in arenas, Stressman hopes the sport can take on new fans for the long term.

“It sells itself,” he said. “We’re looking to capitalize on that. We do think there is a growth opportunity.”