And under "Safety," a photo is provided of a young woman needlessly bare-handing a large eastern diamondback while a grown, bearded man assists. (An old Rodeo program I once had said the snake hunt was "the call of the wild to grown, bearded men.") If you need to pick up a rattler, always use a snake hook. This is safety? More like a display of what not to do.
April 11 2011 edit: At the request of the photographer (a City of Opp employee; see comments below) I've removed the image from this blog post. There's no photographer credit on the official page I link to above (I couldn't know who to credit) and this kind of thing falls within "fair use" allowances, but I wouldn't want my photo being used without my permission, either. You can see it here as long as the City keeps it on the website.
April 11 2011 edit: At the request of the photographer (a City of Opp employee; see comments below) I've removed the image from this blog post. There's no photographer credit on the official page I link to above (I couldn't know who to credit) and this kind of thing falls within "fair use" allowances, but I wouldn't want my photo being used without my permission, either. You can see it here as long as the City keeps it on the website.
The Opp Rodeo has a wonderful opportunity to reach young people with a responsible environmental and safety message. It's a shame they're falling so far short of that potential.