When the World’s Oldest Rodeo rolls out for the 128th time, at the reins will be rodeo star J.C. Trujillo, general manger of the Prescott Frontier Days Rodeo.
Who better than a native son who was inducted into the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame in 1994 and who earned the world championship for bareback riding in 1981? Trujillo has been on the job for 12 years and he is a natural.
“My dad was a competitor here. My family has been involved all my life,” he said. “My dad came to Prescott when he was four years old. Our family has been in Prescott ever since.”
To Trujillo, the rodeo is personal – and he is not the only one who feels that way. He says it is to a lot of others who were born and raised in Prescott. In fact, it is difficult to think about Prescott without thinking about the event.
Someone once asked him, “What would Prescott be without the rodeo?”
“I thought about it and I said it would be like being without Thumb Butte,” said Trujillo, who adds that being chosen the general manager of the rodeo was a perfect fit for him.
Having been a professional and now a committee member gives him a special perspective.
He says organizing the rodeo is “a very big deal.” Most of the work is done by volunteers, who work with only three full-time employees.
His main concern is to make sure the rodeo has high quality livestock and competitors.
Each year, ticket sales number between 28,000 and 30,000. This year, some of the main events fall directly on July 4, so organizers expect even more interest.
“It’s unbelievable. You can’t find a room. Downtown Prescott is a zoo, pretty much,” he
said. “In the week we put this rodeo on, it brings in $12 million to the Prescott area. It’s a giant thing for every business in Prescott.”
Besides preparing for the rodeo, which is a year ‘round job, he and his wife run a hunting business in the fall. He also team ropes. “It’s an event for old timers,” he said with a chuckle.
Growing up in Prescott, he and his friends rode everywhere on their bikes and horses. “It sure was a lot less busy. There was no such thing as Prescott Valley, and Chino Valley was very small and had agriculture. I went to school at Miller Valley. When you walked downtown, you knew everybody. It was a great place to raise kids. It still is. My dad said that every time there is an earthquake in California, more people move to Prescott.”
Trujillo went through the school system in Prescott from elementary through high school, from which he graduated in 1966. He attended Arizona State University on a rodeo scholarship where he won for the school the National Intercollegiate Championship for bareback riding in 1968.
That was just the beginning of his rodeo career. Trujillo graduated with a degree in elementary education, but it didn’t stick. He had another profession in his sights.
“I got my degree, but was eager to get out on the professional rodeo trail,” he said.
Trujillo participated in about 100 rodeos a year, chasing the world championship. He caught it in 1981.
Trujillo also qualified for 12 national final rodeos. He was inducted in to the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame in 1994.
This year’s rodeo is scheduled for June 29 through July 5. To learn more, visit www.worldsoldestrodeo.com. QCBN
By Patty McCormac
Quad Cities Business News
Photo courtesy Prescott Frontier Days, Inc.
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