On Tuesday evening, Pismo Beach will look completely different as the beach is transformed into a rodeo arena for Cal Poly Rodeo's 4th Annual Break-A-Wave.
“Blending the two and putting a rodeo where you wouldn't normally see rodeo in such a unique and inspiring location is what makes this event special," said Cal Poly Rodeo Head Coach Ben Londo.
With six teams and 24 breakaway ropers going head to head in two adjacent arenas with an open side to the ocean, along with bareback and saddle bronc rides, it's a spectacle that Londo said brought in approximately 3,000 people to the beach last year.
New to the event is a team component with the riders being grouped into teams to compete for additional prizes.
“I'm very excited to be a part of it and get to feel what it's like to be a contestant in it this year and get to be up there with all my friends," said second-year Cal Poly Rodeo athlete Adriene Steffen.
But how does it all come together? Between setting up bleacher seating, fencing, hospitality and the two rodeo arenas, it's quite a tall task.
Working between high and low tide, the Cal Poly Rodeo team, which consists of 109 sets of hands, will head to the beach at noon to set everything up. Once the rodeo wraps up, they'll quickly get everything out of the sand before high tide returns.
“So the tide's going to go out and we're going to start setting panels as it goes out," explained Cal Poly Rodeo Assistant Coach Drew Tilton. "We'll have our event and then the tide is going to chase us back in, so we are plucking panels as the event is happening.”
“I've just never seen anybody put a whole arena together, run an event and tear it back down in half a day," Steffen admitted. "Like, that's just not realistic. I didn't really think it was real.”
But for the fourth straight year, the rodeo will be out there as the sun is setting and the waves crashing, trying to raise money for Cal Poly Rodeo scholarships.
“That's what this event's about. These students are taking some pride into building, in putting this event on to reap the benefits of the scholarship and the program financials afterwards,” Londo said.
Break-A-Wave gets going on Tuesday, September 17, with the action beginning at 5:30 p.m.
