MARK Mills has been running the Queanbeyan Rodeo for 14 years now, and the mix of speed, skill and danger still gets this old cowboy bucking.
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"I grew up around rodeo," he said. "My father and my brothers used to ride. I rodeoed myself around the region for a lot of years. I probably had my share of broken bones."
But even without the excitement of the bucking broncs and bulls, Mills says the people of the Queanbeyan Rodeo are enough to make the whole thing worthwhile.
"I just enjoy the people; the people of rodeo are really nice, friendly bunch of folks, and the friends you make, you make for life."
Mills and his team are hoping for a bumper crowd of 4,000 or more at this year's rodeo, to be held at the Queanbeyan Showgrounds on Saturday, March 7.
"It's shaping up well," he said. "We've got a few things happening, and if the weather is kind to us it should be huge this year.
"We've got a full rodeo program of events and we try to make it as cheap as possible for competitors to win as much money as they can plus points towards the end of the year finals that are in Braidwood in a couple of weeks' time.," he said.
The full list of rodeo events includes your rodeo standards, the bull ride and saddlebronc events, as well as bareback, rope and tie, steer undercoating, steer wrestling, team roping, breakaway roping, and ladies barrel race.
All the action including slow-motion replays will be up on the big screen, and Mr Mills said additional events this year included skydivers and an ANZAC tribute from the Queanbeyan Light Horse Brigade.
Catch all the action at the Showgrounds next Saturday, March 7 from 2pm (main events start from 4pm).