Three rodeo's, an invitational calf roping and a dance with presentations and the slack starting this morning at 9 am. Don't expect too many posts till Sunday evening.

Aggies hosting rodeo

SUN-NEWS REPORT
Apr 26, 2006, 05:37 am

After a 50-year absence, the Aggie rodeo team will get to host a regional competition right on the campus of New Mexico State University this weekend.

The NMSU rodeo team, one of the best in the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association, has invited seven other colleges and universities from New Mexico and Arizona to compete at the season's last Grand Canyon Region competition.

The two-day event will feature about 140 participants from NMSU, Cochise College, Central Arizona College, Crown Point Institute of Technology, Dine's College, New Mexico Highlands University and the University of Arizona.

The teams will compete in bull riding, bareback riding, tie-down roping and much more.

Currently, the NMSU women's and men's rodeo teams are in first and second place respectively in the region.

NMSU student athletes also lead in many of the rodeo events, including saddle bronc riding, bareback riding and others, according to the team's coach, Jim Dewey Brown.

NMSU hosts the event every year at the county fairgrounds, but this year will be different.

"We want to bring the rodeo to the campus and to the students so they can support us," said Brown. "We're putting the match on campus to get back to our rodeo roots."

The rodeo team has also invited Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association's Clown of the Year, Leon Coffee, who will entertain and amuse spectators with jokes and tricks, said Brown.

Former team members from the Aggie Rodeo Society, an affiliate of the NMSU Alumni Association, will also host an "Aggie Brawl" rodeo dance on Saturday night. Proceeds from the dance will benefit the rodeo team.

Rodeo alumni will also participate in some of Sunday's events.