Barrel racer Lori Wilcox of Sodus, Mich., cuts a tight corner Friday, Feb. 19, 2012, at the Pavilion, 4301 Farm Lane. In barrel racing, the rider and horse must take two turns to one side and one turn to the other around three barrels. State News File Photo
This rodeo wasn’t built in a day — the 44th annual MSU Spartan Stampede rodeo, that is.
The MSU Rodeo Club works yearlong to plan and train for Spartan Stampede, which begins Friday at the Pavilion for Agriculture and Livestock Education. The weekend-long event includes competitions with club members and athletes from the International Professional Rodeo Association, or IPRA.
Brian Nielsen, the MSU Rodeo Club’s adviser, said combatting the high costs has become the hardest aspect of planning, despite raising about $12,000 in sponsorships.
“We have to generate over $55,000 to even break even,” Nielsen said. “It’s extremely pricey with big-ticket items, like renting out the Pavilion, advertising and payment of the stock contractor.”
But Spartan Stampede has not come without reward. The IPRA named the event “Indoor Rodeo of the Year” in 2011 and 2012, an honor Nielsen said was unexpected in the Midwest.
For Rodeo Club secretary Tara Reinhart, the opportunity to host the rodeo, a rare find in Michigan, is enough.
“Rodeo is more of a culture, and that’s kind of the whole world to us,” Reinhart said. “It’s really cool to have such a big rodeo in Michigan. You don’t really see that out in the Midwest.”
The event consists of four competitions: saddle and bareback bronc riding, roughstock and barrel racing. Nielsen said the competitions often require club members to begin physical training for themselves and their horses months in advance.
“A lot of them practice every week,” Nielsen said. “If they’re barrel racing, they’re working with their horses on a daily basis. Some have physical fitness training they participate in as well. It’s about getting those horses ready and fit to compete.”
Spartan Stampede kicks off with a grand entry every year, a tradition Rodeo Club president Amanda Freis has come to cherish. As the 2011 MSU Rodeo Queen, Freis said she will carry an American flag on horseback.
“It’s an adrenaline rush waiting to go in at the very beginning,” she said. “I get to see (the) crowd for (the) first time, which is very exciting.”
Although uncommon, Nielsen said the rodeo strikes a chord in the inner child of many people each year.
“A lot of kids, when they were young, dreamed of being a cowboy or cowgirl. So many people are intrigued by horses, and they’re reconnecting with the life they dreamed of as a kid.”
When it comes to fan interaction, Reinhart said she enjoys the opportunity to bring entertainment and a learning experience to both newcomers and regulars.
“It’s cool being able to interact with them and show them what the rodeo world is all about,” she said.
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