After nearly two years, the chutes flew open once more.
Thousands of spectators filled the stands Saturday for the return of the Fiesta de los Vaqueros after last year’s event was canceled due to the pandemic. They were treated to a feast.
While the bullriding event is usually the fan-favorite, saddle bronc featured arguably some of the day’s best performances.
Due to limited numbers in the day’s first event, bareback riding, the saddle bronc performers were split up. But the cowboys didn’t mind at all.
If anything, it produced double the winners. Brody Cress rode off with a 86.00 score in the first group and Dawson Hay followed up with the same score later in the afternoon.
Barrel racer Annie Alexander rounds the second barrel and an eventual time of 18.14 seconds on Saturday’s opening day of La Fiesta de los Vaqueros.
The pair split the first- and second-place earnings and will have a spot waiting for them next weekend for the event final.
“It was just a great performance, out in the sunshine,” the 22-year-old Hay said. “We all love coming out here. It’s usually everyone’s first outdoor rodeo of the winter run. It’s hard to beat — good bucking horses, great crowd and great weather.”
Both Cress and Hay, who hail from Wyoming and Alberta, Canada, respectively, have performed at the Tucson Rodeo before. And they were both happy to be part of the group of cowboys to perform after the event was canceled last year, just the second time in the Tucson Rodeo’s 97-year history.
Although life still hasn’t gotten back to the pre-pandemic normal, it almost felt like it for Cress. Through his rodeo travels, he continues to see different levels of normalcy or protocols in place depending on how each state is doing in the battle against COVID-19. At the end of the day, his job is the same — lasting eight seconds on a bucking bronc.
With a lot of events having been canceled over the last couple of years, Cress has an added appreciation to be allowed to do what he loves.
“Rodeo, it’s everything I do,” Cress said. “If I’m not at a rodeo, I’m at home training for a rodeo. It’s been my dream my whole life to get to do this for a living, get to travel around and be in great places like this, in front of good crowds and get to enjoy what you’re doing for a living. So it’s awesome to be able to have that and to have everything come back and be strong again is amazing.”
Throughout the pandemic, Hay also struggled personally over the last couple of years. Besides the fact that there were limited rodeos, Hay battled some injuries.
Luckily for the Canadian, just like the Tucson Rodeo, he was able to bounce back.
Now, he and Cress are among a group of cowboys that will be traveling back to the San Antonio Stock Show Rodeo for the semifinals and will hopefully make the trip back for the Tucson Rodeo Final next Sunday.
“I know from helping (with) putting on events myself, the amount of work that goes into putting on a show like this together,” Hay said. “To be able to bounce back after a year like last year and to get it up and running with a lot of prize money, it’s unbelievable.”
