‘The Greatest Show On Dirt’ Comes to BancorpSouth Arena
TUPELO, MISS. (WCBI) – For two days — Thursday and Friday — workers transformed the BancorpSouth Arena into “the greatest show on dirt,” as rodeo announcer Mike Mathis says.
The Northeast Mississippi Championship Rodeo will feature pomp, pageantry and of course cowboys.
“We will have great livestock we will match them with great cowboys, we will bring Lecille Harris, rodeo’s four-time clown of the year, all the action will be rolled together into an amazing production. We have bareback riding, saddle bronc riding, and bull riding, to timed event ends, tie down calf roping, steer wrestling, to our team roping and of course the ladies, couldn’t have it without them the barrel racing,” Mathis said.
Mathis has been a rodeo announcer for more than two decades. He says it never gets old.
“What keeps it fresh is we don’t have a script. Everything happens just as it does, it isn’t wrestling, we make this up as it happens,” he said.
And then there is the competitive nature of the events.
“It’s all about the cash, and of course rodeo is that, Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association is the major league of our sport. These guys are entered up trying to win money, money counts toward their circuit finals, the national finals. It’s early in the year so these guys are going to have their hammer cocked, they’re ready and believe this is their year,” Mathis said.
It’s been said that the rodeo is the only truly American sport. And the event has maintained and grown in popularity, in spite of our high tech, fast paced world. Perhaps there is still a little bit of cowboy in all of us.
For more information go to www.bcsarena.com
SOURCE RDR
THE RODEO RUNS TONIGHT AND SATURDAY. IT STARTS AT 7 30 EACH NIGHT. FOR MORE INFORMATION GO TO OUR WEBSITE AT WCBI DOT COM.
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