By, LANEY COOK, Student Reporter
The Northwestern rodeo team will host the first college rodeo this year on March 2 here in Alva to kick off the season.
After the rodeo season was put on hold last spring because of COVID-19, team members are now able to travel for college rodeo. At the beginning of the season, there were 10 scheduled college rodeos.
Stockton Graves, Northwestern’s head rodeo coach, said one college has already canceled its rodeo for the season, leaving only nine on the schedule.
“Everyone else seems to be on board about the season,” Graves said.
“Hopefully everything gets better and we’ll be able to continue.”
Stetson Thompson, the university’s assistant rodeo coach, said officials will determine whether the season can continue after the first rodeo.
“If there’s a spike (in coronavirus case numbers), then that could be the end of it right there, and we’ll just have to shut it down,” Thompson said, “But hopefully that doesn’t happen, and we can power through it.”
Graves said fans are not permitted to watch the rodeo in-person this year because of coronavirus safety protocols, but there will be a livestream for fans to watch online.
Thompson said his main concern is to keep everyone in the right mind at the university and at the practice grounds.
He said the season will be a lot harder on student athletes with multiple rodeos scheduled for back-to-back weekends.
“There’s not much time for kids to slack off,” Thompson said. “They can’t be missing classes. They’ve got to get in there and hump up in the practice pen, the arena or the classroom all together.”
Krissie May, a junior from Garden Plains, Kansas, joined the rodeo team her freshman year in the fall of 2018 as a barrel racer. She said this season will be focused on improving her abilities, but she still expects a good season out of her.
“We usually start out the season in Manhattan at Kansas State University,” May said. “But with them cancelling, I’m excited to start off the season here at the Alva Dome.”
The rodeo was originally set to begin Feb. 18, but it was postponed because of inclement weather. It is now set to begin March 2.
Northwestern team members will compete in the hopes of qualifying for the College National Finals Rodeo in Cheyenne, Wyoming.
Hopefully everything gets better and we’ll be able to continue.”
— Stockton Graves