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Open Pro Rodeo Contestant Information

MORE RODEOS AND BETTER PRIZES IN 2008
At the request of our contestants and spectators, Tejas Rodeo Company will produce open pro rodeos for 9 straight months in 2008, instead of just having a spring and fall series as we have done for the past 2 years.

This year the open pro rodeos will start on March 1, 2008 and continue each Saturday through November 15, 2008. In all, there will 38 open pro rodeos! With this new schedule, and to make the rodeos more exciting and rewarding for both the contestant and spectator, we have made some changes to the format for series prizes, and, in tie-down calf roping and in team roping, increased the entry fees. In team roping, we have also imposed a rule limiting the amount of times an individual can compete on a particular rodeo night. To provide better prizes to the contestants, we also will collect from each contestant at each rodeo a nominal "$3 year-end prize assessment", all of which (100%) will go directly back to the overall year-end prize or series prizes for the sole benefit of the competitors. The overall year-end prize for 2008 will be a rodeo ready, 2-horse trailer. To make sure that a competitor in any rodeo event has an equal chance at winning the overall year-end prize, we will utilize a total point system, instead of money earned throughout the 38 rodeos. We will also have 2 separate trophy buckles series in 2008. Of course, each Saturday night rodeo will be jackpotted, and we will continue to provide good cattle and only charge reasonable stock charges. The specific changes to team roping, tie-down calf roping and the new rules relating to entering the rodeo, the overall year-end prize series and the two trophy buckle series are all more specifically set forth below.

Rodeo Event Photos, by Joe Chidgey, Rodeo Photographer, and More.

2008 CHANGES TO TEAM ROPING
The entry fees for team roping will now be $40 a person, instead of $25 per person. Each contestant may enter, for any Saturday night rodeo, a total maximum of 4 times to compete for rodeo jackpot or buckle series points, as long as each entry has a different header/heeler combination. This entry limitation applies regardless of whether you are heading, healing or doing both at a particular rodeo. For overall year-end prize eligibility, see declaration requirement in the rules relating to eligibility for points towards overall year-end prize. These changes are designed to make the competition fairer to all team ropers, and to allow the team roper to still rope for a significant jackpot prize at each rodeo.

2008 CHANGES TO TIE-DOWN CALF ROPING
The entry fees for tie-down calf roping will be $60 per contestant, instead of $50 per contestant. This change is designed to allow the tie-down calf roper to compete for more of a jackpot prize at each rodeo.

2008 CHANGES RELATING TO ENTERING RODEO
The books will close as to all events, except for team roping, at 7:15 p.m. the day of each rodeo. The books for team roping will close at 8:15 p.m. the day of each rodeo. Contestants may call in (830-980-2226, metro number) and enter between 9 a.m. and 12 noon on the day of each rodeo. This change is designed to make the competition fairer and to eliminate the "rush" upon the rodeo secretary and to allow the rodeo to function more smoothly. In the event a contestant calls in and enters, he or she must pay his or her fees prior to competing in the rodeo. In the event that a contestant calls in and does not show up, he or she will be assessed a $12 turn out fee. Any turnout fee assessed must be paid prior to the contestant competing in any future rodeos, unless otherwise decided by rodeo officials. If a contestant calls in for another contestant and that contestant does not timely show up for the rodeo, the contestant calling in is responsible for any turn out fees associated with the “no show” contestant. We will continue to pay day money for team roping performance. If there are not sufficient entries in any event to put on an adequate rodeo performance, then we reserve the right to not allow that event to go forward in the slack. When entering, the team ropers also need to make their overall year-end prize run declaration, as more fully described below.

2008 YEAR-END PRIZE ASSESSMENT
Each and every contestant at each rodeo will be assessed a nominal $3 overall year-end prize assessment. This assessment will, in turn, be utilized towards the purchase of the overall year-end prize or the buckle series prizes. No overhead will be taken out of this assessment, and all of the money collected as a result of this assessment will be used for prize(s) that will be awarded to the contestants.

OVERALL YEAR-END PRIZE SERIES
The overall year-end prize for 2008 will be a 2-horse trailer, decked out to rodeo, and will have art work on it indicating Tejas Rodeo Company/ Champion for 2008. To make sure contestants in each event have an equal chance at winning the trailer, the overall year-end prize will be awarded to the contestant that accumulates the most points for the entire year of 2008 (instead of money earned for the year). A contestant may work more than one event when accumulating points (barrel racing is limited to women, and break-away calf roping is limited to women and children). We will use a 10-1 point system. In other words, first place will receive 10 points, second place will receive 9 points, third place will receive 8 points, and so on. A team roping contestant, before he or she makes any run and before the books close, must designate in writing (on the form provided) the single run that he or she wants to count towards the year-end prize for that particular rodeo. This designation is the responsibility of the team roping contestant, and if the designation is not timely or does not exist, then the rodeo officials may, at their discretion, disqualify that team roping contestant from receiving any points on that particular night. Points will be awarded to both the header and heeler, as separate rodeo events. A header can designate a run with a particular heeler, and that particular heeler can designate a run with a separate header. In other words, it is the particular run designated by each that counts, not the team. This designation rule is designed to allow the other events (that a contestant can only enter once) to equally and fairly compete with the team roper for the overall year-end prize. To be eligible for the overall year-end prize, the contestant must attend and compete in at least 15 rodeos (less than ˝ of the rodeos in the series) for 2008.

SPRING/SUMMER BUCKLE SERIES
The summer/spring series will begin March 1, 2008 and will run through June 28, 2008 (18 rodeos). Trophy buckles will be awarded to high point winner in each event for series. Because the prizes in this series will be awarded in each event and not overall, the declaration rule for team ropers set forth above is not applicable to points that count towards the buckle series. To be eligible for the buckles, the contestant must attend and compete in at least 9 rodeos during the spring/summer series.

SUMMER/FALL BUCKLE SERIES
The summer/fall buckle series will begin July 5, 2008, and will run through November 15, 2008 (20 rodeos). Trophy buckles will be awarded to high point winner in each event for series. Because the prizes in this series will be awarded to each event and not overall, the declaration rule for team ropers set forth above is not applicable to points that count towards the buckle series. To be eligible for the buckles, the contestant must attend and compete in at least 10 rodeos during the summer/fall series.