San Diego Roundup : Sports Arena Ready for Rodeo Weekend and Willie Nelson

Some of the top professional cowboys will be competing for more than $10,000 in prize money at the Pacific Indoor Rodeo, which begins tonight at 8 at the Sports Arena.

The cowboys will compete in bareback riding, saddle bronc riding, bull riding, calf roping, steer wrestling, team roping and women’s barrel racing.

Tickets are $10, $8 and $6. Children under 12 receive a $2 discount. Saturday night’s rodeo action also begins at 8.

A Willie Nelson concert will be held Sunday night at the Sports Arena to wrap up the rodeo. Concert tickets are $25, $16 and $10. Those purchasing rodeo tickets receive a $4 discount on a $16 concert ticket and $2 off a $10 ticket. Tickets for the rodeo and concert are available at Ticketmaster outlets.

Former NFL running back Gale Sayers and some of the nation’s top collegiate players will attend the Kellen Winslow Flag Football League pre-NFL draft party Saturday night at the Hyatt Islandia Hotel’s Regency Ballroom.

Also scheduled to attend are: Keith Byars of Ohio State, Leslie O’Neal of Oklahoma State, John Lee of UCLA, Tim McGee of Tennessee and Ronnie Harmon of Iowa.

Cocktails begin at 6, dinner is at 7:30 and the entertainment begins at 9:15. The program will include singer Ella Ruth Piggee, Fatt Burger, the Talk of the Town Band and Michael Winslow, who appeared in “Police Academy III” and is Kellen’s cousin.

Tickets may be purchased by calling 483-7496.

The Special Olympics track and field meet for retarded citizens will be Saturday at San Diego State’s Sportsman’s Track.

The meet begins at 9 a.m. and is free to the public. More than 350 athletes are expected to compete in 13 events.

For more information, call 574-7589.

The Ace Cancer tennis tournament will be Saturday and Sunday at Tennis Escondido.

Players can compete in more than 25 sanctioned and amateur divisions. Entry fee is $15 for singles players and $25 for doubles teams. Proceeds benefit the research programs of the American Cancer Society. For more information, contact the Cancer Society at 471-0260.

The Pacific Coast Conference community college track and field championships are scheduled for Wednesday at MiraCosta College’s all-weather track. Field events begin at 1 p.m., with the first race at 2. Admission is free.