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Tim O'Connell almost didn't make it to the Days of '47 Rodeo.

The 2016 PRCA bareback riding world champion and his team made a mistake while trying to register, which resulted in him not making the initial list of cowboys invited to the event.

Fortunately for him, one of the cowboys suffered an injury, resulting in O'Connell receiving an invitation.

"I was pretty distraught when I found out I did not get in," O'Connell said. "There were a lot of phone calls that were made to the PRCA trying to figure out how to get back in. ... It's unfortunate that the guy got hurt and I would never wish that upon anyone, but it worked in my favor, too."

In his first event of the rodeo, he rode away tied for first place with a score of 87.5.

"[The horse] was really good, I mean anything a guy could want," O'Connell said. "He stood great in the box, he was really calm, which got me to stay calm. Then right out of there he just hit … he got high up enough and flashy enough where I really got to show off … all around it was fantastic."

His win was the first to occur in the new outdoor Days of '47 arena.

According to O'Connell, the setup of the arena with fans surrounding you and rows stretching up high gives it a "gladiator type feel."

"Its pretty amazing. Utah really gets behind rodeo," he said. "It's a big honor for not only cowboys, but cowboys outside of the state to know that [Utah] takes care of us here. This is a really cool atmosphere here."

Rodeo is in Utah's heritage, and most of those who attend have been doing it for as long as they remember.

"I grew up in a small town in North Dakota, and this is what we did," said Donna Dickinson, 80.

A fan of rodeo her entire life and having attended Days of '47 multiple times, the one downfall Dickinson found in this rodeo was the location.

"I actually went to it when it was in the Salt Palace and it just wasn't the same," she said. "When we went there, my husband asked if I wanted to go again and I said no. It's just not a rodeo indoors."

Now in the outdoor arena, sitting in the shade under the awning at center arena, Dickinson found her inner country girl.

"It's a good atmosphere. I know it's only the first day, but it's great," she said.

On the other end of the age spectrum are Dallas and Ruger Rushton who, at ages 5 and 7, are attending their third rodeo.

Boys of few words, to them the rodeo is "fun," which nicely describes what fans experience at Days of '47. The cowboys hope to make the rodeo a memorable experience, but the pressure to perform can be intense, especially for O'Connell, who is trying to live up to the expectations he set last season.

"Every time I nod my head, I want to compete for myself," O'Connell said. "I want the best version of myself every time and I think the fans deserve that. I feel as though it's my responsibility, as a world champion, to act and ride like a champion."

kandrews@sltrib.com Twitter: @kendra__andrews