There's nothing that says 'the rodeo is coming' more than 2100 tons of dirt being dumped onto the floor of the AT&T Center, News Radio 1200 WOAI reports.
The annual dirt dump is taking place all day, as the Spurs are out of town on their annual Rodeo Road Trip.
Gary Tate, the Operations Manager of the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo, says the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association has strict rules on spreading the dirt. For example, the dirt has to be at a uniform depth of 10" to 12" throughout the arena.
"We pack this dirt so that animals will not hit the concrete, and riders will fall without falling on concrete," he said.
This isn't just any dirt. The Stock Show and Rodeo has used the same dirt, which was donated by a rancher in Atascosa County, since 1988. Each year it is stored in a building behind the AT&T Center so it's ready for the rodeo.
Tate says if the rodeo wanted to buy new dirt each year, it would cost betwen $20,000 and $25,000.
He says GPS systems are used to make sure the dirt is spread evenly."Everything is done electronically," he said. "They have sites set up all over the place, and the tractors run off of a GPS system.
"After every rodeo performance, the dirt must be chiseled with a 'roterra' over it to keep the surface uniform.
Tate says other materials are blended into the dirt, and it is covered with a baseball infield cover in case of humid conditions, to maintain the constant level of humidity that the professional cowboys need.
After the rodeo is over, it takes about 5 hours for crews to remove every speck of dirt and return it to the storehouse, so the basketball floor can be reinstalled and the Spurs can get back to work.