This week, the Denver Coliseum is the center of the rodeo world

Tyler Ferguson, of Deer Trail, Colorado, was 14 when he lost his front teeth in a rodeo accident. It didn't stop him from running full-sprint at the sport.

"It's an unexplainable attraction, but it goes back to Roman times: man verses beast," he said Saturday as he wrapped athletic tape around his wrists. "Ours is no different."

So it might have been appropriate that we met at the Denver Coliseum.

Ferguson was prepping to ride bareback in Colorado vs The World rodeo, one of dozens of athletic events at the National Western Stock Show, and a kick-off for the rodeo season nationwide. Some of the country's best bull and bronc riders gathered here for the special occasion.

"There's just a mystique about Denver," announcer Scott Grover said as he prepped his script for the second show of the day. "Things really don't kick off for the rodeo season until you come to Denver."

Rodeo clown Matt Merritt, who's in charge of delighting crowds in between events, underscored that point. He performed in Madison Square Garden last week, but he was looking forward to coming here.

"It's sort of hallowed ground for us. It's like it's our Yankee stadium or Wrigley field. It's a big thing," he said. "This is Americana at its finest."

Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite

The people behind this rodeo have deep roots at the Stock Show.

Rodeos have been part of the Stock Show since 1931, originally introduced to celebrate the event's 25th "silver jubilee" anniversary. In the century since, rodeo spokesperson Susan Kanode said, it's remained an important stop on the national circuit.

She and Ferguson both have attended these events their entire lives. The fact that Denver holds a place of distinction in the rodeo world — and the livestock market as a whole — means a lot.

"It is very much a source of pride for me, to have an event that not only provides entertainment, it provides education and it gives agriculture a place to call home," Kanode said. "Becoming involved and ingrained within the Stock Show, on a more intimate level, was definitely a really, really cool thing."

Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite

These fairgrounds are also part of Wacey Munsell's childhood memories. He's from Ulysses, Kansas, near the state's border with Colorado, and showed cattle here with his dad as a kid. Today, he's the rodeo's lead bullfighter, in charge of drawing the hulking, angry animals away from riders who've been thrown from their backs.

"My dad rodeoed and he knew a lot of the guys over here, so he'd take me over here and let me meet everybody," he remembered. "It's kind of a full-circle deal here, for a kid that's showing hogs and steers across the street is working the rodeo that he grew up watching."

The rodeo world has changed since he was young, and grown "too commercial." He loves the Stock Show because it still feels like it did all those years ago.

"They really value the tradition here, he said, "and I really appreciate that."

The city has changed outside of this event, but many we met still love it.

Grover said he started coming to this event when he was a high school teacher, chaperoning groups of Future Farmers of America students in from Kansas. This is his second year back as an announcer, and he had some time to kill before the festivities began.

"Yesterday I got lost downtown and it was amazing," he said. "The restaurants, the sights, the sounds of downtown."

Sure, it's still under construction, but he had a nice time. More important for him are changes to the Stock Show's campus, like Colorado State University's new research centers.

"I appreciate progress," he said. "There's progress here at the National Western."

Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite

The city has doubled down on its role as the Stock Show's home, even as decades of intense growth has shaken its reputation as a "cow town." Kanode said those broader population shifts mean there are fewer locals with generational ties to the event. While ticket sales have been steady for years, she said she'd expect bigger crowds if this cultural touchstone was really reaching those newcomers.

She's hoping Denverites don't become too disconnected from these rodeos and auctions, as America's culture wars and polarization deepen the gap between rural and urban communities. Beyond getting to see people fly out of saddles, this is a place could be an opportunity to close those gaps.

"It's a place to cooperate, because you don't have to be on the same side of the fence to have an appreciation for different perspectives," she said. "Not only is it an opportunity for us to showcase agriculture in a different light, it's an opportunity for us to see a different perspective."

Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite

Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite

Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite