USU Rodeo Club hosts stampede
Utah State University’s Stampede Rodeo is being held on Sept. 23 and 24 at the Cache County Fairgrounds.
Hosted by the USU Rodeo Club, the Stampede Rodeo will include events like barrel racing and steer wrestling. Entry is $5 for students and $10 for the public.
The rodeo club has been preparing for the event by competing in other weekend rodeos this semester.
The coach of the club, Colton Bair, has been coaching at USU for two years. He has been participating in rodeos since his first year in high school.
“Rodeo for me is just life,” Bair said. “There are ups and downs to rodeo, but you have to work through that, and I think you can relate that a lot to life.”
Rodeos and their events stemmed from the traditional daily activities of those who grew up in the rural West.
“Rodeo is a sport, but it is our heritage. It’s where we came from, just like anything else,” Bair said. “We wouldn’t be where we are today without having those events that we have in rodeo.”
Rodeo has turned into a sport to celebrate Western culture on a professional scale.
“It’s why we celebrate rodeo — it’s the way of the past and of Western culture,” Bair said. “And looking at it as it is today as a professional sport, it’s come a long way to celebrate the Western way of life.”
The USU Rodeo Club has 10 members, with six on the men’s team and four on the women’s team. Both teams will be competing at the rodeo this weekend.
Zayne Foy, a fifth-year member of the men’s team, competes in the steer wrestling event. He said the best thing about rodeo is the people.
“My favorite thing about rodeos is the culture of it and the connections it builds between you and other people on your team and in our club,” Foy said.
Bair also appreciates the relationships built by the team.
“Rodeo for me is a family sport. It’s just fun to bring that to USU and to involve my own family,” Bair said. “Our team is a family. We all help each other out.”
Bair says he hopes rodeo teaches the club members about hard work and improvement.
“There’s no perfect run or ride that will be your best one, but you can work hard, and the work you put into it will be what you get out of it in the arena,” Blair said. “Even if you don’t get first place with a gold buckle, just being able to improve each day. Competing against yourself is a huge life lesson all on its own.”