The 50th annual University of Tennessee at Martin Spring College Rodeo will be held at 7:30 p.m., April 12-14, in the Ned McWherter Agricultural Complex.
UTM’s Spring College Rodeo, which has been named the Ozark Region’s “Rodeo of the Year” for the past 12 consecutive years, will consist of timed events such as barrel racing; steer wrestling; team, tie-down and steer roping; as well as rough stock events such as bareback, saddle bronc and bull riding.
The spring rodeo will be UTM’s third college rodeo of the semester after the team competes next weekend at the University of Arkansas-Monticello. The team competed previously this semester at East Mississippi Community College, where the men’s team earned first place with a combined score of 740 points.
Of the 50 years UTM has hosted the spring college rodeo, John Luthi has been head coach for 21. Luthi said “Our primary goal is to put the rodeo on and try to make it run smoothly.” Luthi’s focus is on good weather and safety for his team. “We want to compete well, have fun and do the best we can with putting the rodeo on,” he said.
The immense preparation for the competition that the team and the rodeo committee have been working on has been underworks since just a week after last year’s event. Luthi says, “People always ask us when we’ll be ready, and I always tell them at 7:30 Thursday night, no sooner.”
The rodeo provides not only support and competition for the 53 orange-vested members of the team—all but two of which will be competing—but also involvement for the whole community. Luthi says one thing that is different about this year’s rodeo is the increase in alumni interest. Local businesses and the UTM Rodeo Booster Club will be putting on special events and giveaways the week of the rodeo, such as the Tennessee Department of Agriculture Crawfish Supper at 5:30 p.m., April 11, at the American Legion in Martin; the Edward Jones Investments Free Barbeque at 11 a.m. and Scholarship Auction at 12:30 p.m., April 14, in downtown Martin Festival Park; and the MTD horseshoe toss riding lawnmower giveaway beginning Thursday night during the rodeo.
Savannah Stanley, a sophomore organismal biology major from Mt. Juliet who competes in girls breakaway roping and barrel racing, said “Martin truly is the best and most popular rodeo in the Ozark Region. The amount of people that attend surmounts the amount that go to the others. You truly see all of the support that this community has for the rodeo team and the impact it has on the community.”
All Thursday night tickets are $6. Friday night adult tickets are $10 ($8 in advance), and Saturday night adult tickets are $12 ($10 in advance). Tickets for children ages 6-12 and for UTM students with valid student IDs are $7 for Friday and Saturday nights ($6 in advance). Children ages five and under get in free each night. Weekend passes, providing admission for all three nights, are also available for $20.
Tickets will be available at the gate, or advanced tickets for Friday’s and Saturday’s events are available now through April 8. To purchase advanced tickets, contact the ticket office at 731-881-7207 or visit one of the following advanced ticket locations: the UTM Boling University Center or Weakley Farmers Co-Op in Martin; A to Z Vet Supply in Dresden; Brawner’s Boots in Greenfield; Wood Communication Cellular Source in Union City; or Verizon Wireless in Fulton, Ky.
Photo Creds: http://www.utmsports.com/fullstory.cfm?id=10311&sport=rodeo
