The Colorado State High School and Junior High Rodeo Association kicked off its season at the Montezuma County Fairgrounds Indoor Arena on Saturday and Sunday.
Boys and girls from across the state in sixth through 12th grade showcased their skills in bull and bronc riding, roping, pole bending, chute dogging and steer wrestling.
The local Ute Mountain Rodeo team had some impressive finishes at home, as it will be the only time they compete at the fairgrounds during the nine-week CSHSRA and CSJHRA regular-season. Students must maintain a B average in school to participate in the CSHSRA and CSJHRA.
Ute Mountain Rodeo co-sponsor Destri Lockhart-Epps said more than half of the 23 team members will travel to all of the rodeos. The estimated travel distance throughout the season is more than 6,000 miles, so the whole team participated at the home rodeo and performed well.
We had a really good success rate this rodeo, Lockhart-Epps said. We had a couple of the kids place first. Our rough stock kids have shown a lot of improvement. The barrel racers are placing, so weve had a really good weekend.
Durangos Riley and Cade Van Soelen led the Ute Mountain middle school boys team. Riley finished first place in the chute dogging event on both days, and younger brother Cade was first in team roping with Wesley Lay of Pueblo. The duo took third place on Sunday.
Im beginning it pretty well. Im happy with what I did, Riley Van Soelen said about the start of his season. It all depends on the steers and the technique. A lot of it is just aggression. Its good to start a season out this way. I just hope and pray the good lord will take me all the way.
Riley wants to make it to the National Junior High Finals Rodeo this year and win it.
For the Ute Mountain middle school girls, Cayce Lockhart of Lewis and Whitney Finley of Cortez had a strong weekend. Lockhart had 10th-place finishes in the pole bending and barrel racing on Saturday, and bettered that on Sunday with sitxth- and ninth-place finishes those events.
This weekend with my horse, there is something wrong with her feet. But we still did pretty good. We still placed, Lockhart said. I was proud of how hard she worked, even though something was hurting.
Finley was 12th both days in pole bending.
The Ute Mountain high school girls got solid performances from Kacey Schurr of Pleasant View, and Savannah Simmons of Cortez. Schurr was 13th, 18th and 21st in barrel racing, goat tying and pole bending on Saturday. On Sunday, she finished seventh, sixth and 20th in each event.
I didnt do as well as I was hoping I would do this weekend, being like the home arena and everything, Schurr said. We got other weekends, and its the first one of the season and theres going to be about eight or so more. Im kind of looking forward to those. Its kind of nice getting your rodeo over with.
Simmons finished ninth and 11th in barrel racing and pole bending Saturday. She took 12th and ninth in each event Sunday.
Being the host team, the Ute Mountain rodeo members have to keep up with maintenance before and after each day. Practices are held on Tuesdays at the fairgrounds with the middle and high school kids practicing together. With weekly practice and the weekend rodeos, it keeps the animals in plenty of shape.
You get to keep your horses legs up. Its not like theyre going to have a couple weeks off to get fat and out of shape, Schurr said.
Members of the Ute Mountain boys high school team include bareback rider Justin White of Cortez; saddle bronc rider Tanner Lockhart of Lewis; ropers Jake Cruzan of Cortez and Rusty Van Soelen of Durango; and bull riders Dax Koskie of Lewis, Trevor Holaday of Cortez and Wyatt Mattausch, of Dolores.
For more information about CSHSRA and CSJHRA scheduling and results, fans can log onto www.cshsra.org.
Reach Bobby Abplanalp at [email protected]
