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ENLARGE
Mike Land fills the “dead spots” at the Snowmass Rodeo.
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ENLARGE
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Every rodeo begins with a rider carrying the American flag around the arena.
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There are a lot of pieces that make up a successful rodeo — the bucking stock, the roping stock, riding and team roping competitors, the pick-up men, the judges, the rodeo company, the bull fighters, the concessionaires, the volunteers, and not to be overlooked, the rodeo announcer.
Competitors and spectators are held together with the silver-tongued voice of the rodeo announcer, whose web of words ties the whole event together.
A rodeo without the skill and personality of the announcer would be lacking in so much.
The grand entry music and the playing of the national anthem over the P.A. system would not be heard. Spectators wouldn't know who just fell off the bucking bull and the competitors wouldn't know the score.
“The rodeo announcer's job is to provide knowledgeable information about the rodeo events and the contestants in a manner that make it interesting to rodeo fans and those who are new to the rodeo. The announcer is also responsible for maintaining a certain excitement,” said rough stock contractor Darce Vold, whose bucking bulls and broncs make the Snowmass Rodeo a big draw for cowboys across Colorado.
“My job is to fill dead spots. When things go bad, I have to stop being a fan and start being an entertainer,” said Mike Land of Burns, Wyo., who's been announcing here since 2007.
He's taken the spot that was held by Twirp Anderson for 35 years. Fans of the singer/songwriter need not fear, though, for Twirp is still entertaining rodeo fans by singing at the supper provided by Aspen's Hickory House that precedes the rodeo proper. After the last bull ride, he leads an old-fashioned sing-a-long around the campfire.
“My fondest memory of the Snowmass Rodeo is the first year working with Twirp. He's a great guy who could not have been more gracious and welcoming. He knows everybody and can rattle off stories after story. He's an untapped wealth of information,” said Land, himself an enthusiastic and vocal rodeo fan.
Land remains in awe of the rodeo people he has met along the way.
“I got to helping Darce Vold and her daughter Katie Ford sort bulls with Bruce Ford, six-time winner of the world rodeo title. They are rodeo royalty extraordinaire,” he said. “I never had any intentions of being a rodeo announcer, I just stumbled into it.”
Eight years ago he was photographing rodeos part time, while making custom chaps on the side. Land went to photograph the Johnson's Corner bull riding competition near Loveland and was recruited to replace the scheduled announcer, who had been felled by a heart attack.
He'd had no experience announcing, but loved the rodeo and had even tried his hand at bareback riding, so he gave it a shot and has been behind the mic ever since.
While Land is the relatively new voice of the Snowmass Rodeo, Twirp Anderson remembers some high points from the past, including the appearance of former President Bill Clinton in the grandstands.
Reflecting on the rodeo's roots back in 1973, Anderson said: “When Doug McLain came up with the idea to start a rodeo in Snowmass, I was there to help building holes for the arena.”
At the first rodeo, Twirp earned his entry fee as a saddle bronc rider by announcing. Doug McLain took over for him while he competed.
“I've always had a good speaking voice, plus I loved rodeo,” Anderson said.
He remembers the Lipizzaner Stallions performing in the rodeo grounds and John Denver's last performance in Colorado in August 1997, in a special benefit concert for the Aspen Camp School for the Deaf following the rodeo. Two month later, Denver died in a plane accident.
He also remembers Bill Burwell's past contributions to the Snowmass Rodeo, which include new stands and the authentic stagecoach that was always a part of the entertainment in those days. Many recall Burwell behind the reins of the wagon, often seated beside some local celebrity.
The Wild Horse races are another fond memory associated with the Snowmass Rodeo.
The rodeo has had a long and lively history for almost four decades now. Each Wednesday during the summer it offers a great deal of fun for families, fans and contestants.
From the mouth-watering BBQ fare under the tent to the children's amusements including a petting zoo, a mechanical bull, the calf scramble and mutton busting, and from the spills and thrills of bull and bronc riding to the tight teamwork of the ropers, the Snowmass Rodeo is filled with family entertainment that builds memories for years to come.
The December/January issue of American Cowboy Magazine names the Snowmass Rodeo and nearby Carbondale Wild West Rodeo in its 14 “Must-See” Rodeo events for 2010, guiding tourists to solid entertainment value. It was a great honor for these two non-PRCA rodeos.
alarsonco@earthlink.net
Competitors and spectators are held together with the silver-tongued voice of the rodeo announcer, whose web of words ties the whole event together.
A rodeo without the skill and personality of the announcer would be lacking in so much.
The grand entry music and the playing of the national anthem over the P.A. system would not be heard. Spectators wouldn't know who just fell off the bucking bull and the competitors wouldn't know the score.
“The rodeo announcer's job is to provide knowledgeable information about the rodeo events and the contestants in a manner that make it interesting to rodeo fans and those who are new to the rodeo. The announcer is also responsible for maintaining a certain excitement,” said rough stock contractor Darce Vold, whose bucking bulls and broncs make the Snowmass Rodeo a big draw for cowboys across Colorado.
“My job is to fill dead spots. When things go bad, I have to stop being a fan and start being an entertainer,” said Mike Land of Burns, Wyo., who's been announcing here since 2007.
He's taken the spot that was held by Twirp Anderson for 35 years. Fans of the singer/songwriter need not fear, though, for Twirp is still entertaining rodeo fans by singing at the supper provided by Aspen's Hickory House that precedes the rodeo proper. After the last bull ride, he leads an old-fashioned sing-a-long around the campfire.
“My fondest memory of the Snowmass Rodeo is the first year working with Twirp. He's a great guy who could not have been more gracious and welcoming. He knows everybody and can rattle off stories after story. He's an untapped wealth of information,” said Land, himself an enthusiastic and vocal rodeo fan.
Land remains in awe of the rodeo people he has met along the way.
“I got to helping Darce Vold and her daughter Katie Ford sort bulls with Bruce Ford, six-time winner of the world rodeo title. They are rodeo royalty extraordinaire,” he said. “I never had any intentions of being a rodeo announcer, I just stumbled into it.”
Eight years ago he was photographing rodeos part time, while making custom chaps on the side. Land went to photograph the Johnson's Corner bull riding competition near Loveland and was recruited to replace the scheduled announcer, who had been felled by a heart attack.
He'd had no experience announcing, but loved the rodeo and had even tried his hand at bareback riding, so he gave it a shot and has been behind the mic ever since.
While Land is the relatively new voice of the Snowmass Rodeo, Twirp Anderson remembers some high points from the past, including the appearance of former President Bill Clinton in the grandstands.
Reflecting on the rodeo's roots back in 1973, Anderson said: “When Doug McLain came up with the idea to start a rodeo in Snowmass, I was there to help building holes for the arena.”
At the first rodeo, Twirp earned his entry fee as a saddle bronc rider by announcing. Doug McLain took over for him while he competed.
“I've always had a good speaking voice, plus I loved rodeo,” Anderson said.
He remembers the Lipizzaner Stallions performing in the rodeo grounds and John Denver's last performance in Colorado in August 1997, in a special benefit concert for the Aspen Camp School for the Deaf following the rodeo. Two month later, Denver died in a plane accident.
He also remembers Bill Burwell's past contributions to the Snowmass Rodeo, which include new stands and the authentic stagecoach that was always a part of the entertainment in those days. Many recall Burwell behind the reins of the wagon, often seated beside some local celebrity.
The Wild Horse races are another fond memory associated with the Snowmass Rodeo.
The rodeo has had a long and lively history for almost four decades now. Each Wednesday during the summer it offers a great deal of fun for families, fans and contestants.
From the mouth-watering BBQ fare under the tent to the children's amusements including a petting zoo, a mechanical bull, the calf scramble and mutton busting, and from the spills and thrills of bull and bronc riding to the tight teamwork of the ropers, the Snowmass Rodeo is filled with family entertainment that builds memories for years to come.
The December/January issue of American Cowboy Magazine names the Snowmass Rodeo and nearby Carbondale Wild West Rodeo in its 14 “Must-See” Rodeo events for 2010, guiding tourists to solid entertainment value. It was a great honor for these two non-PRCA rodeos.
alarsonco@earthlink.net
