Thursday, April 7
Bozeman, MT
7 pm (public performance)
Montana State University
vs
MSU Spring Rodeo #1
Bobcats Open Spring Season Hosting Annual Spring Rodeo Thursday Through Saturday
4/12/2023 9:44:00 AM | Men's Rodeo, Women's Rodeo
Big Sky Region begins sprint to the finish
BOZEMAN, Montana – Montana State's second-year head rodeo coach Kyle Whitaker is as anxious to see how his team comes out of the winter as any of the program's ardent fans.
And for good reason.
"We practiced more this winter than I'm sure they ever have, because they never had winter practices before," Whitaker said. "Last year we paid to practice two days a week (at the Stock Family Practice Arena), and this year we practiced all through the winter. It's been good. They've been able to avoid getting rusty during the winter, whereas before they've had to shelf the rodeo career for a few months."
The perennial Big Sky Region power and National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association championship contender begins the season's second half at the MSU Spring Rodeo this weekend in unfamiliar position. The Bobcat men stand second after the fall season's five rodeos, trailing UM Western 2,553 points to 2,347. MSU tops the women's regional standings with 1,897.5 points, ahead of second place MSU Northern (1,239.0).
The Big Sky Region opens its five-rodeo sprint to the finish line in Bozeman with two rodeos this weekend, with the first rodeo on Thursday and Friday and the second Saturday and Sunday. Performances begin the first three nights at 7 pm, with Championship Sunday beginning at 2 pm.
Whitaker said he hopes to see the months of winter work in the practice arena and the weight room pay off starting on Thursday. "They've been working out all winter," he said of MSU's strength and conditioning routine. "We started that last January, so this is the first full school year they've had (access to the Fieldhouse weight room) and I've noticed a big difference. The kids have gotten more athletic, they're faster, and I'm hoping that translates to less injuries and hopefully better performance. I'm excited to see how that works out."
While physical improvement is paramount, Whitaker said the time between the fall and spring seasons have also found his team honing the mental approach. "We've been trying to work on the idea of quality of practice rather than quantity," he said, "because sometimes they get into a rut where they make a lot of runs without really accomplishing anything. So we're working on quality over quantity."
A Bobcat leads both the men's and women's regional all-around standings. Jacee Currin stands atop the women's region on the strength of top 10 standings in the breakaway roping (third), goat tying (fifth) and team roping (ninth as a heeler). Bode Spring leads the men's all-around standings and the steer wrestling, is tied for second in the tie-down roping, and is 13th as a heeler in team roping.
The strength of both Bobcat teams lies in the roping events. Nine MSU men occupy the top 13 of the steer wrestling, while six of the top 11 in the tie-down roping standings wear the Blue and Gold (Levi Delamarter is first, Jase Bustad and Spring are tied for second). Eight MSU women occupy the top 14 in the breakaway roping, with Molly Salmond first, Cate Hepper second and Currin third.
Ironically, one roping event owns Whitaker's attention in terms of improving in the team standings during the spring season. "The team roping is" an area of potential improvement, he said. "That event is basically double points because you get points for the header and the heeler. We can be doing better in that event, so they've been working on that."
While team success is the ultimate goal, Whitaker said that boils down to the component parts. Individuals optimizing performance, particularly in their home arena, is crucial.
"It's easy to say we want to win the women's and men's team titles in both rodeos," Whitaker said, "but you have to break it down and look at the individuals. Mainly I want to see the guys and girls go out and make their best run. When you have a great environment like this you can either use it to your advantage or it can make you nervous, so I want to see them handle the pressure, make their best runs, and give the crowd something to cheer for."
Tickets for this weekend's rodeo remain available at msubobcats.com/tickets. Public performances begin at 7 pm on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, while Championship Sunday's session begins at 2 pm.
#GoCatsGo
And for good reason.
"We practiced more this winter than I'm sure they ever have, because they never had winter practices before," Whitaker said. "Last year we paid to practice two days a week (at the Stock Family Practice Arena), and this year we practiced all through the winter. It's been good. They've been able to avoid getting rusty during the winter, whereas before they've had to shelf the rodeo career for a few months."
The perennial Big Sky Region power and National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association championship contender begins the season's second half at the MSU Spring Rodeo this weekend in unfamiliar position. The Bobcat men stand second after the fall season's five rodeos, trailing UM Western 2,553 points to 2,347. MSU tops the women's regional standings with 1,897.5 points, ahead of second place MSU Northern (1,239.0).
The Big Sky Region opens its five-rodeo sprint to the finish line in Bozeman with two rodeos this weekend, with the first rodeo on Thursday and Friday and the second Saturday and Sunday. Performances begin the first three nights at 7 pm, with Championship Sunday beginning at 2 pm.
Whitaker said he hopes to see the months of winter work in the practice arena and the weight room pay off starting on Thursday. "They've been working out all winter," he said of MSU's strength and conditioning routine. "We started that last January, so this is the first full school year they've had (access to the Fieldhouse weight room) and I've noticed a big difference. The kids have gotten more athletic, they're faster, and I'm hoping that translates to less injuries and hopefully better performance. I'm excited to see how that works out."
While physical improvement is paramount, Whitaker said the time between the fall and spring seasons have also found his team honing the mental approach. "We've been trying to work on the idea of quality of practice rather than quantity," he said, "because sometimes they get into a rut where they make a lot of runs without really accomplishing anything. So we're working on quality over quantity."
A Bobcat leads both the men's and women's regional all-around standings. Jacee Currin stands atop the women's region on the strength of top 10 standings in the breakaway roping (third), goat tying (fifth) and team roping (ninth as a heeler). Bode Spring leads the men's all-around standings and the steer wrestling, is tied for second in the tie-down roping, and is 13th as a heeler in team roping.
The strength of both Bobcat teams lies in the roping events. Nine MSU men occupy the top 13 of the steer wrestling, while six of the top 11 in the tie-down roping standings wear the Blue and Gold (Levi Delamarter is first, Jase Bustad and Spring are tied for second). Eight MSU women occupy the top 14 in the breakaway roping, with Molly Salmond first, Cate Hepper second and Currin third.
Ironically, one roping event owns Whitaker's attention in terms of improving in the team standings during the spring season. "The team roping is" an area of potential improvement, he said. "That event is basically double points because you get points for the header and the heeler. We can be doing better in that event, so they've been working on that."
While team success is the ultimate goal, Whitaker said that boils down to the component parts. Individuals optimizing performance, particularly in their home arena, is crucial.
"It's easy to say we want to win the women's and men's team titles in both rodeos," Whitaker said, "but you have to break it down and look at the individuals. Mainly I want to see the guys and girls go out and make their best run. When you have a great environment like this you can either use it to your advantage or it can make you nervous, so I want to see them handle the pressure, make their best runs, and give the crowd something to cheer for."
Tickets for this weekend's rodeo remain available at msubobcats.com/tickets. Public performances begin at 7 pm on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, while Championship Sunday's session begins at 2 pm.
#GoCatsGo
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Rodeo
/ Women's Rodeo
/ Men's Rodeo
/ Women's Rodeo
/ Women's Rodeo
/ Men's Rodeo
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