IT was action galore at the East to West Coast Rodeo Championships in Orange on Saturday night as a record 4300 people walked through the gates, nearly 1000 more than last year.
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Rodeo co-ordinator Al Wilson said while good weather played a part in the rodeo’s popularity this year “crowds love nothing better than seeing a cowboy ride a good bull”.
“Australia-wide, people have always loved a rodeo, it’s our heritage, nearly every town has a rodeo,” he said.
Mr Wilson said John Couling rode brilliantly on the night, scoring 87 points to be named the East to West Coast Rodeo champion.
However, he didn’t provide the only entertainment. Seventy competitors on bucking broncos, thundering bulls and charging horses assisted by talented bull fighters and comedic rodeo clowns all took centre stage at the Orange Showground for the final stage of the 2014 championships.
After this year’s success, Mr Wilson said he expected to stage the same event in Orange next year.
Orange rodeo fanatic and committee member John Crasti watched it all from beside his mechanical bull ride.
“It’s a great town rodeo, it’s coming up in terms of popularity,” he said. “I reckon we’ll get the same [numbers] or better than last year.”
Next week marks two years since Mr Crasti sustained the spinal injury that left him paralysed and wheelchair-bound during the novice bull ride at the same rodeo, but nothing can keeps him away from the action.
He presented the buckle for the John Crasti Foundation Novice event, and had children of all ages lining up to have a ride on his mechanical bull, which he bought at the end of last year to stay involved in rodeos.
He has also been campaigning Orange City Council to upgrade rodeo facilities at the showground, beginning with the chutes, and said it would cost between $25,000 and $50,000 for a complete renewal of the ring.
“Hopefully by the end of next year we can have everything finished. When we have better gear, we’ll be able to attract some of the larger rodeos like the PBR, Pro Bull Riders,” he said.
“They’ve got bits of wood behind the chutes to stand on, and if you’ve got five big blokes standing on that, it can easily break. If they had had something proper to stand on, they would have been able to grab me out of there and that would have prevented my accident.”
alexandra.king@fairfaxmedia.com.au