NHS rodeo club goes to state finals

 
Alexis Barker
NLJ News Editor
 
The Wyoming State Rodeo finals kicked off June 3 in Gillette at the CAM-PLEX, and according to Newcastle Rodeo Club adviser Stacey Jones, Newcastle was to be well represented. 
Jones said that local club members Davin Tysdal, Kacy Jones and Rachel Sweet were to represent Newcastle at the event, along with cowboys Jake and Cooper Deveraux, who are not members of the local club. 
“Tysdal will be competing in the team roping and calf roping, Kacy Jones will compete in the bull riding, and Rachel Sweet will compete in pole bending and barrel racing events,” Jones said. 
Jones and Marissa Sweet are in their first year as co-advisers of the rodeo club, after Emily Hartinger bowed out earlier this year. 
According to the duo, the main purpose of the club is to organize the local high school rodeo event. The club follows rules set by the Wyoming High School Rodeo Association, and they travel to rodeo events across the state to compete during the rodeo season. 
“We go with the kids to events, get sponsors, have an auction and dinner and raise money to put on the local rodeo and buy prizes,” Sweet said. “We do it because our own kids compete, and the club helps to make the local event run smoothly.” 
Both women said that rodeo has always been a part of their lives and Jones recalls competing as a child. 
“It takes a whole lot of the community to put on the local rodeo and make it run smoothly,” Jones said. “It is like any club. We get together for a common purpose.” 
Anyone is invited to be a part of the club in this community with its strong rodeo background, Jones said. 
At least $20,000 is needed to put on the local event, she said, and the cost includes prize monies, getting the livestock and other associated expenses. 
The event, according to Jones, brings hundreds of people to the community. Well over 200 contestants competed during the Newcastle High School rodeo in May, Jones said. The event has a positive impact on the local economy and really is a community event, she said. 
Rodeo to Jones not only teaches those who participate aspects of competition but also gives them a real lesson in responsibility. Participants need to be in good physical health and also make sure the horses and livestock they use are too. 
“There is a lot of responsibility associated with rodeo. It is a competitive sport, and you won’t do well if you don’t put in the time and work, similar to other sports,” Jones said. 
Sweet added that the club members are also responsible for helping make sure the local rodeo runs smoothly and raising money to help fund it. 
“The club is only responsible for the local rodeo, and the kids help as far as setting up and being an active functioning board to make decisions,” Sweet said.
Rodeo club officers are Tysdal, president; Sara Sweet, vice president; Jones, treasurer; and Rachel Sweet, secretary. 
“They actually run the club; we are just the advisers,” Sweet said. “We oversee and make sure that everything is done in preparation for the local event.”
She added that if it were not for the local volunteers and community members that volunteer their time and efforts at the event, it would not run smoothly. 
“It is a huge group effort, bringing people from all over the area to Newcastle,” Sweet said. “It really takes more than just the club to put it on, and it has been that way for the 25 years the community has had the club. 
Rodeo fans can watch Newcastle’s competitors beginning at 8:30 a.m. Thursday at the CAM-PLEX in Gillette, where Rachel Sweet will be the first to represent Newcastle in the barrel race event that morning. 
Events will continue all weekend. A tentative schedule can be found on the CAM-PLEX website or on the Wyoming High School Rodeo Association website. 
Ticket prices are $15 for a day pass, including morning and evening performances; $10 for finals on Saturday only; and $25 for an all-performance wristband.