Everyone has been asking, “How was Texas?” Of course it was different, we weren't in Vegas, we were in Texas. However we welcomed change with open arms and were just humbled that we were even headed down the road again.
I tell everyone it was the perfect storm for Clay. A massive arena with non limiting access and stadium lights!? Hello! I kindly removed myself from the media closet in the tunnel and positioned myself in the media box up top; I was able to watch all ten rounds LIVE and I really did enjoy the atmosphere. We all love the Thomas & Mack. It has a very intimate feel and feels like home for the NFR, I mean it has been held there since 1985. I don’t want to have the unpopular opinion but the stadium, to me, felt like a great fit. The lighting was incredible, horses and cowboys had room to move and it felt more of the caliber of a show! I do believe some people thought it was a more relaxed as the seating is spread out. I will be very interested to see how the event evolves in the coming years.
I will say due to COVID we laid pretty low. We didn’t venture far from the hotel, the traffic was way easier to navigate (except the night Clay turned me into traffic at the AT&T stadium and I got yelled at by a local police office; we survived), it took less time to find your hotel room because you weren’t wandering through an entire casino before bed, and we ran into less people. Some events that Clay had to photograph were in Ft. Worth which was 18 miles from our hotel. I heard various complaints about how spread out things were. I also wanted to remind everyone that because NFR has been in Vegas since 1985, it’s established. Texas stepped up to the plate for us in such an uncertain time and put on a phenomenal show and was very accommodating.
In 2020 we MISSED our people! So of course it was so nice to catch up with our circle while in Texas. We caught up with Amy and Steven Muller for supper, made our stop at the American Hat Store and pestered Cody Crawford for awhile, ran into Miss Rodeo America and Steve and Kim Sutton before the gala event, Clay held Kim’s flower after the women’s luncheon while she called for a ride, heckled with announcer Kory Keeth and bullfighter Sylvan La Cross at their booth for the convention, wandered around with my parents at the Stockyards, snagged a quick photo with pickup man Brent Sutton and fiancé Roz Beaton and of course, talked photos all week long with our great friend and fellow photographer Steve Grey. Like everyone we are hoping for a smoother 2021 and less cancelled events. We have already photographed two weddings, the Montana Circuit Finals and we are currently at Rodeo Rapid City with the great Sutton Family!
February has a couple of events on the books and we are already starting to schedule some more family photos and seniors. AND we have only had to shovel a handful of times. If it snows in May it probably won’t last long. We are on the downhill winter stretch people!
Stay tuned for updates from Rodeo Rapid City!
-Ty (&Clay)