At age 76, barrel racer Mary Burger is the oldest ever to qualify for the National Finals Rodeo. Submitted photo

The National Finals Rodeo opens this week and runs for 10 days, Dec. 5-14, with 105 of the world’s best rodeo athletes competing for more than $16 million in prize money In Las Vegas.

This event, often referred to as the “world series of rodeo,” is one of the toughest “tickets” in all of sports as it has featured 359 consecutive sellouts in the 17,000-seat Thomas and Mack Center on the campus of the University of Las Vegas. All performances will be broadcast live on the Cowboy Channel, RFD-TV, and online on the cowboychannelplus.com.

To qualify for this event, competitors must be in the top 15 in money won in their event during the past rodeo season. Those events include bareback and saddle bronc riding, steer wrestling, tie-down roping, team roping, bull riding, and cowgirls barrel racing. The most money won by any of this season’s qualifiers was by tie-down roper Chad Mayfield with $286,000.

Although barrel racing is normally considered a young woman’s event, veteran Mary Burger, Pauls Valley, Oklahoma, destroyed that idea as she comes into this Finals competition ranked No. 1 in the world standings at age 76. She has been competing in this demanding event for more than five decades and has won 11 World Championships. The youngest qualifier is bareback bronc rider Ryder Wright at age 18.

More than 700 animals are needed to provide the outstanding competition. The bulls and broncs are nominated by rodeo personnel and are then chosen by a committee after they look at videos of the animals in action. The stock are housed on the athletic fields adjacent to the Center and are checked three times a day by veterinarians. The animals consume 60 tons of grain and 120 tons of hay during their stay. Owners of the animals selected for the event receive $8,900 plus travel expenses for each animal.

Converting a basketball facility into an outstanding rodeo arena demands a tremendous amount of planning as the safety of both the animals and the cowboys and cowgirls is of high importance. Approximately 2,000 tons of specially mixed dirt is spread out at a depth of 12-15 inches and mixed daily to provide consistent footing. The dirt is then removed at the conclusion of the event and stored on the UNLV campus, ready to be used again next year.

The popularity of rodeo is growing, and the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association has just announced that they have signed a contract with Las Vegas to continue holding the National Finals Rodeo there through 2035.

The Gerry Fire Department’s annual rodeo is sanctioned by the PRCA and follows their rules and requirements for a safe and professional event. This summer will feature the 80th consecutive annual rodeo in Gerry with four nightly performances, July 30 through Aug. 2. Additional information is available on the rodeo website www.gerryrodeo.org.