NFR notebook: Tickets are tough to find

Victoria Sun

Friday, Dec. 7, 2001 | 9:34 a.m.

The most sought-after tickets in town for the next 10 days have nothing to do with whiny boy bands or midriff-baring pop singers.

They have to do with cowboys and cowgirls.

For those who have not snatched up tickets for the National Finals Rodeo, which starts tonight at the Thomas & Mack Center at 6:45, don't despair just yet.

There are two ways you can potentially get in without having to sell your ranch or house or pay a scalper/ticket broker.

The first one is the official NFR ticket exchange program.

The program matches those trying to sell their NFR tickets with those looking to buy them.

The NFR ticket exchange booth is located at the front entrance to the NFR Cowboy Christmas Gift show at the Las Vegas Convention Center. It will be open through Dec. 9.

Those wanting to sell tickets should drop them off between 9 and 10 a.m. daily and those looking to buy should show up from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The best part of the deal is that all tickets will be sold at face value. But leave your credit cards at home because cash is the only acceptable form of payment.

The other possible way to score tickets is based on seat availability.

This method will require some luck and patience.

To get these seats, you must buy what is called a seat availability ticket for $29.

These tickets allow you to get into the arena -- that's the easy part. Once inside, however, you must find an open seat in the balcony area only.

If you find one, you may sit there, but if the original ticket holder shows up, you must hustle to find another open seat. If you can't find one 30 minutes after the rodeo has started, your $29 will be refunded at the ticket office.

The seat availability tickets are available at the Thomas & Mack Center box office, which is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday-Saturday. Credit cards will be accepted.

If you still can't get a ticket, your best option is to round up some friends and head to one of the 24 hotels around town that will be broadcasting all 10 rounds of the NFR live.

This year, the WCR held rodeos in Winnie, Texas, and at the Pasadena Livestock show and rodeo outside of Houston. About 430 cowboys and cowgirls competed at those events, including defending calf roping champion Fred Whitfield, defending NFR all-around champion Joe Beaver, 10-time barrel racing world champion Charmayne James and defending barrel racing champion Kappy Allen.

A WCR spokesman said the organization will hold no more than one rodeo per month next year and hopes to have 20 rodeos per year in the future, with a payout of about $10,000 per event.