Fiesta de los Vaqueros: Before you go to rodeo, get to know it

But the patriarch of the first family of Marana rodeo knows that some Fiesta de los Vaqueros fans do.

"I think you got a rodeo fan that has been a rodeo fan forever," said Parsons, 55, who will compete in tie-down and team roping at the Tucson Rodeo. "If they're ranch-raised, they're going to go toward timed events or saddle bronc riding.

"The NASCAR crowd, they're going to be more bull riding and bareback riding, maybe steer wrestling and barrel racing, because it has a little more danger."

Parsons has two brothers and two children competing in the rodeo, which starts today. His 25-year-old daughter, Erin, will be barrel racing with her horse, Rizzo, whom her sister named after the "Grease" character.

"It's a very prestigious rodeo," she said. "It's a big thing to be able to say that I've won Tucson."

The majority of rodeo fans come to have fun with their families, general manager Gary Williams said, not necessarily to pick apart each performance.

But knowing the details of each event is still important.

"It can make your watching of the rodeo much more enjoyable," he said, "if you know what's going on."

Here's a primer on the rodeo's seven events, and how they're scored:

The two categories

Rodeo is split into two categories: roughstock events and timed events.

Roughstock events feature cowboys riding animals. The rider must hold onto the animal while using only one hand, and must stay aboard for at least eight seconds.

Two judges score both the cowboy and the animal, awarding 25 points each for a rider's performance and the animal's effort. A perfect score is 100 points.

Timed events are just that - a performance in which the fastest performer wins. A rope barrier is tied to the calf or steer. Once the animal receives its head start, a rope barrier falls and the cowboy and his or her horse can then chase after the animal.

Roughstock events

Bareback riding

In one sentence: Without a saddle, a cowboy rides a bucking horse.

Scoring: 100 possible points, graded 50 percent on the cowboy and 50 percent on the horse. Qualifying ride must be at least eight seconds.

They said it: "Bareback riders tend to be pretty short and pretty strong. You're taking all the strength of the horse into one arm." - Williams

Saddle bronc riding

In one sentence: Using a saddle with free-swinging stirrups and no horn, a cowboy rides a bucking horse.

Scoring: 100 possible points, graded 50 percent on the cowboy and 50 percent on the horse. Qualifying ride must be at least eight seconds.

They said it: "The harder you try, the more success you're going to have." - Williams

Bull riding

In one sentence: A cowboy rides a bull by gripping onto a thick braided rope.

Scoring: 100 possible points, graded 50 percent on the cowboy and 50 percent on the bull, with extra points for the rider spurring the bull. Qualifying ride must be at least eight seconds.

They said it: "I think one of the things that draws people to it is the element of danger. You have a 2,000-pound bull and a 140-pound guy, and the bull doesn't necessarily want to be ridden … . I've been run over by them. If a bull hits you, nothing on the bull is going to give." - Williams

Timed events

Steer wrestling

In one sentence: A horse-mounted rider jumps off his or her horse and wrestles a steer to the ground.

Scoring: The steer gets a head start, and the fastest wrestler to leave his or her horse and tackle the steer -laying it flat - wins. A 10-second penalty is imposed if the tackler's horse breaks the rope barrier.

They said it: "In steer wrestling, the good ones are more like the fullbacks, middle linebackers, in football." - Joe Parsons

Team roping

In one sentence: Two mounted cowboys must rope a steer - one, "the header," on the head, with the other, "the heeler," on the legs.

Scoring: The two horses must face each other to stop the clock, and the fastest time wins. Penalties are imposed for breaking a barrier or if only one of the steer's legs is roped.

They said it: "With the horse, in the roping, it's the same way. People have to have a great horse. As opposed to rough stock, where you don't know what you're going to draw." - Erin Parsons

Tie-down roping

In one sentence: A mounted rider must throw a looped rope around a calf's neck, then dismount and tie three legs together.

Scoring: The calf gets a head start, and a roper must tie down at least three legs. The fastest time wins. There is a 10-second penalty for a broken barrier.

They said it: "I'm fascinated by the intricacies of tie-down roping because you have to do so many things so very well, and you have to be in great physical shape to do those things." - Williams

Barrel racing

In one sentence: A mounted rider races in a cloverleaf pattern around set barrels.

Scoring: The fastest time wins, and there is a five-second penalty for knocking down a barrel.

They said it: "With barrel racing, those people always run the same horse. It's rare that people will have two horses that's capable of winning." - Erin Parsons

If you go

• What: Fiesta de los Vaqueros

• When: Today-Feb. 26

• Where: Tucson Rodeo Grounds, 4823 S. Sixth Ave.

• Today's schedule: Gates open at 11 a.m.; Rodeo competition starts at 2 p.m., followed by a barn dance.

• Today's ticket prices: $12 general admission, $20 and $22 reserved seats

• Parking: $5