The rodeo is back in town and with it comes the snorting, stomping, bucking and more.
Last year marked the eighth year in a row that UTM was selected as the “Rodeo of the Year,” and they look to continue their mark of excellence this year as well. The rodeo will be a three-day event beginning on Thursday, April 10. It will begin each night at 7:30 p.m. and will be held at the McWherter Agricultural Complex.
Schools with teams competing in this event include UTM, Missouri Valley College, Murray State University, West Alabama University, Troy University, Cossatot Community College, University of Arkansas at Monticello, Southern Arkansas University, East Mississippi Community College, Northwest Mississippi Community College and Three Rivers Community College.
The UTM men’s team is currently leading the Ozark Region by nearly 1,300 points and is No. 2 overall in the nation with 5,885 cumulative points, trailing the No. 1 team by only 149 points. The women’s team is currently ranked sixth in the Ozark region with 1,080 points.
“We don’t even look at points, we just try to do the best we can with what we’ve got. Good Lord willing, we’ll do great, but we don’t even look at the points. If you go to dwell on the points, it’s not good. You just have to make the best runs and rides you can. Good Lord willing, the rest will take care of itself,” said UTM Rodeo head coach John Luthi.
UTM also has multiple individuals with high standings in the Ozark Region. Will Lummus, Clark Adcock and Jacob Dagenhart hold second, third and sixth places, respectively for the Men’s All-around.
Tyler Waltz holds the lead in Bareback Riding with 955 points, while Tanner Phipps and James Kitaif hold fifth and sixth place respectively.
In the Bull Riding event, Matthew Smith and Jerry Rogers holds the No. 6 and No. 9 positions. Lummus holds the No. 2 position in Tie Down Roping, Benjamin Walker holds No. 4, Adcock holds the No. 6 position, Lane Mitchell and John Alley are tired for No. 13 and Dagenhart holds the No. 15 position.
In the Steer Wrestling event, UTM holds four of the top 15 places. Lummus holds the No. 2 position, Dagenhart is currently in No. 9, Austin Duckett holds No. 14 and Clayton Mitchell is in the No. 15 spot.
In the Team Roping Header event, UTM also has four contestants hold top 10 positions. John Alley is in the No. 3 position, Dagenhart is in No. 5, Clayton Mitchell is in the No. 8 and Tucker Kail is holding the No. 10 position.
UTM has three contestants holding top 10 positions in the Team Roping Healer event. Adcock is holding the No. 3 position, Lane Mitchell holds the No. 7 position and Lummus holds No. 10.
The women’s team also has several members ranking in their events as well. Kamala Dalton, Kayla Baier, Katlyn Brown and Mary Francis Gorsuch are ranked at No. 3, No. 5, No. 6 and No. 15, respectively in the Barrel Racing event.
In the Breakaway Roping event, Savannah Warner is ranked at No. 11, Baier is tied for the No. 12 position and Lucinda Fletcher is in the No. 14 position.
In the Goat Tying event, Micayla Gray is tied for the No. 15 position.
Each year, the rodeo has broken its own attendance record, and they hope for a record year this year as well.
“We just do the best we can, and hope that it turns out,” Luthi said.
Prior to Thursday and Friday nights’ performances, the Weakley County 4-H Mounted Drill Team will perform the opening ceremony.
Thursday night’s event will be sponsored by Tyson, Obion County Complex, and Tennessee Tractor will sponsor Friday’s performance. Friday evening will also be the “Tough Enough to Wear Pink” night; contestants will be wearing pink. The audience is also encouraged to wear pink that evening and show their support for breast cancer awareness.
Saturday will conclude the weekend competition with the finals rounds. The top 10 contestants from each event will compete for the championship spurs, which were custom built and designed by Dutton Bits & Spurs.
Tickets to the event can be purchased at the door for $7 for UTM students and anyone ages 6-18 and for $10 for adults.
Feature photo credit: Trevor Ruszkowski
