CSC rodeo is this weekend

Last year’s CSC rodeo drew 560 entries, but there could be more this year. There were 610 at Riverton.

The main performances will be at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, but because of the large number of contestants many of them will compete during slack sessions starting at 1 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. Saturday.

After everyone has completed what makes up the first go-round, the 10 entries with the best times or scores from each of the rodeo’s nine events will compete in the finals at 10 a.m. Sunday.  “Cowboy church,” open to the public, will take place in the fairgrounds grandstand starting at 8 a.m.

Last year’s home rodeo was one of the best for the Chadron State team.  The men won the team title by scoring a whopping 650 points, Jeff Cover won the saddle bronc riding and was the all-around cowboy, Wyatt Clark was the bareback winner and Shaylee Hance won the goat tying.

Last weekend as the 2015-16 season in the Central Rocky Mountain Region began, the CSC men were the runners-up in the team standings, one of the team member, Nate McFadden, won the bareback riding and a CSC cowgirl, Shelby Winchell, won the goat tying.

More than 40 CSC student-athletes are entered in this’s home rodeo.

Also on tap this weekend is a reunion of former CSC rodeo contestants.  It is being arranged by Dick and Roberta Lesher of Chadron and the CSC Alumni Association.  Highlights will include a tour of the new Coffee Agriculture Pavilion that the CSC team members are using to practice in and a get-together at the Events Center at the fairgrounds beginning at 5 o’clock prior to the Saturday evening rodeo performance.

—Con Marshall