To see how cowboys and cowgirls compete and hone their skills, the community is invited to Fort Scott Community College from March 8 to 10 to see, among other events, calf roping, barrel racing, and bull riding in the rodeo arena.
The 45th FSCC Spring College Rodeo is this Friday through Sunday.
There are currently about 40 students on FSCC Coach Chad Cross’s rodeo team.
“Our rodeo team is a group of student-athletes who came here to earn scholarships to rodeo just like a baseball or basketball player would,” Cross said. “They travel to 10 rodeos a year to hopefully earn enough points to qualify for the College National Finals Rodeo in June each year. They spend a lot of their own hard-earned money traveling to rodeos, paying fees, and taking care of their own horses to compete at these rodeos.”
“Our rodeo will showcase student-athletes from over 20 schools in our Region (Kansas and Oklahoma) in events like Calf Roping, Barrel Racing, and Bull Riding to name just a few,” Cross said.
The students don’t necessarily come from rural America, but the majority do, Cross said, but they learn skills that will help in life.
“The skills we hope to instill in them include responsibility, hard work, determination, and the ability to be humble, and we hope to mold respectful young adults who can become outstanding members in this community or wherever they choose to land in the future,” Cross said.
The events are Friday, March 8 at 7:30 p.m. then Saturday, March 9 at 1:30 and 7:30 p.m., and the ‘short-go’ at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
Tickets are $12 for adults, $5 for students and children under 5 years old are free.
Tickets are only sold at the door, according to the Facebook page.
