The Three Rivers College Championship College Rodeo, presented by Farm Credit Southeast Missouri, will be held October 13-15. The event, co-hosted by the Sikeston Jaycees, will be held at the Art Saunders Arena at the Sikeston Jaycee Bootheel Rodeo grounds.
The rodeo will begin at 7 p.m. October 13 and 14, and 3 p.m. October 15. Tickets will be $10 for adults, $5 for children ages 4-12, and free for ages 3 and younger. Three Rivers students and employees will be admitted for $5 by showing their TRC ID. Gates will open one hour before the start time. Tickets can be purchased online at raidersathletics.ticketleap.com/three-rivers-college-rodeo.
Three Rivers College is coming off its best season ever. Casey Roberts won the Bull Riding National Championship at the College National Finals Rodeo in June, and teammate Cole Skender finished third. Kolby Krieger also finished 30th in tie-down roping. Between those three Raiders, Three Rivers finished fifth in the country out of 49 teams.
“We went out there with three guys,” Three Rivers Rodeo coach Chad Phipps said. “Out of the 150 teams competing, we managed to finish fifth in the nation and I think that’s a major accomplishment.”
The event is National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association-sanctioned and will feature top competitors from 15 college rodeo teams in the Association’s Ozark Region. Participating colleges include Central Methodist University, East Mississippi Community College, Erskine College, Michigan State University, Mississippi State University, Missouri Valley College, Murray State University, Northwest Mississippi Community College, Pearl River Community College, Southern Arkansas University, University of Arkansas-Monticello, University of Kentucky, University of West Alabama, and the University of Tennessee at Martin, as well as Three Rivers College. The teams will be competing for top honors at the rodeo, regional ranking, and points to qualify for the College National Finals Rodeo in June 2023.
“We are thrilled to bring college rodeo to Sikeston again this year,” Phipps said. “Sikeston has a lot of rodeo fans, and we are excited to work with the Jaycees to host yet another fun and exciting rodeo event in the area. This rodeo will allow our students to show off their skills ats home while bringing in other competitors from around the country.”
The rodeo will include bull riding, bareback bronc riding, barrel racing, saddle bronc riding, steer wrestling, goat tying, and various roping competitions.
At each performance, there will be a free calf scramble for kids ages 5-12 sponsored by Montgomery Bank. On Saturday, October 15, from 2 to 6 p.m., Phillips Exotics Petting Zoo sponsored by GoSEMO Fiber will be available for little cowboys and cowgirls to enjoy.
Cowboy Kenny Steel Rodeo returns this year to thrill attendees with a daring dirt bike show to close each night. This specialty act features an 11-time X games champion, who is one of the most successful dirt bike riders in Freestyle Motocross.
“The rodeo will pull in around 300 competitors in addition to their coaches, families, and spectators of the sport,” Phipps said.
In conjunction with the College Rodeo, there will be a Slack competition following the rodeo on October 13 and again at 9 a.m. October 14. This will be free.
Food and refreshments will be available for purchase at the event.
Championship College Rodeo tickets are on sale at the Poplar Bluff Area Chamber of Commerce, Sikeston Regional Chamber of Commerce, and Three Rivers College’s Office of Student Accounts in Poplar Bluff. On October 13-15, they will be available beginning at 6 p.m. on Thursday and Friday and 2 p.m. on Saturday, at the Sikeston Jaycee Bootheel Rodeo grounds, 1308 N. Ingram Road in Sikeston.
For more information on the Championship College Rodeo and on sponsorship opportunities, contact Chad Phipps at 573-840-9698 or cphipps@trcc.edu.
