Rodeo cowboys doing better economically

Unlike people in many other occupations, professional rodeo cowboys say they're faring better economically this year. ``The pay is still the same. We're rolling down the road, fuel, diesel and gas prices are down right now. We're doing better than we were six, eight months ago _ a lot better,'' said Texan bareback rider Wes Stevenson. Stevenson, 29, is one of 684 contestants who entered the 84th Annual Fiesta de los Vaqueros, which ran through Sunday at the Tucson Rodeo Grounds. That's nearly a 6 percent increase in entries from the 2008 Tucson Rodeo. The increase in entries isn't limited to the Tucson Rodeo but extends to Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association rodeos in general. Entries into PRCA rodeos are up 16 percent since the start of the year, said Jim Bainbridge, a PRCA spokesman...KTAR