The final day of the Cal Poly Rodeo was in full swing Saturday evening in San Luis Obispo. With the rain, organizers said earlier preparations were key.
“Today's conditions were just miserable," said John Orradre, Cal Poly alumn and rodeo helper. "It's rainy, wet, [and] cold."
The top ten contenders in each event competed for a championship. Thanks to head coach Ben Lando, who hard-packed the dirt, the rodeo conditions were manageable because it kept the dirt from absorbing the water for an easier clean up.
“We left it all day, we didn't touch it," rodeo media coordinator Anna Grace Durham said. "They brought in a bunch of water pumps late this afternoon, pumped as much of the water off that they could, and then brought the tractors and ripped the dirt open and started exposing it to the air. We got some awesome sunshine a little earlier today, which really helped as well.”
Saturday morning's competition took place at Madonna Inn, allowing the soil to rest, which prevented rain from getting into the soil as the athletes and animals competed.
“That was the biggest question, deciding if we were going to have this rodeo tonight," Durham added. "Was it going to be safe enough not just for our athletes but for our horses as well?"
Moving not only the athletes but also the animals from Madonna Inn back to Cal Poly was a test for the team and its helpers, but ultimately prevented a cancellation of the event overall.
“We had to get changed real quick, come over here, move all of the cattle," Orradre said. "It was a process. We got it done.”
