2020 WRCA Sanctioned Rodeo of the Year: Big Bend Ranch Rodeo
When the Big Bend Ranch Rodeo was named the 2020 Sanctioned Rodeo of the year at the 25th WRCA World Championship Ranch Rodeo, it wasn’t only the rodeo committee members who felt honored. People from throughout the ranching community of Alpine, Texas, felt the glow of recognition and pride for their hometown event.
“Quite a few people have come up to me to congratulate us,” says longtime Big Bend Ranch Rodeo committee member Chachi Hawkins. “This isn’t just our rodeo; the whole area out here helps us put this on. We couldn’t have this event if it wasn’t for area businesses and ranchers.”
Since its inception in 2000, the Big Bend Ranch Rodeo and the surrounding community have had a strong relationship. Fans fill the seats to cheer on competitors, local businesses offer sponsorships and nearby ranches provide stock. To give back to the community, the rodeo donates all proceeds to local Sul Ross State University, where the money is allocated through scholarships for students interested in rodeo and agriculture. To date, they’ve donated some $250,000 for scholarships.
The Big Bend Ranch rodeo committee is dedicated to supporting the next generation of agriculturalists—after all, they’re instrumental in continuing the Western way of life, says Hawkins.
“Every day we see folks trying to hack away at the ranching lifestyle,” she continues. “The whole way of life comes into question every day and we’re committed to doing what we can to preserve this heritage. The more positive things that we can do to make sure people understand the real truth, the better.”
Preserving and promoting the cowboy and ranching way of life is a primary goal for the rodeo, and the committee has long been coming up with innovative ways to do just that. They were the first WRCA sanctioned rodeo to designate proceeds to rodeo scholarships, the first to establish a youth competition as part of the rodeo weekend and the first to employ the “Buy a Cowboy a Meal” program, where competitors are fed a “good, West Texas meal.”
Sometimes, it’s necessity that inspires innovation, and when COVID-19 reduced the rodeo’s 2020 event capacity by 50%, the committee knew they had to come up with a creative way to bring the rodeo to everyone who wanted to see it. Working with the university’s sports department, they were able to livestream the rodeo to eager fans, friends and family.
“It was our first year livestreaming the event, but we were pleasantly surprised by the turnout,” says Hawkins. “I think it’s something we’ll try to bring back!”
The committee aims to make the rodeo accessible not only to cowboys and their families, but to the general public. Hawkins explains that it’s important to educate folks about the origins and importance of ranch rodeo and the way of life it represents.
“That’s a big reason we do all this. To get the word out,” she says. “The ranching way is deteriorating a little bit and not represented well in mainstream media. People don’t understand we’re the only country in the world who can feed our own population. People don’t understand what a ranch cowboy does and how he impacts their way of life. We want to get the word out. We want to invite them to see our community and see how much we’re actually a part of theirs.
“And,” she continues, “ranch rodeos are just a whole lot of fun.”
