Fiesta rodeo remains a staple for local families

BY COLBY FRAZIER
DAILY SOUND STAFF WRITER

Since the early 1960s, John Branquinho and his wife Brandy have had the early part of August blacked out on their calendars.
Not because they hop a jet to Europe or take the kids to Disneyland, but because its Fiesta time in Santa Barbara and the one thing they won’t miss is the Old Spanish Days Fiesta Stock Horse Show & Rodeo at Earl Warren Showgrounds.
The Branquinhos are credited with bringing youth events to the rodeo in the 1980s, have groomed their three adult sons, Tony, Casey and Luke into some of the most decorated rodeo athletes in Santa Barbara County.


And this year, like so many over the past four decades, the Branquinho clan can be found in the RV area at Earl Warren Showgrounds, where four generations of the Branquinhos are camping out through the duration of Fiesta, watching loved ones compete.
“This is home,” said John Branquinho. “Santa Barbara Fiesta is just a family event. It’s a home town rodeo. We love to compete.”
John’s second oldest son Luke, who currently competes in the PRCA (Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association), and is a world champion steer wrestler, flew into Santa Barbara this week to be with the family and participate in the rodeo.
Casey Branquinho will also be competing while Tony Branquinho, the eldest of the three sons, is the rodeo coach at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and will be watching many of his current and former cowboys and cowgirls compete.
“The first of August rolls around and that’s what it’s all about: Fiesta,” Tony Branquinho said. “The combination of the professional rodeo and the local events; it makes for a good atmosphere around here.”
One of Tony Branquinho’s athletes at Cal Poly is 21-year-old Josh Verburg, who competes on the Professional Bull Rider’s Challenger Tour during the summer and came away with a shiny silver belt buckle and more than $5,000 when he won the St. Paul Challenge in Oregon on June 30.
Verburg was relaxing with the Branquinho family yesterday just hours before he was scheduled to hop on a 1,500 pound bull during last nights Professional Bull Rider’s event.
Verburg, a native of Fresno, said his father put him on the back of a calf when he was three years old and he hasn’t looked back since.
When asked if rodeo athletes and bull riders are the toughest in any sport, Verburg acknowledged the toughness of football players but said: “The one thing about it is we’re not getting a paycheck if we’re injured. We don’t have no guaranteed paycheck so we go on and ride.”
Verburg would know.
He said his worst injury came during his second year as a pro when a bull crushed his face -- an accident that required major reconstructive surgery to fix.
Without flinching, Verburg said his face is now held together by four plates and 24 screws, but his love of riding bulls outweighs any urge that might prompt him to quit.
Tony Branquinho emphasized a softer side of the rodeo world.
“It’s an event where families can compete together,” he said. “It’s a rare thing to have that these days.”
One such event that has parents, grandparents and great grandparents competing with grandchildren and children, is the junior-senior team roping competition, which is scheduled to occur this morning.
One father, son duo that hopes to win the junior-senior team roping event today is John Machado, 37, and his 9-year-old son Chance, who make the short jaunt to Fiesta from Santa Maria each year.
Machado, who had is RV parked in the opposite end of the parking lot from the Branquinho family, said he won his fist competition at the Fiesta rodeo when he was his son’s age.
With a Coors Light clutched in one hand, Machado said jokingly that he and his son were shoe-ins for the win.
“You just mark us down as the winners,” Machado said as laughs burst out through the small camp and the tops of aluminum beer cans made crisp, fizzling pops.
But when asked about the need for rodeo and why he returns year after year, Machado’s tone grew more serious.
“You’ve got to keep the tradition going and let all the generations participate,” he said.
For John Branquinho, who continues to operate his cattle and horse ranch in Los Alamos, rodeo is an event that not only anyone can watch, it’s an event that pretty much anyone can compete in.
“This is an event that you play no matter what talent level,” he said. “You get to play.”
Breeding the next generation of rodeo enthusiasts has been on the minds of both John and Brandy Branquinho for as long as they can remember.
After ushering in youth events to the Fiesta rodeo more than two decades ago, Brandy said she began teaching roping and riding lessons at their home.
She said she looks forward to watching some of her young cowboys and cowgirls compete this weekend.
“It’s great to watch them,” Brandy Branquinho said. “Kids are our future. We’re building the next generation.”
So far the current generation of rodeo enthusiasts have successfully carried the rodeo flag. According to the Branquinho’s, rodeo becoming increasingly popular in recent years, a trend they say is linked to the availability of youth events.
The entries at the Fiesta rodeo also indicate an increase in the sport’s popularity.
Fred Gallo, co-chairman of the Fiesta Rodeo, said entries for this year’s event ar up 40 percent over last year, while stall rentals have increased by 30 percent at the showgrounds.
It’s all good news for Gallo, who said the Fiesta Rodeo, combined with the stock horse show, is the last event of its kind in California.
“It’s a big deal,” Gallo said. “This is one of the only places left in Santa Barbara County to do something like this. Everybody seems to love it.”