Cinch World's Toughest Rodeo and singer Chase Bryant to entertain fans this weekend

When you go to a rodeo, you might say that the entertainment comes in eight-second increments.

That’s the amount of time that riders are supposed to stay upright on bulls and horses. Judges award points based on how well the rider — and the animal — fare in the allotted time.

“Half of the points are for the animal, and half of the points are for the contestant,” said Marla Morehead, an official with the Cinch World’s Toughest Rodeo, which will take place at Nationwide Arena at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 15.

Rodeo rescheduled:CINCH World's Toughest Rodeo, Chase Bryant event postponed until Jan. 15

“A perfect ride is 100 points,” Morehead said, adding that judges look for the style of the riders and for the athleticism of the horses and bulls, including how well and how high they buck.

Events include bull riding, saddle bronc riding and bareback riding; the categories are mainly distinguished by what the rider of the animal holds onto (for bareback, they hang onto a “rigging,” for bronc riding, they hang onto the reins). Twelve riders will compete in each event.

Cartoon Crossroads:New head of Cartoon Crossroads Columbus brings experience from both sides of drawing board

Rodeo includes pre-show, Chase Bryant concert

The eight seconds given to each contestant in each category are sure to produce plenty of adrenaline, but they don’t quite add up to a full evening of entertainment. To supplement the action, organizers promise numerous other events and acts.

“We say World’s Toughest Rodeo is rodeo and a whole lot more,” Morehead said.

Chief among the “whole lot more” is performer Chase Bryant. The country vocalist will perform after the rodeo concludes.

Hours before that, though, a pre-show will be held from 6 to 7 p.m. Guests can take pony rides, take pictures atop bulls, and collect autographs with contestants and entertainers; the pre-show is free with the purchase of a ticket.

“Fans get to have an experience that their kids will remember forever,” Morehead said.

All pre-show activities will take place as planned, though attendees will be required to wear masks as they are throughout the event, she said.

Specialty acts, 'clown and barrel man' keep audience entertained

At 7:30 p.m., the rodeo itself gets underway. Between the various events, specialty performers will work to keep audiences entertained and engaged.

“We have Rider Kiesner, who is a world-champion specialty act,” Morehead said. “He trick-ropes, cracks whips, spins guns.”

Also in the mix will be self-described “clown and barrel man” John Harrison, a longtime rodeo veteran who knows how to work an audience.

“From the time it starts and you start seeing riders, I will interact with the crowd,” said Harrison, a native of Soper, Oklahoma, whose grandfather was world-champion bull rider Warren G. “Freckles” Brown. 

From Rockettes to the Jets: Hilliard native Kellie Drobnick kicks up her heels on stage, screen

“I grew up watching rodeo and I saw the entertainment side of it,” he said.

For Harrison, that means filling the dead space between events.

“I banter back and forth with the announcer,” he said. “We’ll pull people out of the crowd (and) actually use fans in my act.”

During the bull riding, Harrison will don a barrel — meant to attract a bull’s attention in the event that a rider is thrown off.

“The barrel is actually an island of safety,” he said. “I’ll usually swat the side of the barrel, depending on what the bull is doing, and get the bull’s attention and let the bull hit me instead of the cowboy.”

After intermission, women’s barrel racing, featuring riders on horseback dodging barrels in a pattern, will take place, as will a bonus round in which the top two winners in earlier events will compete against each other in a sudden-death round.

Throughout the night, laser lights and fog effects help make the show eye-popping.

“A lot of people think rodeo — they go there, they sit and they watch some guys ride,” Harrison said. “But there’s so much more to this event. As a production, it’s like the Cirque du Soleil of rodeo, I guess.”

In other words, a healthy heaping of entertainment is packed in between those eight-second rides.

“It’s nonstop action,” Morehead said. “The fans don’t get bored.”

tonguetteauthor2@aol.com

At a glance

The Cinch World’s Toughest Rodeo will take place at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 15 at Nationwide Arena, 200 W. Nationwide Blvd. The event begins with a pre-show at 6 p.m. (free for those with a ticket), including pony rides and photo opportunities. Masks are required. Tickets cost $23 to $83; $5 off for children 12 and younger (prices increase by $2 on day of show). For more information, visit www.nationwidearena.com.