Sven Alskog
Sports Editor
Some of the best collegiate rodeo athletes in the country will head to the Bannock County Fairgrounds from Sept. 17-19 beginning with the Regional Rodeo on Thursday and the Bengal Rodeo on Friday and Saturday hosted by the Idaho State University Rodeo team.
For those who have not come out to see the event in past years, those involved point to the quality of participants as to what makes these rodeos something to check out.
“We’ve got some of the best people around,” said club president Chris Cox, a bull rider. “We’ve had people go to nationals and place each year I’ve been here and it is really a different cultural experience.”
With the talent in the ring for ISU and the other schools coming to the fairgrounds, the event gives students and community members an opportunity to experience high quality rodeo locally.
“You’re experiencing the oldest sport in the history of America. If you want to experience something out west this is the thing to do,” said new ISU Rodeo member Taylor Skinner, a freshman from Tremonton, Utah.
The experience levels of the participants vary greatly, with some trying rodeo out for the first time and others having been around it their entire life.
For Cox, a former swimmer in high school out of Salem, Oregon, rodeo is a new sport since coming to ISU.
“I didn’t do any rodeo growing up, so for me coming in as a freshman I wanted to try something new. It’s that adrenaline rush I love. Those that know me know that I am an adrenaline junky,” said Cox.
Swimming and rodeo are on the opposite spectrums of the sport realm, something that has kept it exciting for Cox during his time at ISU.
“In swimming you worry about other competitors like the person in the lane next to you. With bull riding it’s you and the bull and nobody else between you,” said Cox.
Other members of the ISU team have been around the sport since an early age.
Skinner says he has participated in pro rodeo events in the past and looks forward to experiencing the sport collegiately.
“College rodeo teaches you how to go out and win professionally. It’s every cowboy’s dream to go out and do just that,” said Skinner.
Working with the animals is a big part of why many participants stick with the sport in the long run. Having positive results with an animal you have worked with so much is a rewarding experience for team members.
“I love competition first of all,” said Skinner. “With rodeo you are counting on yourself and no one else to succeed. I also love being around animals. You can’t succeed unless the animal is healthy. Rodeo is one of the biggest proponents of healthy animals around. If our animals aren’t healthy, they can’t perform well. Our livelihood depends on animals.”
Many members of ISU Rodeo have had plenty of success on the national level in the past, including Kimberlyn Fitch, a national champion in 2013, with finishes of second in 2014 and eighth in 2015 as well.
“It’s a really cool experience with so much going on,” said Fitch of the national events. “A really neat experience.”
The top three finishers in the region in each event qualify for the national rodeo held in Casper, Wyoming at the Casper Events Center. The event has been held at that location for 17 years and took place this summer in the middle of June.
According to the Collegiate National Finals Rodeo website, the event hosts 400 cowboys and cowgirls from over 100 colleges and universities each year.
Just as is the case with any sport or activity, the difference is in the preparation for ISU Rodeo. With the facilities and community support, the success has come in bunches for the team over the years.
“It’s just like anything: if you don’t have proper funding you are not going to get better,” said Skinner. “Without our sponsors we wouldn’t be here.”
Having the fairgrounds at their disposal so close to campus is another big factor in the performance of the team.
“We are so grateful for the fairgrounds [staff] and what they have provided us,” said Cox. “They have made it a great deal for us to come out here.”
Along with the strong facility, ISU also has the 2014 Rocky Mountain Region Coach of the Year in Jared Arave handling the program.
Events during the rodeo include bull riding, tie-down roping, steer wrestling, barrel racing, goat tying and bareback riding among many others.
For this weekend, ISU expects upwards of 500 contestants to enter into the rodeo, with solid competition coming in led by the College of Southern Idaho and teams from as far as Colorado and Northern Idaho.
This will be the only opportunity for the community to see ISU Rodeo at the Bannock County Fairgrounds, with the team hosting the one event each year and traveling for the remainder of the schedule.
Students of ISU can get in free of charge by showing their Bengal ID at the gate.
According to Cox, on Thursday and Friday the events will start at 7 p.m., with a dance scheduled to follow the activities on Friday. On Saturday, start time is slated for 5 p.m.
