The young rodeo cowboys and cowgirls have been chomping at the bit for this time of year to finally get here. Some have been practicing like crazy and some are flying by the seat of their pants and relying on muscle memory of themselves and of their horse. I am referring to the beginning of the spring rodeo season for the high school/junior high associations and the college rodeo association.
The Border Bash was held in Guthrie, OK at the Lazy E Arena March 21-22. The Border Bash is mainly comprised of Kansas high school rodeoers and Oklahoma high school rodeoers, even though it is open to the world. In the high school rodeo division, Madison Crane of Springfield put together two nice barrel runs, by placing 17th on Saturday with a time of 15.667 seconds amongst a salty field of 60 barrel racers. She was 11th and 5th in the goat tying. She teamed up with her brother, Hudson, for a 4th place finish in the team roping with at time of 8.59 seconds. Briley and Heston Seufer did not have the weekend that they had hoped for and look forward to Kingman on March 28th and 29th. The sixteen bull riders had an even tougher time in Guthrie. The bulls must have been a little too much as there were only 2 rides out of 32 get-ons.
In the junior high rodeo division Rhody Bond of Wiley had a pretty good weekend. He was 3rd in the breakaway with a time of 2.8 seconds and won the chute dogging with a time of 6.08 seconds. He and his partner, Kai Calkins of Lakin, were 7th and 5th in the ribbon roping. He and his team roping partner, Brody Martin, were 5th with 21.71 seconds. Conley Hall of Springfield struck in the breakaway roping in 2nd place with 3.43 seconds and she and her partner Wyatt Ritz of Preston won the team roping on Sunday with 14.01 seconds. The spring schedule has Kingman, 2-week break, Coffeyville, Dodge City, Lakin, and then state finals.
The Colorado High School Rodeo does not kick off until April 18th in Lamar.
The first college rodeo of the season for the Central Rocky Mountain Region was held March 20-22 at Gillette College. Jack Kissel of Lamar Community College won second in the long go round of the saddle bronc riding with a score of 75 points. He failed to get a score in the short round. Jack and his partner, James Golden, were 4th in the long round of the team roping, as well. Jack’s sister, Kate Kissel, also rodeoing for LCC, was 5th in the long go round of the barrel race with 15.29 seconds. She hit a barrel in the short round to knock her out of the average. Cooper Dorenkamp of Granada and rodeoing for Otero Junior College was 6th in the long go round of the steer wrestling with a time of 6.2 seconds and got a no time in the short round. Traven Sharon of Ordway and rodeoing for the University of Wyoming had a big weekend. Sharon was 71 points in the long go round in the saddle bronc riding and 78 points (2nd) in the short go round to end up 3rd in the average. He also shined at the other end of the arena with a 4th in the long go round of the tie down roping (10.5 seconds) and 10.1 seconds in the short round to give him the title of champion tie down roper.
The spring schedule for the college rodeoers looks like Eastern Wyoming College (Torrington), Colorado State University (Fort Collins), Casper College, and the University of Wyoming (Laramie).
You better grab your sunscreen, hold your hat, get your water, and hang on. Here we go baby.
Happy Trails.
