2005 Rocky Mountain Jamboree ATV Rodeo by Mike Martin

The ATV Rodeo is held at the Sevier County Fairgrounds in Richfield , just down the street from the park. The Rodeo consists of an obstacle course where a series of 10 cones are spaced in a straight line. The quad who completes the course the fastest without hitting a cone (5 second penalty per cone) is the winner in their class (2x4 under 300cc, 2x4 over 300cc, 4x4 under 300cc, and 4x4 over 300cc). These guys were determined and serious, and clocked some impressive times.

The next event was barrel racing. The object was to circle around each barrel in the fastest time. These events aren't as easy as they look. The first 6 inches of dirt was soft but underneath it there was hard pack, so once a few quads ran the track the rear wheels wouldn't slide around, so there were quite a few on two wheels as they rounded the barrels.

Near the end of the barrel racing, everyone began to flock to the mud bog. This event by far was the most popular event of the day. The crowd was lined up on both sides, end to end. The dirt had obviously been dug up well and been soaking for days, just waiting for these guys. The event started with the 2x4 quads. Many of them tried but none of them got to the halfway point. The halfway point was marked by a hard packed line of dirt that went from side to side about a foot in width. Then came the 4x4's, at first these guys made it a little farther, but began to dig a rut in the center. For those that couldn't make it across the bog there was a front loader (tractor) waiting behind the starting line ready to hook up once the driver was ready. Also available on site was a well needed water truck located at the end of the bog.

Then suddenly #638 made it over the center and whisked to the end. Then the very next quad #668 whizzed through in the same manner. From then on the rest seemed to get stuck in the middle, not able to get over the hard pack in the center. Until Steve from Colorado drove his Polaris 800 with the tank tracks across the bog like it was nothing, WOW! Needless to say Steve won 1st in this event, and later he even drove back in the bog, stopped, and assisted a stuck individual, then effortlessly drove out without a problem.

The next event was the dirtiest competition of the day…The mud run! The first race was 12 and under. The fastest kid to run from one end of the bog to the other was the winner of…$33. To a kid that might as well be $3,300. This, ladies and gentlemen, is a serious race!

Of course the adults couldn't help themselves, so they climbed in to join the fun…Except they couldn't get out! If you come to the Jamboree, be sure to check out the ATV Rodeo, you'll be glad you did.

*A big thanks to the ATV Division of John Deere, sponsor of the Off-Road.com coverage of the 2005 event.

Rocky Mountain ATV Jamboree