SIKESTON - Fans screaming and booing rodeo judges following a score they don’t feel justifies the performance they have just witnessed is nothing new to George Gibbs, a Wrangler pro official of 24 years, who is judging the Sikeston Jaycee Bootheel rodeo.
“I’ve been booed by as many as 60,000 people at one time,” he said. “They don’t understand what we’re looking for - they’re just coming out here for entertainment anyway.”
But Gibbs wants the audience to have an understanding of what judges are looking for. He also wants fans to know officials are fair and open minded, governed by a rule book.
So he outlined a few of the criteria judges anticipate in a good performance in each category.
In the riding events - bareback riding, bronc riding and bull riding, judges look for a combination of quality of the animal as well as quality of the ride. “One may be great, but the other may be sub-par,” Gibbs said.
In the bareback and bronc riding categories, officials look at the horses jump, kick, drop, power, direction, change, speed, timing, rhythm, and how high in the air it gets. Each of the judges rates the animal’s performance between one and 25.
“We’re looking for the one that has the most of them (qualities) that creates the most difficulty for them (the cowboys),” Gibbs said. He added that if a contestant receives an animal officials rate as inferior, they are offered a re- ride option.
For bareback and bronc rides, judges look at how well the contestants meet the criteria in the rule book, spur placement, length of the drag, aggressiveness and how well he sets his feet. Officials also pay attention to how the cowboy exposes himself - if he is going above and beyond, giving the horse every chance to buck him off, Gibbs said.
In the bull riding division, judges are looking for 12 criteria for the animal to meet, including spin, drop, power, kick, shoulder roll and fade. “You’re not required to spur him,” Gibbs said - cowboys just have to keep the bull in control.
In the calf roping event, the PRCA has rules defining a legal tie. “The calf has to be let to his feet and you have to have a legal tie,” Gibbs said. If for some reason the calf falls before the calf roper reaches him, the roper must help him to his feet and let it stand before tying.
After slack is given to the rope, the run is disqualified if the calf kicks free within six seconds.
In steer wrestling, officials watch for a legal catch, then for the contestant to twist the steer flat on his side. The judges, who are on horseback, drop their flag, which stops time.
For both calf roping and steer wrestling, time is started by a string barricade, Gibbs noted. The calf or steer is allowed a head start, and if the rider breaks the barrier, he gets a 10 second penalty.
WPRA has rules for barrel racing, but officials check the ground for safety and make sure contestants do a clover leaf pattern. They also start and stop time in case the electric eye - a beam of light that is started and stopped by the nose of the horse - doesn’t work.
And in all the events, officials look for humane treatment of the animals. “The PRCA is really strict about that,” Gibbs said. “It’s not tolerated - if they do it, they are fined and possibly disqualified.”
The Sikeston rodeo has three judges. “This is a big rodeo, and because of the large amount of prize money, they get three officials,” Gibbs said.
And they don’t just judge. They have been on the grounds since Monday, preparing for the events. “It’s just like any job - you’ve got to do your homework before you get there,” Gibbs said.
These duties include setting up the barrier, checking the ground to be sure it is safe for all events, making sure all animals are both sound and healthy, and checking bulls’ horns to be sure they are tipped - blunted- the size of a half dollar, according to PRCA rules. “That’s just for safety for the contestants,” Gibbs said.
And they work closely with the rodeo committee on things like setting up barriers and checking the ground. “They know the ground better than we do because they live here,” Gibbs said. However the committee will tighten or dig up the ground if the officials recommend it.
Gibbs had high praise for the Jaycees. And since he goes to about 130 rodeos a year as a judge, he has a lot of experience. “This is a great committee - they are eager to help us out,” he said. “The go above and beyond - it’s a pleasure to be here.”
For more information go to : www.sikestonrodeo.com
