HEMPSTEAD, Texas – The organizers of the annual Waller County Fair and Rodeo had no idea what to expect during this year’s event.
They had dreamed big, changing from an amateur rodeo to the ranks of ProRodeo as a member of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. They hired the best personnel in the business, from announcer Andy Stewart to barrelman/act Mark Swingler to Carr Pro Rodeo.
“It definitely fulfilled everything we wanted it to be,” said Clint Sciba, co-chairman of the rodeo committee and vice president of the Waller County Fair Association. “Our rodeo had a Vegas-type feel to it; Pete Carr and his people put on the kind of show that everybody is talking about.
“Pete Carr and the Carr Pro Rodeo Company is as professional as it gets. Pete has a great group of individuals that work hard to make sure the Carr Pro Rodeo brand stays at the top of must-see PRCA stock and rodeo entertainment.”
That’s just the foundation for a successful event. The key reason the rodeo committee decided to take its event to the professional level was to up the ante for fair-goers and others from the community that wanted to see the highest level of rodeo. Organizers knew bringing the best in the business – from world champion cowboys and cowgirls to the top animal athletes – would make for quality entertainment for fans in that region.
“The stock was unbelievable,” Sciba said. “We bucked 30 bulls in two days and had just three rides, but one of those rides was for 92 points to win it.”
Tim Bingham of Honeyville, Utah, won bull riding by matching moves with Carr’s Itch and Scratch. He was just one of several contestants to walk away from the weekend’s festivities with a new Montana Silversmiths buckle given to champions.
Other winners include steer wrestlers Termaine Debose, Ben Goodman and Cole Edge, who posted 4.3-second runs; tie-down roper Justin Maass, 8.7 seconds; barrel racers Reagan Dillard, Lauren Devang and Shelley Morgan, 14.87 seconds; team ropers Shane Phillp/John Phillip and Tyler Wade/Tyler Barton, 4.6 seconds; bareback rider Steven Anding, 88 points on Carr’s Grass Dancer, a horse seen every year at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo; and saddle bronc rider Bryan Hammons, 82 points on Carr’s Rodeo Spot.
“In bareback riding and saddle bronc riding, both those rides were the highest marked rides ever done in our arena,” Sciba said. “That’s the difference in the caliber of the stock and the caliber of the contestants we had this year.”
This is just the first step in continuing the growth of the annual event.
“I don’t think it could’ve gone any better,” Sciba said. “I think in Waller County, there was a lot of buzz about Friday night’s rodeo all day Saturday. We had people talking about it. It was great. Our sponsors, guys who know rodeo, were blown away by the production Pete and his people put on.”