STURGIS, SD – It’s so much more than just a replay of a groundbreaking event.
The production of the nationally televised PRCA Xtreme Broncs Finals, filmed in Rapid City this summer during the Central States Fair, is a tribute, says fair manager, Ron Jeffries.
“This broadcast is all about the cowboys and stock,” he says, “but it’s also about the character of the landscape we live in and a long cowboy tradition. We have the beautiful Black Hills and Mt. Rushmore and so many great things about South Dakota, that you’ll also get a sense of in this broadcast.” He adds, “We said from the start that bringing the Xtreme Broncs Finals to Rapid City as the final stop in the PRCA’s Tour is going to elevate all rodeo in South Dakota.”
CBS Sports will broadcast the inaugural event, Sunday, Oct. 6. A ‘Watch Party’ will offer multiple screens and all the excitement a national sports broadcast brings with the added plum that it all took place – originally – right here at home. Set for Oct. 6 at the Loud American Roadhouse in Sturgis, Jeffries sees the “Watch Party’ that gets underway at 6:00pm, as an opportunity for viewers to really be able to focus on the nuances of the first-ever event.
“The beauty of having a televised event is that you get to come back in and watch it with an expectation of what the event is and the chance to see everything back, on replay,” shares Jeffries. “Commentators are telling you what’s coming up and what to expect in the upcoming ride. And so there is much more opportunity to focus on a particular move by either horse and rider, or a particular position and to see a mark-out that you might have wondered about if you watched the live performance. He adds, “You’ll catch that from the commentator as the ride starts to develop rather than waiting for it when you watch a live performance.”
It’s already back to the drawing board for organizers of the Xtreme Broncs Finals as it returns to Rapid City next year. Jeffries points to the expertise of producer Rory Lemmel, Whitewood, SD as among the reasons the first-time finals got the stamp of approval from people like Jeff Medders of Geronimo Productions that produces the televised National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas, as well as hearing from former world champions who were invited and attended the inaugural saddle bronc finals.
“One of the biggest compliments was when Jeff Medders expressed an interest in broadcasting future finals, live. Medders, with Geronimo Productions only films one live rodeo and that’s the NFR.” Still, Jeffries says, the key to how well the inaugural event came off wee comments from former world champions like Clint Johnson, Spearfish, SD who said it was the best pen of horses he had ever seen.”
Looking back on that inaugural performance last summer, Jeffries thinks there was no other place for the newest, world saddle bronc event to premiere, than alongside the historic Range Days Rodeo and Central States Fair.
“This is where saddle bronc became famous. This is where Casey Tibbs rode, it’s where the Russ Madison bucking string came from…this is where saddle bronc is legendary,” observes Jeffries.
See more information on the ‘Watch Party’ online at both the Central States Fair and the Loud American Roadhouse and additional details on Facebook.
“The neat thing about the watch party is that there will be finals contestants there to visit about their perspective in having been a part of an historic event,” shares Jeffries. “There will be a lot of camaraderie among people from the rodeo world and those who just love the sport, who really want to celebrate how successful saddle bronc is in this part of the country.”
Listen to the Live! Interview ON DEMAND
