No Bull! Rodeo Cowboys are Getting Massage Therapy in California; Mangled Wranglers Made Whole Again At The California Rodeo By New .Com Business.

Business Editors

SALINAS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 11, 2000

ProducePoint.com, an internet-based information service to the $85 billion fresh produce business, headquartered in Salinas, California, is co-sponsoring free massage therapy for the contestants at the California Rodeo this year. "Our business is providing information at lightning speed to the agricultural industry," said Rock Clapper, Chief Executive Officer of ProducePoint.com. "These rodeo riders operate in an environment like ours, where things happen fast. A lot of people don't know a pro rodeo cowboy is an entrepreneur, putting money and reputation at risk every time he gets into the arena. Unlike other professional athletes, the rodeo cowboy pays for the privilege to compete. The cowboy doesn't get paid unless he produces. One missed throw, one lost grip and the cowboy doesn't even recoup his entry fee. Our Company competes in a challenging arena too. So ProducePoint.com decided to do something to honor these athletes," Clapper continued.

Tammy Crees is a member of a team of local massage therapists working at the Rodeo. She is proprietor of Rub Your Hide, a massage therapy practice in Salinas and the Monterey Peninsula. Crees, a certified therapist, is a specialist in sports related massage therapy. She says her cowboy patients are true athletes, some of them champions. These included last year's team roping winners at Salinas. According to Crees, the California Rodeo is the only rodeo in the U.S. with a sanctioned massage therapy service for contestants.

The eighty-nine year old California Rodeo is sanctioned by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA), and attracts top rated competitors form the U.S and Canada. The California Rodeo runs from July 20 to July 23 at the Salinas Sports Complex.