Jackrabbit Stampede begins April 4
BROOKINGS – The South Dakota State University Jackrabbit Stampede begins April 4, 2013 at 1 p.m. with an “Exceptional Rodeo” put on by the rodeo club for the Brookings area youth with special needs in the Swiftel Center.
It will be followed by a press hour for anyone that would like to interview the team members or coach about the season.
Buckles and Bling
The Buckles and Bling SDSU Rodeo fundraiser is also held April 4 from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. It begins with a social hour, followed by a 7 p.m. meal, with live auction and silent auction to follow. A dance begins at 9 p.m.
Tickets are on sale for $30 in advance through March 29th and $35 up to the night of the event. Reservations and donations can be made at iGrow. All proceeds will help fund the rodeo program team travel and practice expenses.
The Jackrabbit Stampede will start April 5 at 7 p.m. An April 6 afternoon performance at 1 p.m., and the Top 10 short go will begin April 6 night at 7 p.m. The April 6 night performance will again be live on SDPBTV 1 and webcast for those that are out of the area and would still like to enjoy watching the Jackrabbit Stampede and the SDSU Rodeo Team.
Rodeo Team Update
The SDSU Men’s team is currently ranked third nationally behind the University of Tennessee-Martin and Montana State University.
They are also leading the Great Plains Region. The women’s team was ranked in the top 20 nationally going into the winter break and is currently ranked second in the Great Plains region.
The top two ranked men’s and women’s teams and the top three in each event at the end of the year automatically qualify for the College National Finals Rodeo. SDSU has sent 33 CNFR qualifiers in the past three years and has had team members place very high each year at the finals.
After the Jackrabbit Stampede the SDSU Rodeo team will travel more than 3,200 miles over the next four weekends to compete at rodeos held at Black Hills State University, April 13-14; University of Nebraska-Lincoln, April 18-21; University of Hastings, April 26-27; and Dickinson State University May 3-4. The College National Finals will be held in Casper, Wyo., June 9-15.
“The team begins daily practices in the arena at the Swiftel Center immediately after spring break, said Ron Skovly, SDSU Rodeo Program Coach. “The men’s team has a good lead right now and needs to finish the spring strong to take home their third regional title in a row. The women’s team has tough competition for the top two spots and is still well within range of first place if they can take care of business for the last 6 rodeos of the spring. We are also excited for another great class of recruits coming in this fall.”
To learn more about how you can support the SDSU Rodeo Team, contact Skovly at 605-690-1359.