The Golden Spike Arena in Ogden will be the site of the first regional College Rodeo Championship Series to be held May 24-26 with college rodeo athletes representing the Rocky Mountain Region, West Coast Region and Northwest Region of the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association.
This event will serve as the regional championship and as the qualifying rodeo for the national championship.
The top 10 contestants in each event from each of the three regions will arrive in Utah for the chance to secure a spot to compete at the College National Finals Rodeo to be held in Casper, Wyo., in mid-June.
"The best of the best and a true top-10 in each event will be in Ogden for the College Rodeo Championship," said Sarah Neeley, public relations director of the NIRA.
The Ogden regional rodeo will be the final event of the Championship Series. Similar regional rodeo contests were already held in New Mexico, Oklahoma and Montana to determine the national qualifiers from those regions.
The Rocky Mountain Region consists of colleges in Idaho, Utah and Elko, Nevada. The West Coast Region's colleges are located in California and Nevada and the Northwest Region has teams in Oregon, Washington, and Moscow, Idaho.
The college teams competing at this regional event have strong traditions for rodeo team success with their college programs. Some may claim that there is a hint of homecourt advantage for the Rocky Mountain Region and Weber State's team and campus located within 10 miles of the Golden Spike Arena. Weber State claimed the women's national championship in 1996.
Bids were accepted from arenas throughout the region for the opportunity to host the event for the next five years and Golden Spike Arena received the final nod to serve as host. College of Southern Idaho of the Rocky Mountain Region is consistently among the top men's teams in the nation. The West Coast Region is also very strong with top-ranked teams at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo (also a past National Champ), UNLV, and West Hills College. The Northwest region boasts top-ranked rodeo programs at Blue Mountain Community College, as well as Walla Walla Community College.
The competition promises to be fierce. Fans will have the opportunity to see current national champions and possibly a national collegiate champion in the making. Fans will also see some current and future stars of the PRCA during this event. Tickets for the event are available at Smith'sTix or by calling the Golden Spike Arena at 1-800-44-ARENA.