Poly Royal Rodeo coming to Spanos

The last event Alex G. Spanos Stadium hosted was a wet, muddy mess. In December, Cal Poly’s football team hosted San Diego in an NCAA FCS playoff game. For three hours before the game, it poured. Rain came down in buckets. The field was as saturated and slippery as it ever had been. 

On Friday, the Poly Royal Rodeo — the Cal Poly Rodeo Team’s signature event — will take center stage at the University’s largest venue (capacity for football and soccer: 11,075). The chance of rain? 100 percent.

Somehow I think the animals won’t be too worried about the rain and, while it might deter some fans, the novelty of both the rodeo in Spanos and the rodeo in the rain could make it an event people talk about for years. 

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It was already big

In past years, the Poly Royal Rodeo has brought in around 6,000 people, though most of those were standing-room only. Moving to Spanos allows people to be more comfortable and have more room. It should also test exactly how many people want to come see the rodeo in San Luis Obispo and surrounding areas. 

Field conversion underway

The Spanos Stadium field started its grand conversion Wednesday night and at around noon on Thursday, the dirt surface seemed mostly in-place with some of the fencing and chutes still to be put in-place. Heavy equipment and a specialized crew will work to make the surface manageable for the animals and competitors Thursday night before the rains come on Thursday evening.

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Rain rain, go away…

As of Thursday afternoon, the chance of rain on Friday was 100 percent, according to weather.com. The showers were forecast to start on Wednesday night and be at their heaviest in the 8-10 hours prior to the 7pm Friday start through about 9:00 on Friday evening. 

But the show must go on and it would take a lot of rain to put a damper on a historic event on-campus. The Cal Poly rodeo is already one of the largest college rodeos west of the Mississippi, but if they fill Spanos Stadium or get close to it, the Poly Royal Rodeo could stand alone as the largest. 

Drying out Saturday

Saturday evening should be a lot drier for fans. The action starts again at Spanos at 5:30pm with a concert directly following the competition. 

If you’re interested or want tickets, you can click here for more information. From the looks of it (as of Thursday afternoon), tickets are still available in all price ranges. Chair-back seats go for $35 and General Admission is $15-$20. Kids 10 and under are free.

Oh, and don’t forget to bring a poncho. 

The countdown begins… https://t.co/7QQ3fV4bTA pic.twitter.com/FsLLN9cx9b

— Cal Poly (@CalPoly) April 6, 2017

Spanos being transformed for Poly Royal Rodeo. Largest and best college rodeo on earth.Fri & Sat nines. Go Mustangs pic.twitter.com/dODZ1v2EJU

— Don Oberhelman (@TheMustangWay) April 6, 2017

Spanos current status. Rodeo starts in about 30 hours. #calpolynow pic.twitter.com/LEwyEzGDRW

— fansmanship (@fansmanship) April 6, 2017