PRCA gives Sisters Rodeo a hefty boost

The Sisters Rodeo, a centerpiece of Sisters life for more than 60 years, has been granted an elevated status by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association.

This year, the Sisters Rodeo will be an official part of the PRCA summer tour. Sisters Rodeo Association President, Glenn Miller, made the announcement this past week.

The PRCA, headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado, sanctions a series of rodeos as part of formal summer and winter tours. The rodeo's new status will mean a number of changes.

First, it makes it likely that more of the top cowboys will be pointing for Sisters. It also means that the individual purses for the events will be up.

Last year, total purses exceeded $120,000, and the Association will be kicking in $7,500 for each PRCA event -- up from $6,000 last year. One more section of bull riding will be added each day.

And perhaps most important, the rodeo will -- at last -- have true finals on Sunday. In a true final, the top-scoring cowboys in each event qualify for the "short go" and compete against each other for top honors on the final day.

The revised format will also keep many of the cowboys in town longer.

In addition, the new PRCA status will bring further attention to Sisters by putting the Sisters Rodeo finals on a special ESPN telecast.

Miller also announced that a specialty act, the Eh Capa Bareback Riders, will be in town for the rodeo this year.

Based in Caldwell, Idaho, the group was founded in 1955 as a way for young people to enjoy and practice their horsemanship skills.

Eh Capa emphasizes the affinity between horse and rider, and normal riding paraphernalia is not used. Performances are accomplished primarily through leg and voice commands.

Because of the riding methods used, Native American themes and costumes have been adopted by the group.

Eh Capa is Apache spelled backwards.

The bareback riders have a 25 year history of performing at PRCA events. Maneuvers and jumping routines build to 16-abreast displays of horsemanship.

Miller said that additional announcements and information on the 2001 Sisters Rodeo will be available from the PRCA and the Sisters Rodeo Association "in a couple of weeks."