Live Action Rodeo finds home in Unicoi

UNICOI — Live Action Rodeo Company has been a staple in North Carolina. Last year, they found the perfect place to also set up shop in Northeast Tennessee. A small rodeo venue was set up on the Jones family farm across the road from the Unicoi Walmart and it's given the community a great place to watch the different events. Last Saturday, the East Tennessee Championship Rodeo had events such as sheep riding, steer riding, chute dogging, saddle bronc riding and the always popular bull riding. Despite rain earlier in the day and the threat still in the air, most of the bleachers were filled and several others sat in lawn chairs outside the fences. Former Erwin police chief Regan Tilson is among those who has caught rodeo fever. He rode bulls when he was much younger. Now 55, he's among the oldest competitors, participating both in bull riding and chute dogging. "I got bit again and here I am," Tilson said. "I'm awful little for the chute dogging, but it's a lot of technique. The good thing about here is that everybody supports everybody." The chute dogging is similar to steer wrestling, except the competitor starts in the bucking chute instead of jumping off horseback. It's still quite a task to bring down a 400-500 pound steer and Tilson was one of the few contestants able to do so. He wasn't as lucky on the bull as the animal turned back towards the chute and gave a belly roll which caused him to be knocked off well before the required eight seconds to get a score. Still, he's a big fan of the sport both as a competitor and spectator. "Last year was the first year here, and I was really glad to get it in our county," Tilson said. "Even with the weather and several other events going on in the area, there's a pretty good crowd." It's become a popular stop with multiple rodeos held at the property throughout the year. Last year, the visits went well into November. There was another rodeo at Unicoi just two weeks before on June 13, and another coming up on July 11. Tilson praised the Treadway family which runs the Live Action Rodeo for taking good care of the cowboys, cowgirls, animals and fans. While the sport is obviously more popular out West, there have been successful riders from our region of the country. J.B. Mauney, a two-time PBR World Champion from Mooresville, N.C., is considered one of the best to ever get on a bull. Facing the rankest bulls on the planet, he had over 500 qualified rides and earned over $7 million over his career. Jerome Davis, also from North Carolina, was the PRCA World Champion before an accident cut short his career. There was a group of youngsters that included boys and girls in the steering riding competition at the Unicoi rodeo. With it and other successful rodeo venues like the Evening Breeze Arena in Elizabethton, there are hopes for growing the sport even more in our area. "I think we're developing the next generation of rodeo riders here. That's important," Tilson said.