Rodeo Team Earns Own Funds to Compete

Staff Writer

Photo by Michael Thomas

Practice Makes Perfect - Cody Harrington practices for the rodeo coming up Friday, April 28 in Monticello. Many rodeo team members practice daily.

   Many sanctioned team sports receive enough funding to keep their players from coming out-of-pocket to pay for the sports they participate in. However, the University of Arkansas-Monticello Rodeo Team does not fall into that category.

Out of Pocket

   The participants pay for their expenses and receive minimum assistance from the university. They must pay an entry fee to compete and must drive or car-pool to the scheduled event.  Yet, they still manage to have the most success thus far, better than any sanctioned sports team on campus.

The breakdown for the members of the team:

•    Diesel fuel for a 20-gallon truck costs approximately $85.
•    Feed for animals costs approximately $500 per season.
•    Entry fees cost $65 for the first event and $45 for each additional event.
•    Hotels cost approximately $45 a night.
•    Food costs approximately $10 per day.

True Love of the Sport

   The team’s scheduled practice takes place Monday through Thursday, but almost every member of the team practices every day.

   Rodeo team coach JoLyn Wells said, “The members of the team are self-motivated."  She added that they require little encouragement to keep going.

   Players, such as sophomore Stephanie Zakrzewski of Vilonia, fell in love with the sport at an early age.

   “I started roping and tying when I was five,” Zakrzewski said. “It is great getting out there doing your best for the sport you love.”

  Members are offered partial scholarships and the majority of them have academic scholarships to help them over that extra financial hump.

   “You have to whole heartedly do it (rodeo),” Wells said. “Because we practice and play in the mud and the rain.”

   That statement fits perfectly into their team motto: “Don’t practice 'til you get it right, practice 'til you can’t get it wrong.”

And the Sport Shall Love You Back

   The women’s rodeo team currently holds first place in the Ozark region, while the men’s team battles it out for the third spot.

   First-year student Cody Harrington of Sheridan said, “We will get our money back if we win, that is the incentive that drives us.”

   Harrington holds the third spot in the region for the men’s division in bull riding and won a high of $500 in the event this year.

   The payoff is a great incentive, but those who don’t win reap the financial and mental frustration.

   “It hurts when you mess up, because you’ve messed up your diesel money, your entry fee money, and you think 'Man, this sucks,'” Zakrzewski said. “And then you call your parents and say, 'Hey, I need some more money.'”

The Ultimate Cost

   Paying for an event ... $65.

   Filling up a diesel truck ... $85.

   Finishing No. 1 playing the sport you love ... Priceless.

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