courtesy of Sharon Adams
Casper, Wyoming in June means The College National Finals Rodeo and you need to be there! You will see a fast moving, well produced rodeo, some of the roughest stock and most talented contestants anywhere and get to meet the rodeo stars of the future. And you are invited to come to a reunion and meet some former college athletes. So come to the Parkway Plaza on Friday, June 17 and Saturday, June 18 to the Twenty-Fifth Reunion of the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association Alumni.
Come to the Reunion and meet contestants from every decade of college rodeo. One cowboy you will want to meet is Tommy Kuiper from Story, Wyoming. He returned from serving in the Navy during World War II to attend college at Colorado A&M. He competed at the First Finals in 1949 at the Cow Palace in San Francisco. That was 67 years ago!
This year we are expecting contestants from 1956, 1966, 1976, 1986, and 1996. Drop in around 9:30 for coffee and get acquainted. We will hear some stories about what college rodeo was like “back in the day.”
The mission of the NIRA Alumni is to keep the tradition of college rodeo alive and thriving and we want to have a good time while we’re at it! Come join us.
The college rodeo alumni like to honor past achievements but we have an eye on the future of the sport, too. Each year, the alumni give scholarships for continuing education to event rookies and the fourth place teams. Do you have a favorite rodeo event? You can donate toward scholarships for that event. It is easy. Just send a check to the NIRAA treasurer at NIRAA, 32300 E. Frontage Road, Bozeman, MT 59715.
There is plenty to do in Casper during the college finals: Visit the vendors on the concourse at the Casper Events Center, shop for all the things you need and some you did not know you needed at Lou Taubert Ranch Outfitters, go to the CNFR Committee’s Fashion Show and Auction at the Parkway Plaza to see all the latest fashions from Cinch Jeans and have good time bidding for items from the different college rodeo regions, take the kids to Ft. Caspar and the Historic Trails Center, enjoy the walk along the Platte.
The Alumni have been honoring past college rodeo athletes and handing out scholarships to current athletes for twenty-five years and the NIRA has been putting on a Finals rodeo for sixty-six years so they know how to do it right! Did you know that many of the folks at the rodeo you see working the gates, handling the livestock, raking the arena, keeping the performance running smoothly and on time are the coaches, teachers and professors of college rodeo? And don’t forget the Casper volunteers! Many people are working hard to make sure you have good time when you come to the College Finals!
