Arcola will be the home to some bare back riding, tie down roping, saddle bronc riding, steer wrestling, team roping, barrel racing fun on May 14 and 15. After a one year hiatus, the Arcola Fair and Stampede committee is back-in-the-saddle and hosting the Arcola High School Rodeo. About 116 Saskatchewan high school students from throughout the Province are expected to take part in the event running all-day Saturday and Sunday.
Saskatchewan High School Rodeo Association, established in 1991, is a non-profit organization. Arcola is affiliated with the national organization and will be hosting one of about 20 rodeos held this school year. Contestants travel as far north as Saskatoon and as far south as Big Beaver for spring and fall rodeos.
Contestants from all over Saskatchewan compete for the prizes and points that earn them a position on the Provincial Rodeo Team. The top six contestants from Saskatchewan qualify for the Canadian High School and Junior High School Finals in August. The top four from each Province qualify for the National High School and National Junior High School Finals that are held in the United States every July.
Competitors also compete for educational scholarships. Last year, $750,000 was disbursed nationally, with $18,000 of that given out to members at the provincial level.
Two divisions exist for rodeo contestants. The Wrangler Division is for students in grade six to nine. Participants in this division will compete in chute dogging, tie down, goats, junior steers, ribbon roping, team roping, barrel racing, break away roping and poles. The high school division, for students in grades nine to 12, includes steer wrestling, saddle bronc, bare back, bull riding, team roping, barrel racing, break away roping, poles and goats.
High school rodeo members must be a full-time student and maintain a passing grade, as well as a positive attitude in school, to be eligible to compete. Their teachers, as well as their parents, must sign contestant's entry forms before they are allowed to complete at each individual rodeo.
Lisa Eaton, one of the event organizers and a mother to a competing cowgirl, likes the fact that her daughter has to perform well in school to be eligible. "The fact that it's not the parents that really decided whether the kids can go or not is a good thing. The teachers have to approve and the principal has to approve. The kids have to be doing well in school. It is really a neat group, because they will help each other out. You could walk by a trailer and there could be a bunch of kids all doing their homework."
The rodeo starts on Saturday at 10 a.m. with the Grand Entry Wrangler division, followed by the High School Division at 1 p.m.. Sunday will start with a pancake breakfast in the hall from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m.. A Cowboy Church Service will be held at the hall at 7 a.m. with the high school rodeo division starting up again at 12 p.m.. Gate admission is $5 and food is available on the grounds.
Contestants from around the area include Cass Eaton from Arcola, Connor Sylvester from Redvers, Tyler Dreger from Kronau, Cody Floyd from Kipling, Bailey Stratulat from Glenavon, Celina Cummins from Kennedy, Callie Barbour from Estevan, Steven Loffler from Glenavon, Sammie Joey from Estevan and Hailie Williams from Glenavon.
The committee is still looking for volunteers for various parts of the rodeo. Anyone who is interested can contact Lisa Eaton at 577-7106.
