First events under the belt of TRU's brand-new rodeo team

The brand-new Thompson Rivers University WolfPack rodeo program is providing student-athletes a unique opportunity to get a Canadian education while also competing in the sport they love — and doing it close to home.

Prior to this fall, cowboys and cowgirls graduating the B.C. High School Rodeo Association were limited to two options if they wished to continue their sport at the post-secondary level — travel to distant programs in Northern B.C. or on the Prairies, or head south to an American school.

“Both TRU and the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association have been great to work with,” said Sean Bennett, WolfPack head coach. "It’s kind of amazing that we were already rodeoing this fall."

The WolfPack rodeo dream began when Bennett’s two cowboy sons were aging out of their respective competitive associations.

Not registered in a post-secondary school with a rodeo program this fall, Patrick and Lorenzo Bennett were considering competing in the NIRA as independent athletes. Patrick already completed two years at the College of Southern Idaho and Lorenzo had recently graduated high school. Both were looking for their next path to continue competition.

“We thought it would be great to start a team in Kamloops — allow local kids to get a great education and compete as part of a team against kids from the south,” Bennett said.

Competing against Americans

Over the course of the summer, Bennett began speaking with the Northwest Region of the NIRA and learned that they were eager to add another team to their division, which previously consisted of programs from Washington, Idaho, Oregon and northern California.

There are 10 other regions within the NIRA, scattered across the U.S.

“One option was to try to join the Canadian Collegiate Rodeo Association [featuring schools in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Dawson Creek, B.C.], but I didn’t like the idea about travelling through the Rockies, pulling trailers for at least eight hours every weekend,” Bennett said.

"The travel is much easier and safer in the Northwest Region, and we also liked the idea about competing against American schools."

The NIRA, which was established in 1949, quickly accepted Sean’s application. With TRU’s approval, the WolfPack became the first Canadian university to compete in the organization.

Sponsors were needed

“Rodeo is an expensive sport. Right now, all our coaching and admin work is done by volunteers,” Bennett said.

"For rodeos, we budgeted to spend around $8,000 to $10,000 on travel, trailers, accommodations, rodeo fees, fuel, food for the horses, and so on. We needed some financial help to get this off the ground."

With the help of some major investors, Sean helped establish the Southern Interior College Rodeo Association (SICRA) — a non-profit society to carry the financial costs of the rodeo program.

Upon learning about the program’s structure and financing under SICRA, TRU welcomed the rodeo program to its athletic department in mid-August.

"I was impressed by the vision of Sean and the SICRA board to deliver a meaningful experience for rodeo student-athletes with an emphasis on community, inclusivity and history," WolfPack Director of Athletics and Recreation Curtis Atkinson said at the time.

"I look forward to seeing the growth of the program and the new opportunities for students under SICRA's leadership."

Recruiting on the fly

As that behind-the-scenes work was going on, Bennett was busy connecting with the graduating class from the B.C. High School Rodeo Association, gauging athletes’ interest level in the new program.

Ten athletes registered, and they competed in the WolfPack’s first rodeo Oct. 12 and Oct. 13 in Moscow, Idaho.

One of them was Holly Reid, a team roper and breakaway roper from nearby Monte Lake.

“I was thinking about going to the States for university this summer,” she said.

"But the more I heard about TRU’s program, I liked the idea of staying close to home and getting a feel for university life."

TRU has a leg up on its competition, offering four-year programming for rodeo athletes right out of high school. Most opportunities are at small American two-year schools, and the course credits don’t always transfer back to Canadian universities.

While adhering to NIRA and TRU eligibility guidelines, Bennett said he will only accept students into his program if he feels safe with them in the rodeo arena around other animals.

“It’s one thing to get hurt playing sports, but breaking your arm in the states is a whole different ball game,” said Sean, who still competes in team roping and tie down roping events.

Lots of room to grow

As it stands, the WolfPack rodeo team consist of ropers and barrel racers. There are no steer wrestlers or rough stock competitors, but Bennett said he's hoping to add a bull rider this spring.

Practices run each week depending on the student-athletes schedule, usually with the ropers separate from the barrel racers. The WolfPack utilize arenas in Pritchard and Cherry Creek for its practices. Members of the team store their animals and trailers at acquaintances’ houses or use boarding facilities — whatever it takes.

The Northwest Region also offers an easier competition schedule than other NIRA divisions further south. By featuring double header rodeos, the WolfPack only need to participate in five different weekends to meet the 10-rodeo qualification mark for the College National Finals Rodeo (CNFR), a 10-day event in Casper, Wyo., featuring the top student-athletes in each discipline.

“Competing in college rodeo is so much fun,” said Patrick Bennett, one of coach Sean’s sons and a third-year business student at TRU.

"Hopefully more B.C. kids see that we are doing this so we can grow the program over the next few years."

Off until spring

Corben Marchiel placed seventh in the tie down roping with a time of 19.5 seconds at the rodeo in Moscow, while Patrick and his partner Brayden Evenson would have won the team roping event last weekend in Susanville, Calif., but their horse broke the barrier and earned a 10-second penalty.

“I think everyone was a little nervous that first weekend. In California, I saw more of who our athletes are,” Sean Bennett told Castanet.

"They shook the nerves off, but we are still new and growing. We are also still adjusting to the way they do things in the states. For example, their boxes where we get ready for our runs are different distances than what we are used to in Canada. But we can practice that and be better in the spring."

Off for the winter, the WolfPack will resume practising outdoors whenever they can. Their spring schedule resumes in April, with one trip to Washington and a pair of weekends in Oregon.

Outside of his day job as a business consultant and coaching the rodeo program, Bennett will be busy this winter continuing to drum up fundraising for the new program.

Anyone looking to support the WolfPack rodeo program can connect with Bennett by calling him at 250-319-2855 or emailing him at [email protected].