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The rodeo will be a huge one again.  It’s the first of the season in the Central Rocky Mountain Region and the contestants want to get off to a fast start. Last year’s CSC rodeo had 647 entries, up 50 from the year before. This year’s performances will be Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m., followed by the championship go-round at 10 o’clock Sunday morning.

With so many entries, huge slack sessions, primarily in the timed events, also will take place.  They will begin at 1 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. Saturday.

Chadron State coach Dustin Luper has 15 women and 25 men on this year’s roster. Many of them also competed last year, when the CSC men won their first regional championship by scoring 4,460 points, nearly 1,000 more than the runner-up team.  

The CSC women finished fourth among the dozen teams in the region a year ago.

Some of last year’s leaders have completed their eligibility.  Among them is Shelby Winchell of Scottsbluff, who wrapped up her career by winning the national goat tying championship after previously finishing third and tying for second in the event.

The Chadron State men’s team will be without Clayton Van Aken, who won the regional tie down roping title and also qualified for the College National Finals Rodeo as a team roping header. Nate McFadden, who was second in the regional bareback standings, and steer wrestler Colby Anders who was on the team that represented CSC at the finals rodeo, also have expended their eligibility.

But Luper, last year’s regional coach of the year, is excited about this year’s potential, particularly in the men’s competition, again.

Three members of last year’s national finals team are back. They are bareback rider Justin Kissack of Gillette, Wyoming, tie down roper Prestyn Novak of Newell, South Dakota, and bull rider Dakota Rice of Kellogg, Idaho.

Other veterans, all of them place winners at rodeos last year, on the men’s roster include Sam Bolden of Oglala, S.D.; Chasen Cole of Hermosa, S.D.; Lane Day of Bartlett, Neb.; brothers Colin and Devin Dibbern of Riverdale, S.D.; Lathan Lauing of Hot Springs, S.D.; Cordell Martin of Panhandle, Texas, and Jed Rice of Kellogg, Idaho.  

Among the team’s additions is Ethan Lesiak of Clarks, Nebraska, who qualified for the CNFR in bull riding while attending Mid-Plains College in North Platte last year where CSC graduate Dustin Elliott is the rough stock coach.

Luper thinks bull riding could be one of his team’s strongest events this year. There are eight bull riders on the roster. 

The most successful returning member of the women’s team is Brandi Cwach of Geddes, South Dakota, who finished sixth in the region in goat tying in 2015-16.  Seniors Elsie Fortune of Interior, S.D., and Jordan Tierney of Oral, South Dakota, also reached the finals in breakaway roping at several rodeos last year.  

Ten of this year’s female team members plan to run the barrels.

“We’ve got a lot of proven performers and quite a few freshmen (10) who have been successful high school contestants and are eager to try their luck in college rodeo,” Luper said.  “It’s a big step up, just like it is in other sports, but if they keep working, a lot of them will do well, I’m sure.”

The rodeo announcer will be Kade Rogge, a native of Idaho. Garrett Kissack, brother of CSC bronc rider Justin Kissack, and Shilo Whitler of Colorado will be the bullfighters. Spud Creek Rodeo of Interior, South Dakota, will furnish the rough stock and Gumb Land and Livestock of Burwell will supply the cattle for timed events.

General admission will be $5 per performance. Youth 12 and under will be admitted free. There is no charge for CSC students and employees. 

A cowboy church service at 8 a.m. in the Dawes County Fair Grandstand will precede the finals on Sunday.