Working cowboys like those who work ranches in northern Arizona have a rodeo competition of their own to showcase their skills for a good cause.

The Working Ranch Cowboy Association sponsors rodeos across the country during the course of a year, culminating in a national finals event in November in Amarillo, Texas.

Vic Howell, foreman on the Babbitt Ranches, has helped organize a WRCA event in Williams in the past and is a member of the Babbitt Ranches team

Working cowboy rodeos differ from professional rodeos primarily in the types of events in which cowboys compete, Howell said. The events are tied to real work the cowboys perform on the job each day. Among them are:

— Team pen: Members are to cut three cattle from a group and get them into a pen during this timed event.

— Team brand: One member holds the head of a calf and two flankers brand the animal. Also a timed event.

— Team milking: Turning a cow loose, roping her, getting milk

— Team stray gathering: Roping a cow at the head and heels, knocking it over and tying it by three legs to immobilize it.

— Bronc riding: Riders are given points just like in pro rodeo on how well they rode a horse for a specific amount of time, but Howell said the ranch saddles differ from the pro rodeo saddles.

Accoprding to the WRCA Web site, the organization was created to keep the ideals and work ethic of working cowboys alive as well as offer assistance to working ranch cowboys experiencing economic hardships. The organization also offers scholarships to the children of working ranch cowboys.

Average attendance at a WRCA sanctioned rodeo is about 3,000, according to the WRCA Web site.

For more information on the WRCA, visit http://www.wrca.org.

Flagstaff rodeo hopes to return in 2010

Some folks may have noticed that the Flagstaff Pine Country Pro Rodeo did not happen at the Fort Tuthill Fairgrounds this past June.

"It was a coordination problem at that time," said Bill Lee, president of FPCPR. He added that he was unable to put together money, venues and contracts with adequate time to hold the rodeo at the fairgrounds.

He said that a "flukey" economy didn't help. People and businesses who typically participate were uncomfortable, given the economy.

Regardless, Lee said that FPCPR did manage to hold separate events around Flagstaff during the year in barrel racing, team roping and bull riding, just not at the fairgrounds and all at the same time.

As for 2010, Lee said, "We are moving forward as if nothing happened before the economy tanked, which we are all aware of."

He wants to get the rodeo back out to the fairgrounds and is confident the crowds will come out.

Lee cited the success of the Working Ranch Cowboy Association event in Williams, which was well attended.

"Rodeo is alive and well," he said.

For more information on the Flagstaff Pine Country Pro Rodeo, visit http://www.pinecountryprorodeo.com.

— Larry Hendricks, Arizona Daily Sun