Rodeo fans and contestants are gearing up for the 27th annual Southern Arkansas University Rodeo set for 7:30 p.m. nightly Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at the Columbia County Fairgrounds. Tickets are $5 for adults, $3 for SAU students with an ID as well as for children 7-12, and admission is free for children 7 and under.
The rodeo is brought to fans by the rodeo team at Southern Arkansas University and is approved by the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association’s Ozark Region rodeo. The Ozark Region of the NIRA consists of colleges and universities in Arkansas, Missouri, Mississippi, Ohio, Indiana, Georgia, Michigan, Alabama, Kentucky, Tennessee, Illinois and parts of Louisiana.
“We have about 15 schools in the region and about 220 participants total,” said SAU Rodeo Coach Rusty Hayes.
Hayes said he expects the SAU men’s team to dominate the calf roping and team roping while the SAU women’s team to be strong in the barrel racing, goat tying and break-away roping. Hayes said the women’s team recently won the title in their first rodeo of the season in Marshall, Missouri.
As true with other sports, sometimes athletes performing on familiar turf have a home field advantage, Hayes said, adding his athletes will have the benefit of being able to rest before the events.
“Because all of us and the horses haven’t ridden in a truck for 10 hours, we should be fresher,” he said.
Hayes said proceeds from the rodeo and the concession stand at the event pays for the Agriculture Formal each December, as well as some of the supplies for the animals.
A special aspect of Friday and Saturday evenings rodeos will be a calf scramble will be held for children 10 and under. First, second and third place prizes will be awarded to the children who can grab a ribbon of a calf’s tail the fastest.
Also, the collegiate cowboy and cowgirl with the highest totals for the rodeo will each be given a saddle donated by the Magnolia Advertising and Promotion Board.
For more information on the rodeo, call the SAU Agriculture Department at 870-235-4340.
