Rodeo at the Butler County Fair draws huge crowd

Although the schedule is demanding, Gross said he couldn’t ask for anything else.

“Some of us have truly been blessed enough by the good Lord above that we can say we’ve turned a childhood dream of being a cowboy into a reality and I’m blessed enough to be able to make this my career,” he said.

While the company put on a show that included top competitors in the world, Gross said he sees the crowd change in different ways after events.

“We’ve all dreamed of growing up to be a cowboy,” Gross said. “I mean, at some point, you’ve dreamed of it, she’s dreamed of it and he’s dreamed it. We have all dreamed that when we grow up, we want to be a cowboy. These young men right here you go ask them after this rodeo; ‘What do you want to do when you grow up?’ They’ll say ‘I want to be a cowboy.’”

Along with seeing cowboys, cowgirls and rodeo clowns, the crowd got to see something not many people can.

Kirsten Hampton is one of only a handful of women who work as pickup riders. Pickup riders follow the action during bronco and bull riding to ensure the safety of the rider. Hampton and her fellow pickup rider will make sure the rider is safe by pulling them off the animal after they’ve posted a time on the scoreboard and guiding the animal back to the corral.

Hampton said her position is hard on her body, but worth it because of how much she enjoys it. She also said she has to plan her moves more than other pickup riders would.

“You got to be really strong do it if you’re a girl,” Hampton said. “You got to be more strategic about it because you’re not as strong as the men that are picking up. So as long as you’re careful and you really play out your scenarios, you’ll be alright.”

Hampton had her work cut out for her during the saddle bronco portion of the rodeo but got a break during the roping and barrel racing sections where cowboys and cowgirls from Hamilton and Oxford competed to large cheers from the packed crowd.

Competitors looking to advance in world standings will continue on the circuit across the country before finals in Guthrie, Okla. in January.