The fledgling U of S rodeo club has hosted two successful rodeos since its inception in 2011.

The University of Saskatchewan rodeo club finished hosting its second rodeo this past weekend in Martensville, Sask. The club held its first ever rodeo at this time last year.

The club competed against teams from across Alberta including ones from the University of Calgary, the University of Lethbridge and the University of Alberta. There were 20 riders who competed from the U of S and 124 competitors in total.

Riders took part in 10 events during the two day event which was also the first rodeo of the season. Female riders competed in barrel racing, pole bending, goat tying and breakaway roping while male riders competed in bull riding, saddle bronc, bareback, calf roping and steer wrestling. Female and male riders also came together to compete in team roping.

Competitors were able to compete in as many events as they wished, the only stipulation being that they must be enrolled in nine credit units worth of classes throughout the year.

Rodeo club co-founders Shelby Clemens and Katie Dutchak were very proud of how the team competed. The duo started the club in 2011 and have seen it grow from a few  founding members to the 35 that now make up the group. Unlike many of the other teams who competed, the U of S rodeo club does not have a coach and is completely student run.

“Everything that we do, we’ve made ourselves,” said Clemens.

Whereas other clubs are able to keep their livestock and horses on campus and have facilities to practice in, the U of S club has had to find their own way. Last year the team practiced and kept their horses at Prairieland Park. The club is now riding out of Lazy T Stables but the situation is still not ideal.

“For the guys who ride the rough stock, which is the saddle bronc, bareback and bull, there’s really nowhere for them go,” Clemens said. “A lot of it is you find your own place to [practice]. It’s self motivated.”

Despite not having the resources available to other teams, the rodeo club is thriving and continues to generate interest. One thing Clemens and Dutchak want students to know is that the rodeo club is not just for experienced riders. The pair hopes anyone who is interested will come see what the club has to offer.

“We have people from all walks of life that are on the rodeo team,” said Dutchak. “People that have never ridden or like the idea of it or know of friends that do it, they come and they help out and get involved. It’s for everybody.”

Some brave newcomers even had their first competitive experience at last weekend’s rodeo.

“We have quite a few people that this was their first rodeo which was super exciting for us,” said Clemens. “We’re all about growing the sport.”

Many students may be unfamiliar with rodeos and what they entail for both riders and livestock. While some may feel that rodeo animals are mistreated, this is far from the truth.

“Anybody that’s from a rodeo community knows how much work you have to put into keeping rodeo animals in top form,” said Clemens. “That’s your athlete. They come first before everything.”

“It’s horse first; it’s animal first,” said Dutchak.

Working with an animal is something that Dutchak loves about competing in rodeos. Dutchak, who has played many sports and also wrestles for the Huskies, sees the human-animal interaction as what sets rodeoing apart from everything else she has done.

“I love the adrenaline. That is a totally different adrenaline rush,” said Dutchak. “You’re working with a 1,200 pound animal that could do whatever it wants and it’s choosing to listen to you. To know that your horse is working for you and listening to you, that is such a fulfilling end of the day when you and your horse did so well together.”

Clemens and Dutchak hope that more students will continue to join the club and experience rodeoing first hand. They want to see the team become more formidable and established and perhaps one day even have a coach.

The two both competed in the high school rodeo circuit and had the opportunity to go down to schools in the states in order to continue competing. Instead, they decided to stay in Saskatoon and, rather than lament on the lack of a university rodeo club, they created their own.

“We want to see [the club] keep going and keep growing,” said Clemens. “We want to keep drawing kids from the high school rodeo circuit up to Saskatoon. We want to see kids come here.”

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Photo: Brittany Sundby Photography