High school rodeo growing in Manitoba

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This article was published 16/06/2024 (321 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Dawson Trail Park in Richer was jammed with activity this weekend, as the Manitoba High School Rodeo Association brought their finals to town.

Athletes from across the province, and even some from Saskatchewan, made the trip to try and qualify for nationals, which will be hosted in Manitoba this year.

Alistair Hagan is the outgoing vice-president of the association. He said high school rodeo is in a healthy place right now, with rising membership.

“It gets better every year and we get better kids and lots of great parents helping,” Hagan said.

“Everything gets better every rodeo.”

Hagan added the key to running a successful organization is a good stock contractor, strong local host communities and a good volunteer base.

“The main thing is, you need volunteers, but you need people to care,” he said, noting it’s pretty easy to find rodeo volunteers.

“If people care, they’ll do a good job… It’s a sport everyone wants to see grow and keep going, so everybody volunteers to do it and put their best foot forward.”

The finals in Richer wraps up the Manitoba high school rodeo season. High school nationals will in Brandon this year, after the province did a successful job hosting last year.