As a graduate of the University of Nevada Las Vegas and a resident of this great city for the last seven years, I know that everything stops when the National Pro Rodeo Finals come to town. You can tell it’s that time of year again when suddenly there are cowboy hats, boots, rhinestones and buckles shimmering from every corner of the town. Having grown up in Greeley, Colorado, the home of the largest fourth of July rodeo in the world, I know that the contestants are lucky enough to get to compete at NPR do not consider the rodeo a hobby. It’s a way of life. A way of living that on the outside may seem bizarre to us technology junkies, but when the finalists come to town, they mean business.

As an employee of the amazingly flexible and effective arena stage set up for NPR, The Thomas and Mack Center, I was fortunate enough to be assigned to work during the opening weekend of the 2002 NPR finals. It truly is amazing how the basketball/concert arena is transformed overnight into a fully loaded, fully penned, fully dirt covered rodeo ring that barely resembles it’s usual chic charm. There isn’t an open seat in the entire house, all the way back to the ceiling it seems like the auditorium doesn’t even HAVE seating. For anyone who knows about getting your hands on National Final Rodeo tickets, it is usually out of the question by the time the rodeo arrives as most seats as reserved ala-super bowl style years in advance. Even from a girl who traditionally does not call herself a cowgirl, the National Pro Rodeo finals are an experience not to be missed and unlike any other in the world.