Cowboy Stampede tickets on sale
Wednesday, September 1, 2021
Media Contact: Jami Mattox | Digital Communications Specialist | (405) 744-8061 | jami.mattox@okstate.edu
The Cowboy Stampede will ride into Stillwater on Oct. 7-9 for three action-filled nights at the Payne County Expo Center. The event is hosted by the Oklahoma State University Rodeo Team — led by Coach Cody Hollingsworth — and the Ferguson College of Agriculture.
“We’re excited to host the eighth annual Cowboy Stampede, with fans in the stands, and return to a fall schedule,” Hollingsworth said.
Senior OSU rodeo team member Ethan Griffin will compete in his fourth Cowboy Stampede this year. He said the annual rodeo sets itself apart from other college competitions.
“You can’t really beat the Stampede,” Griffin said. “The facility is really nice, and you have great stock. It feels like you’re at a pro rodeo. It’s the real deal.”
The OSU rodeo team kicks off its competitive season on Sept. 17 at the Colby Community College Rodeo in Colby, Kansas. The team brings back all five members who competed at the College National Finals Rodeo in Casper, Wyoming, this past summer. Those members are: Cheyenne Bartling, in goat tying; Griffin, in team roping; Lariat Larner, in goat tying; Kenna McNeill, in barrel racing and goat tying; and Lexie Russell, in breakaway roping.
“We’ve got a really good group this year,” Hollingsworth said of his team of 52 members. “I’m excited for the students to get back to a normal schedule of having four rodeos in the fall and six in the spring.”
Griffin hopes to capitalize on his fourth-place finish at the CNFR in June to drive him to an even more successful season in 2021-22.
“In the 2021 season, I was confident in my roping, and it ended on a good note,” Griffin said. “My hope is to have a strong men’s team and to compete individually, and also as part of a men’s team, at the CNFR.”
Lily Householder is a freshman applied exercise major from Casa Grande, Arizona. She is also one of the newest members of the OSU rodeo team and plans to compete in goat tying and breakaway roping. She says that she’s excited to be a part of the team.
“I love to rodeo and am really looking forward to competing,” Householder said. “It’s definitely going to be a different experience from high school rodeos. I’m really excited for a new season and a chance to make the College National Finals Rodeo this year.”
Householder’s decision to attend OSU and join the rodeo team was easy, she said.
“I wanted to go somewhere with a team, somewhere that had facilities to keep my horses and organized practice,” she said. “I’m coming from home 16 hours away, and I wanted to have coaches to rely on if I ever needed anything, and team members that I could count on like family.”
Tickets for the Cowboy Stampede are currently on sale online here.
2021-22 OSU Rodeo Schedule
- Colby Community College, Sept. 17-19
- Southeastern Oklahoma State University, Sept. 30 and Oct. 1-2
- Oklahoma State University (Cowboy Stampede), Oct. 7-9
- Northwestern Oklahoma State University, Oct. 28-30
- Kansas State University, Feb. 18-20
- Fort Scott Community College, March 11-13
- Garden City Community College, April 1-3
- Southwestern Oklahoma State University, April 7-9
- Fort Hays State University, April 15-17
- Panhandle State University, April 28-30
The OSU rodeo team is part of the university’s Ferguson College of Agriculture. The team has been a member of the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association since 1948 and competes in the Central Plains Region. For more information, visit rodeo.okstate.edu