Home » Sports » Rodeo Culture » Rodeo Echoes the Spirit of the Olympics

Rodeo Echoes the Spirit of the Olympics

© Diana Rowe Martinez

What a 2002 Winter Olympics! The media literally buzzed with the hubbub of the Winter Games held here in the United States. We heard about the figure skaters, the bobsledders, even the curling competition. (I’m still not clear on why curling is an Olympic sport, but that debate belongs elsewhere.) What we didn’t hear too much about was the 2002 Olympic Command Performance Rodeo.

Even though this rodeo was featured in one of my articles in December: http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/rode... I think this topic is definitely worth revisiting.

The 2002 Olympic spirit included the sport of rodeo. This has not occurred since the 1988 Winter Games in Calgary, Alberta where rodeo played to sell out crowds when it made its first appearance in association with the Olympics. But the spirit of rodeo epitomizes the spirit of America and what better timing than the 2002 Olympics to bring rodeo back on the agenda?

Unfortunately the Olympic Rodeo was not televised in full although included in NBC’s blanket coverage was a slice on the Olympic Rodeo Command Performance and Ann Romney’s dressage routine. Still, the excitement bubbled in the Olympic Arena in Salt Lake City from February 9-11 in an event called the Cultural Olympiad Rodeo.

Forty each of the top U.S. and Canadian rodeo cowboys and cowgirls shared the world stage with sports athletes from around the world in a three-day PRCA rodeo held at the Davis Fair Park’s Legacy Center. Five teams of five competitors dug for gold in seven events:

· Bareback Riding · Steer Wrestling · Team Roping · Saddle Bronc Riding · Calf Roping · Barrel Racing · Bull Riding

According to the Kendra Santos in the February 20, 2002 issue of the PRORODEO SPORTS NEWS, veteran bareback rider Larry Sandvich had his work cut out for him. Not only did he prepare for his silver medallion-winning ride, but he also logged in a ton of hours in order to make every pair of chaps worn at this event.

“A total of 32 chaps, including 10 pair in each of the three roughstock events and two more to fit pickup men Lewis Field and Bobby Marriot.” Chap maker since 1986, Sandvich usually fashions 25-45 chaps a year with his Custom Chaps label, but this order pushed his already busy schedule to bursting at the seams. His road to completed chaps was filled with ruts along the way, and he ultimately used an assembly line approach to make 15 custom-fit pairs at a time and completed the entire job in 28 days. Thanks to Sandvick’s wife’s persistence and the sponsorship of Wrangler, Justin Boots, Dr. and Mrs. Tandy Freeman, and the Barback Bar and Ice House in Houston, Texas, the Olympic Rodeo chaps didn’t cost the rodeo cowboys a cent.