courtesy of Merrill Ellis
The National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association (NIRA) Alumni rode into Casper, Wyoming for the College National Finals Rodeo June 18 with $8,000 in award funds. NIRA rookie competitors were the recipients and left town with the scholarship bounty.
Freshman, Marcus Theriot of Eastern Mississippi Community College dominated the men’s rookie honors collecting a fistful of scholarships. He claimed four of the NIRA Alumni rookie awards. Theriot was the NIRA Alumni Male Rookie of the Year, Calf Roping Rookie, Steer Wrestling Rookie and Team Roping Header Rookie.
Fresno State freshman, Brittany Dias collected the NIRA Alumni Female Rookie of the Year and the Rookie Breakaway Roping scholarship.
Other NIRA Alumni Rookie Scholarships were awarded to the following collegiate athletes: Jessica Dunbar, Texas A&M University-Barrel Race, Trisha Coffield, North Eastern Community College-Goat Tying, Tucker Dale, Dickinson State University-Team Roping Heeler, Tyler Lewis, Southern Arkansas University-Bull Riding, Zack Hibler, Western Texas College -Bareback Riding, and Blaise Freeman, Western Texas College-Saddle Bronc Riding.
Butch Brasky, NIRA Alumni president, presented the NIRA Alumni Fourth Place Team Scholarships to Weatherford College in Weatherford, Texas who claimed the men’s team and Chadron State College in Chadron, Nebraska was awarded the women’s team.
Beginning in 2015, the NIRA Alumni started providing scholarships to the top male and female NIRA rookies, each individual rookie of the year in the ten NIRA rodeo events and the fourth place team finishers in the men and women’s team competition.
The following NIRA Alumni contributed the $8,000 in scholarships that were presented to NIRA students: Ken and Sharon Adams, John Birnie, Bitch and Shannon Bratsky, Cowboy Hardware-Larry Burgess, Charles Chambers, Richard Claycomb, Buz and Judy Cowdry, Jay and Merrill Ellis, John Fincher, Mary Fuller, Debbie Garrison, Grant Gomez-Cowboy Hardware, J.A. Hammonds, Evelyn Kingsberry, The Kingsberry Family, Ned Londo, The Pat Miller Family, James Moore, Del Nose, Boyd Polhamus, Don Reichert, Daniel Rogers, Harlan and Donna Schott, Jud Shows, Betty Sims-Salt, Fred and Clara Wilson and John Woodward.
According to Bratsky, giving to the NIRA Alumni Scholarship fund is simple: Just write a check out to NIRA Alumni, Inc.-designate your desired rodeo event and send it to: Buz Cowdrey Treasurer, NIRAA, Inc., 32300 E. Frontage Road Bozeman, MT 59715. The NIRA Alumni is a 501(c) non-profit organization.
