Youth rodeo to be opening Crossroads event

Sunday, February 24, 2008
Carlee Dittemore of Lebanon rides her horse, Boogie, in a recent High School Rodeo.

Close to 100 teenagers will descend on Putnam County this weekend, and they'll be on horseback.

On Saturday March 1 and Sunday, March 2, Crossroads USA Arena and Expo will host the 2008 Cloverdale Invitational Rodeo as its first major event. There will be bull riding, barrel racing, steer wrestling; the works, and all the contestants will be high school-age youth.

Members of the Indiana High School Rodeo Association (IHSRA) will compete against an Ohio team to win points toward qualification for this year's nationals in Farmington, N.M. The rodeo season runs from March through October with events all over the United States and even in Canada.

High school rodeo is a family affair. Almost every weekend is a camping trip for rodeo parents, their children and horses that share the same goals and the same trailer.

"I see my friends on weekends," said Carlee Dittemore of Lebanon, who competes in barrel racing, pole bending, and goat tie. "On Sundays, there's even a cowboy church," she said.

Colleges all over America, from Tennessee to Idaho, offer rodeo scholarships, and Indiana students have as good a chance as any to win them.

"Just because we're on the east side of the Mississippi doesn't mean we can't rope," said Branda Street of Bloomington who competes in team roping as well as other events.

Representatives of the High School Rodeo Association are happy to be coming to Cloverdale's Crossroads USA.

"Five acres under roof and with heat," said Jana Dittemore, one of the organizers. "It will be great!"

In addition to the arena, the facility has open areas for stalls, bleachers and venders. There is parking for 1000 cars and spaces with water and electricity for 200 campers.

"The arena is the most underrated part of the building," Crossroads executive Steve Jackson explained, "but the dirt takes a lot of work."

"It's nice having the first show a high school rodeo," Jackson said.

Rodeo events begin at 7 p.m. on Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children ages 12 and younger.

Comments
View 3 comments
Note: The nature of the Internet makes it impractical for our staff to review every comment. Please note that those who post comments on this website may do so using a screen name, which may or may not reflect a website user's actual name. Readers should be careful not to assign comments to real people who may have names similar to screen names. Refrain from obscenity in your comments, and to keep discussions civil, don't say anything in a way your grandmother would be ashamed to read.
  • This is one of the best things to happen Cloverdale in a long time. I hope it inspires kids around here to get interested in this sport, as participants or spectators.

    -- Posted by Xgamer on Mon, Feb 25, 2008, at 6:40 PM
  • So happy to hear this is up and running! Can't wait to participate! Congratulations to all involved!

    -- Posted by bettur2 on Wed, Feb 27, 2008, at 7:00 AM
  • Let's check our math just a little. 100 teens entered for competition. For every teen entered, (on average) 2 adults, 1 sibling, and 1 friend may attend as well. That figures to 5 people attending for 1 entry for competition, or 500 people so far. Now figure in local spectators attending and also traveling fans with the circuit. Let's figure a high number at about 2500. Now our guess is about 3000 people rolling into Cloverdale.

    That adds up to roughly $24k in gate fees, $20k spent on food, $15k spent on fuel and maybe $20k on lodging. I don't know how much competition entry fees are but that will throw the total over $80,000 for one event being spent around our area. Not bad.

    -- Posted by Xgamer on Thu, Feb 28, 2008, at 5:56 AM
Respond to this story

Posting a comment requires free registration: