LV residents get chance to see rodeo … but will they come?

Wednesday, May 12, 2004 | 9:37 a.m.

Even if the Pace Picante ProRodeo Chute-out doesn't sell out its new home at the Orleans Arena this weekend, something good will come of it.

At least Las Vegas will be out of excuses for why it doesn't support pro rodeo.

With the National Finals entrenched at the Thomas & Mack Center and Wrangler Winter Tour stops in Laughlin and at the Clark County Fair in Logandale, the perception is that Southern Nevada has become something of a pro rodeo hotbed.

But the reality is that when it comes to Las Vegas, or at least the people who live here, support for the sport has been cooler than the other side of the pillow.

When locals complained they couldn't get NFR tickets because tourists had first dibs on them, the Pro Rodeo Cowboys Association awarded the championship event of its new made-for-TV winter tour to the MGM Grand.

It seemed like a slam dunk. Or at least a 90-point bull ride.

But attendance at the MGM was spotty, with an average of about 4,000, give or take a few ranchers from Pahrump. In an arena that seats 12,000, the place usually looked empty.

The new complaint among locals was that the Grand Garden, tucked behind the monstrous MGM Grand on the bustling Strip, was too hard to get to.

When the PRCA elected to move the $500,000 Chute-out from June to May, it created a scheduling conflict for the MGM, and an opportunity for the year-old Orleans Arena, which seats about 6,000 in its rodeo configuration.

The hope is that the Orleans might be the baby bear porridge that finally brings out the locals. Orleans Arena director Steve Stallworth said the Chute-out is just right for the mid-size arena as it continues to carve a local sports niche.

"Absolutely," Stallworth said Tuesday as workers continued turning the home of the Las Vegas Wranglers hockey franchise into a playpen for the world's best rodeo cowboys. "For us, this is an 'A' event."

It also was a natural event, given Coast Casinos chairman Michael Gaughan's passion for horsepower.

Gaughan, the father of NASCAR Nextel Cup rookie of the year contender Brendan Gaughan and the owner of a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series team, has an interest in four-legged horsepower that predates his love for the four-wheeled kind.

Along with Benny Binion, Gaughan was instrumental in bringing the NFR to town in 1985, and has watched pro rodeo's Super Bowl develop into an economic gold mine for the city.

The hope at the Orleans is that the Chute-out can evolve into another lucrative marketing vein for the host property.

"Obviously, Michael has a great relationship with (pro rodeo commissioner) Steve Hatchell and all of the PRCA people," Stallworth said. "This (should be) an 'A' event for locals, with the best cowboys and one of the best payouts on tour.

"Hopefully, we'll be able to make this an annual event and grow it to where we get people to make it part of their plans."

Stallworth said based on ticket sales so far, the Orleans should average close to the 4,000 the MGM attracted for the three-performance Chute-out -- only the Orleans will look a lot more crowded.

It should make for a better atmosphere for fans and competitors alike, although Hatchell was quick to point out that the PRCA and MGM had an amicable parting.

"When we were putting our tour together, they said we want to be with you guys, we believe in the lifestyle," said Hatchell, the former commissioner of the Big 12 Conference.

"We had a wonderful partner in the MGM and we have a wonderful partner with the Orleans and Michael Gaughan."

The deal with the Orleans is only for one year, with an option to renew.

"My feeling is we may have to let this percolate a little more than one year," Hatchell said. "All of these events have a different fingerprint, and the way this one is set up, I don't think all of our apples are tied up in (attendance)."

Nothing against Omaha, which packs them in for the PRCA's Summer Tour finale, but if you polled the competitors and sponsors, most probably would rather rope and ride in Las Vegas.

Now, the hope is that Las Vegas will reciprocate by purchasing tickets to the Chute-out, billed as a sneak preview to December's National Finals.

"What people need to realize is that this rodeo parallels the presentation of the NFR," Hatchell said. "It's a really competitive and exciting event."