UNLV rodeo competitors prepare for Friday and Saturday regional finals

Fourteen national and 25 regional titles are among the accolades the University of Nevada, Las Vegas rodeo team possesses. Come this weekend, 17 of the university's team members hope to add one more title to the list when they host the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association's West Coast Regional Finals at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the South Point Arena & Equestrian Center, 9777 Las Vegas Blvd. South.

Coach Ric Griffith said the team competes in a region that includes some of the top competitors in the country, such as California schools Cal Poly and Feather River College.

"In the last 10 years, we've placed in the West Coast top five (spots) and have competed at the national level," Griffith said. "We're in a tough region with the best of the best."

The team, which enters 10 of its members into the arena, competes in bareback riding, barrel racing, breakaway roping, goat tying, steer wrestling, tie-down roping and team roping. Assistant coach Bryce Barnes said an event such as breakaway roping, in which the calf is roped but not tied down, is unique to the college rodeo landscape because it is not typically seen in professional competition.

Barnes said finding competitors for UNLV begins at the high school level.

"We look at students who have done well in high school and amateur rodeo ranks," Barnes said. "We ask students to send videos to us, and we do offer some scholarships. That's the formula we've used for a long time, and it's been very successful."

Griffith and Barnes said one of the most vital aspects involved in selecting team members is academic performance. Participants are required to be in good academic standing with the university to compete and be eligible for scholarships.

"You have to take education seriously to be a serious competitor," Barnes said. "Kids who really take the education part seriously usually do the best. That's the biggest factor."

Zack Brown, a junior who competes in bareback riding, is one team member on scholarship. Brown is in his first year of competing with the UNLV rodeo team, having been recruited from Feather River, a community college. Brown said several factors contributed in his decision to join the team.

"The coaches are pretty helpful," Brown said. "Everyone is really talented and practices really hard. I think the team, for a university in our region, is the best university."

Brown aims to win the bareback riding event for the West Coast region and in the College National Finals Rodeo in Casper, Wyo., in June. Accomplishing these goals, he said, begins with practice every week, which takes place from 5 to 8 p.m. each Tuesday and Thursday at the Rockin' K Arena, 6500 Rio Vista St.

Barnes said part of the team's success comes from some notable alumni who have made names for themselves in the professional rodeo arena. Justin McBride, Professional Bull Riders world champion, Colin McTaggart, a three-time National Finals Rodeo qualifier, and Suzanne Montero, two-time National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association goat-tying champion, are among these alumni who have succeeded in college and/or professional rodeo.

"We're fortunate to have (these alumni) to not only come here but to choose to come here because of (the team's) success," Barnes said. "Having them and the support of the community allows us to continue to grow."

For more information on UNLV's rodeo team, call 775- 720-1247 or visit unlvrodeo.com.

Contact Paradise/Downtown View reporter Lisa Carter at lcarter@viewnews.com or 383-4686.