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September 27, 2002/Tishri 21 5763, Vol. 55, No. 5
Extreme rodeo returns to Phoenix
BETH OLSON
Staff Writer
While driving through downtown, where the view consists of high-rise office buildings, Bank One Ballpark and a multitude of parking structures, it's hard to imagine this was once the Old West. But just as Phoenix has become the new West, Bucking Thunder is the new rodeo.
The Justin Boots Bucking Thunder Tour, produced by Ovation Entertainment, is the modern-day version of rodeo. The extreme rodeo competition will stop in Phoenix 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 5, at America West Arena, complete with air conditioning, pyrotechnics and special lighting, according to Ovation President and CEO Alan Jacoby.
"It's like a Broadway show on dirt," he says.
Jacoby, founder of Ovation Entertainment, a Sportscom company, calls Scottsdale home. In 1989, Jacoby was living in New York City and working for ESPN when he was sent to the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas.
"They sent me out to Las Vegas to represent the network and I was there for 10 days and saw basically 17,000 people a night fill the arena for the rodeo." So, Jacoby thought, "There's opportunity here."
In 1989, Jacoby moved to the Valley with his fianc‚e Tanya. They were married at a rodeo.
"It was a very small wedding," recalls Jacoby. "We had a rabbi marry us outside at the Hyatt between rodeo performances."
The couple now has two children, Jason, 12, and Drew, 9.
Jacoby's background in sports and entertainment marketing runs the gamut from Arena Football to AGA Show Jumping to the U.S. Open Tennis Championship.
Ovation produces large-scale western-themed musical and multicultural events in the Valley. In addition to Bucking Thunder, upcoming events include the Moscow Ballet at the Dodge Theater in November and the Boston Pops at America West Arena in December.
When Jacoby first began producing rodeo entertainment in the Valley, the shows were held at Westworld and Rawhide. The first Bucking Thunder event was held on Oct. 6, 2001, at America West Arena.
"We've been the leading producer of western-themed entertainment in the market for more than a decade," says Jacoby.
This year's Bucking Thunder Tour includes stops in Kansas City, Anaheim, Phoenix and Denver. Each production includes four events: bareback riding, saddlebronc, bull riding and barrel racing.
"We've extracted rodeo's four most exciting events and created a new stand-alone entertainment concept," says Jacoby.
Part of the excitement of the extreme rodeo competition, says Jacoby, is the quality of the "world's best cowboys and cowgirls," the livestock and the venues.
"We have the best livestock - stock is an important factor in how the competition happens because the better the livestock, the better the ride of the contestant because they score higher," says Jacoby. "We're in all premier buildings. It's non-stop action."
For information or tickets, call (800) 946-9711.
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