OSU Rodeo Team kicks off spring season
Tuesday, March 9, 2021
The Oklahoma State University Rodeo Team has been hard at work preparing for this spring’s competitive season that kicked off last week. As fall rodeos moved to the spring, the team has been utilizing the extra time in between seasons to focus on academics and improving their skills in the arena.
With nine competitive rodeos this spring, team members are prepared to be busy as they travel across the Central Plains Region to compete, all while enrolled as full-time students. Academics remain a cornerstone of the OSU Rodeo program, and students on the team place a high priority on keeping up with their coursework amidst the competitive season.
“To prepare for the busyness of the upcoming rodeo season, I have been doing my best to get ahead on some of my schoolwork, which is a big priority for me,” OSU Rodeo Team president Cheyenne Bartling said.
To ensure schoolwork and grades are the team’s top priority, OSU Rodeo Team head coach Cody Hollingsworth has made some changes to the practice schedule by shortening practice times and making things run much more efficiently.
“We will only have about three full days on campus each week,” Hollingsworth said. “Students will need to handle all their academics, as well as prepare for the next rodeo. I want to make sure they have as much time for academics as they need and at the same time get quality runs in at practice to be ready physically as well.”
With all the upcoming rodeos happening back-to-back, having a tough mental game and being able to bounce back quickly is extremely important.
“I think mental toughness will be a very important key to success during this busy time of rodeos,” Bartling said. “The team is thankful to have our mental mindset coach, Katie Hollingsworth, with us at every practice to help us master mental toughness techniques that will help us be successful this spring.”
Bartling said her advice to her teammates is to stay positive and enjoy the ride. With a disciplined work ethic and strong mental game, the OSU Rodeo Team can be unstoppable, she said.
“I believe approaching this spring with a positive, competitive mindset will be key to handling any and all challenges we will face,” Hollingsworth said. “I believe that if we look for the positives, it will be a fun and successful season.”
In addition to traveling across the Central Plains Region for rodeos, the OSU Rodeo Team is also looking forward to hosting the Cowboy Stampede April 1-3 at the Payne County Expo Center. The Cowboy Stampede will be a competitor-only event this season, and the team is planning to livestream all three days of competition on Facebook so family, friends and fans of OSU Rodeo can still enjoy the Cowboy Stampede.
2021 Spring College Rodeo Schedule
- Northwestern Oklahoma State University, March 2-3
- Fort Scott Community College, March 12-14
- Southeastern Oklahoma State University, March 18-20
- Garden City Community College, March 26-28
- Oklahoma State University, April 1-3
- Southwestern Oklahoma State University, April 8-10
- Fort Hays State University, April 16-18
- Oklahoma Panhandle State University, April 22-24
- Colby Community College, April 30- May 2
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.
MEDIA CONTACT: Samantha Siler, Tieren Gates | Agricultural Communications Services | 405-744-2977 | samantha.siler@okstate.edu