Junior Rodeo in need of superintendents

Alexis Barker
NLJ News Editor
 
Currently there are absolutely no candidates for superintendent of the Weston County Junior Rodeo for the 2020 Weston County Fair, and this is a big issue, according to Weston County Junior Rodeo Committee Chairman John Riesland. 
“We need this person, not only now but we will need people down the road,” Riesland said. 
According to Riesland, the interest is there but most of the interested parties have young children involved in the rodeo and their time is spent helping them. 
“It is hard to do that and run a rodeo. It’s a tough thing. It is easier for someone who doesn’t have a participating young child or their children are older and don’t need as much help,” Riesland said. “It doesn’t have to be just one person either. It can be a group of people.” 
Superintendents have been around since as far back as Riesland can recall, and nearly every event at the Weston County Fair has a superintendent that is charged with running the event or exhibit. 
“Their responsibility, as far as the junior rodeo goes, is to basically put on the rodeo. They need to send out letters, collect prizes, handle the money, make sure the stock is there and also the help,” Riesland said. “I am simplifying it somewhat.” 
He noted that the superintendent doesn’t run the whole show on their own though. 
“We have the junior rodeo committee and we are a resource for the superintendent. We have committee members that help in several areas to ensure that things are there and taken care of and other people volunteer with that as well,” Riesland said. “The superintendent is kind of the head person and they can delegate the work however they like. We are flexible as a committee.” 
He added that the superintendent acts as the main, go-to person for the rodeo, and then the committee is there to back them up or deal with any disputes or disagreements that are not handled at the rodeo by the judges. 
The perfect candidate, Riesland said, would be someone or a group of people that have at least a bit of knowledge about rodeos. 
“I wouldn’t say they need to be professionals, but knowledge is a good thing. They have to be willing to also go out and get those donations, be willing to look at suppliers for prizes and be conservative with the finances,” Riesland said, noting that even more important, this person has to be willing and able to ask for help when they need it, because it is there. 
The Weston County Junior Rodeo Committee meets on Jan. 6 at 6:30 p.m. at the Weston County Fairgrounds. Riesland said that anyone who is interested in filling the position of superintendent is encouraged to attend the meeting or contact him directly.