What a ride! Just finished cleaning cameras, sorting, finishing and delivering final images of the NFR finals in Vegas. A very intense week it was. I mean, you couple one of the most energetic cities in the world with a bunch of revved up cowboys and it makes a pretty interesting combination.  Especially with an average day being about 18 hours.

The coolest thing about covering something you covered before and think you know what to expect is walking away with a totally new perspective — such was the case this time in Vegas as opposed to 2007 when I followed Trevor and the Cooper boys.  You know, shooting action in the arena is one thing, but following these guys into their private lives of family and friends is something totally different.

A little more to the equation, we had three Cooper boys competing this year instead of one. So we now have four competitors to keep up with and document the daily goings on in their world — a very fascinating one I might add.

All these guys are virtual rock stars in Vegas. It’s the damndest thing I’ve ever seen — well, close. Tuesday of rodeo week there was an autograph signing in the lobby of the MGM Grand for all the contestants that were sponsored by the hotel. One hour before it was supposed to begin there was a line as long as a football field, just waiting. It’s almost as if these guys are the new Superheroes of the world.

I mean, their faces are everywhere. And let’s talk about AT&T’s marketing strategy on the back of the sign — the guys know a hero when they see one. That’s the thing about Vegas, as I said in a previous post, I couldn’t figure out why this thing was in Vegas.  I mean you talk about a contrast — from dirt and simplicity to the complexity of the concrete jungle. Well, its all about the Bucks, and somebody has to finance the greatest shows on earth.

The point in shadowing someone journalistically is to try to bring back the real deal, the real person behind the mask — or non-mask in this case, because everywhere I looked (and that was a lot of places) I found no mask on Trevor Brazile, who was my main subject. But all these guys, as I got to know them pretty well, walked the walk like they talked it.

A new perspective gained……

It was kinda like Cowboy Zen, the way that Trevor was so calm and absorbed by his family when he was not in the arena but was totally at one with his self and focused on the subject at hand when competing. He attributed a lot of his success this year to this mentality. What a difference from how we perceive the American Cowboy in the past… but I have a feeling it’s always been there. Like the kicking of dirt in a concrete jungle , there were so many contrasts this particular week — so many in fact that I wondered if it was really contrast or my view of opposites in general… Much to ponder.

Check out a day by day recap or see some of my favorites from the week.