They sweat. They snort. They weigh 1,000, 1,200 pounds. They have horns and cloven hooves, and they’re coming to Mississippi State. It’s not an otherworldly invasion, it’s the 2004 Bulldog Stampede Rodeo.
Sponsored by the Block and Bridle Club and the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association, the event will be held Feb. 5, 6 and 7 at the Mississippi Horse Park. Performances begin at 7:30 p.m.
“When I first came to school here, I didn’t even know that MSU had a rodeo team,” said rodeo director Daniel Shaffer.
Shaffer said he knows many other students are unaware of the collegiate sport that involves over 3,500 student members annually and 137 member schools and universities over the nation.
“We would really like to get a lot of students to come out because we always put on a good show,” Shaffer said.
Shafer said Mississippi State has one of the largest rodeo communities in the Southeastern Conference.
Schools from as far north as Michigan and as far south as Florida will compete for a chance to advance to national finals in Casper, Wyo.
Last year’s attendance reached 3,500. Jake Key, Block and Bridle pledge marshal, said he expects this year’s event to be even bigger. Key said the rodeo will bring together agricultural communities across Starkville and other counties, helping to put the Block and Bridle name out there and the university on the rodeo circuit map.
“To someone not of an agricultural background, a rodeo is a very entertaining experience, from the rodeo clowns, high intensity of the bull riding, to roping and bare-back riding,” Key said.
This year, the 6-member MSU Rodeo Team will face nationally recognized schools such as the University of Tennessee at Martin, Missouri Valley College and the University of West Alabama.
Assistant Rodeo Chairman Elliot Fancher, who has calf-roped since he was 9, said, “Rodeo makes a statement because it takes a lot to get to the collegiate level.”
Fancher first became involved with the rodeo through the help of a family friend and by being a member of the Professional Cowboy Association.
“The people you will see at this year’s rodeo are professionals in the making,” Fancher said. “These kids have worked hard and it’s amazing to see these skills of humans that go beyond basketball, football and baseball.”
Ticket prices are $8 for adults, $6 for children and free for children under 6. Students receive a 50-percent discount on admission with a student ID.
For more information on the 2004 Bulldog Stampede Rodeo, contact Daniel Shaffer at 338-5279.