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Students saddle up for the Spartan Stampede Rodeo

February 22, 2015

Sights and sounds of the 46th annual Spartan Stampede Rodeo this weekend.

Photo by Leslie Hemenway | The State News

As the horse, with its rider in tow, galloped out of the arena, the announcer proclaimed their times.

Barrel races were just a fraction of the many events showcased at the 46th annual Spartan Stampede Rodeo.

Comedy acts were another event featured at the rodeo. There was a rodeo clown who had the audience roaring in laughter at his portrayal of a simple-minded hillbilly.

At one point during the show, the clown had the idea of to shoot himself from a cannon. The announcer asked him if he brought a net or something to safely fall into, and the clown, offended at the question, said of course. Then, a man walked into the arena holding a small net.

Unfortunately, the cannon seemed to be malfunctioning. The clown asked if anyone in the audience was an engineer and one student raised his hand. The clown invited the student to come down and help him out.

The student peered into the cannon to see what the issue was — when the clown suddenly pushed him into the cannon.

The skit ended with the cannon firing off loudly, though the student remained safely inside.

The Pavilion for Agriculture and Livestock Education was packed Friday night with people in attendance for the event. Several attendees showed their rodeo pride by donning cowboy hats and bedazzled belt buckles.

Preveterinary freshman Kelsey Tomasek was not only in attendance on Friday, but she would be competing as well the following day.

Tomasek said she would be competing in a barrel race Saturday in addition to the queen pageant.

“For the queen’s contest, we do different phases such as interviews, formal and informal modeling,” she said. “We have to do a speech and then we also have to do impromptu questions, (and horsemanship).”

Rodeo has always been a huge part of Tomasek’s life. She said her family has had horses ever since she was around 5 years old.

After being involved in rodeo for a while, Tomasek said she decided she wanted to try something different with horses.

She became involved with showing pleasure horses, which is a more relaxed and slower paced horse show, with her 5-year-old quarter horse.

“I wanted to see the other side of things as well as the gymkhana and rodeo aspect, so that’s been nice because you get a broader view of everything horses can offer,” she said.

Some of Tomasek’s favorite aspects about competing include the adrenaline and excitement of running into the arena.

She said she also loves the connection she has with her horses.

Not only has rodeo been a fun pastime for Tomasek, she said it’s also been an invaluable teacher as well. She said she’s learned a lot of valuable life skills, such as responsibility and hard work.

“Trust is another big one because you have to trust your animal for them to work well for you,” she said. “Horses in general taught me almost everything in my life so it’s been great.”

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