CHAMPION OF THE CHARROS

The Longhorn World Championship Rodeo will over more than $32,000 in prize money.

Gerardo "Jerry" Diaz is proud of being a charro -- the Spanish word for cowboy. He is a fourth-generation charro, a national champion whose horsemanship and roping skills will be spotlighted when the Longhorn World Championship Rodeo returns to the Show Me Center this weekend.

Performances will be at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and a 2 p.m. Sunday.

Diaz and his fiance, Stacy Anderson, will present a display called "Romance on Horseback." "Its a display of horsemanship in a very romantic way," he said in a phone interview on the road with the rodeo.

Diaz's father was a charro who traveled with the Barnum and Bailey and Ringling Brothers circuses. In Hollywood, he also doubled for the Cisco Kid.

Diaz, who was born in San Antonio and still lives there, has been performing since he was a little boy. He uses a magay rope made from Mexican cactus. "The magay rope is the most difficult to maneuver," he said.

Just as charro is a Mexican tradition, so is the rodeo, which means "round up" in Spanish. Diaz says rodeo is as popular as soccer in Mexico.

He wears a tailored suit that resembles a bull-fighting outfit with its high-waisted trousers and bolero jacket.

Also scheduled this weekend are six of rodeo's most popular events -- the Bonus Bull Challenge, cowgirls barrel racing, calf roping, saddle bronc riding, bareback bronc riding and steer wrestling.

Six of the roughest bulls in the rodeo's string will be tested by some of its best riders in the Bonus Bull Challenge. Only two cowboys have completed eight-second rides over the past two years.

Also on the schedule is the Longhorn Pony Express, which presents cowgirls performing gymnastics on the backs of galloping horses.

Among the contestants in this weekend's rodeo will be bull riders Curtis Leach of Cape Girardeau and Brian Leimer of Jackson, calf ropers Cimarron Boardman of Jackson and Ty Ferrel of Sikeston, steer wrestler Pat Collier of Jackson, barrel racer Erin Hill of Poplar Bluff, bareback rider Eric Van Cleve of Wickliffe, Ky., and saddle bronc rider Zack Rister of Harrisburg, Ill.

The contestants are building up points in hopes of being invited to the Longhorn Finals Championship Rodeo Nov. 12-13 in Nashville. The top 12 contestants in each event will compete fro more than $175,000 in cash and awards.