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Steering committee
By JOY DAVIS-PLATT, Times Staff Writer
BROOKSVILLE -- "Texas" Bill Thorpe has entertained rodeo crowds for nearly four decades. But his talent isn't riding bulls; it's clowning around. This weekend, Thorpe will be putting on his show when about 400 top-rated rodeo riders from around the United States compete at the Southeastern Professional Cowboy Association Championship Rodeo at the Hernando County Fair and Youth Livestock Show. In 1962, a 17-year-old Thorpe decided to follow in the footsteps of his heroes, rodeo champions Casey Tibbs and Jim Shoulders. He wanted to be a bronco bull rider and compete nationally for titles and glory. But things didn't work out that way. "They called me 'One Jump Thump,' " said Thorpe, now 57. "I found out right quick that I just didn't have it in me. That bull would jump once, and I'd thump right onto the ground." Thus was born his career as a rodeo entertainer, the person who amuses the crowd between events and keeps things moving. Rodeo athletes, Thorpe said, are something special. The level of agility and strength it takes to rope and tie a calf in eight seconds still impresses him. "My part of the show is entertainment and comedy," said Thorpe, who performs with a variety of animals, including Kokomo, a "cracker pony" from Florida that plays Frisbee, and Red the Wonder Dog, who jumps through a hoop. Thorpe, who is from Amarillo, Texas, said he came out of a three-year retirement to perform this season. "We'll be all over Florida and the Southeast," he said, petting Amarillo Red, a 2,000-pound Texas Longhorn Steer he also uses as part of his act. Participants will compete for about $500,000 in prizes tonight and Saturday night, said Bo Campbell of the PRC Rodeo, headquartered in Alabama. "We'll have all the major rodeo events," said Campbell, who has been involved with rodeo for 25 years. "Bull riding, barrel racing, calf roping, steer wrestling. That's mostly what people want to see." On Saturday, the International Professional Rodeo Association's reigning champion bareback rider, Michael Cooley, will compete. If you go WHAT: Southeastern Championship Professional Rodeo Association Rodeo WHEN: 7:30 p.m. today and Saturday WHERE: Rodeo ring at the Hernando County Fair and Youth Livestock Show, U.S. 41 on the south side of Brooksville. ADMISSION: $12 for adults and $5 for children; includes admission to the fair. INFORMATION: Call 796-4552. The fair's Web site is www.hernandocountyfair.com. For a complete schedule of events for the fair, see today's Hernando Times.
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