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Elementary students visit the rodeo finals in Butte

Posted: Oct 10, 2012 4:38 PM by KXLF Media Center
Updated: Oct 10, 2012 4:48 PM

Students from elementary schools in Butte-Silver Bow took a field trip to the civic center to learn about the Northern Rodeo Association.

The students split up into small groups and visited different stations in the arena to find out what skills are necessary for each rodeo event, according to Doug Clark, arena director for the NRA Finals in Butte. The students had the opportunity to practice lassoing, roping and walking through the shoots where the bulls will be kept during the weekend events.

The NRA Finals will begin Thursday. This will be the second time Butte has hosted the finals, according to Clark. In recent years, the number of participants from Butte have dwindled. Representatives hope by teaching Butte children about rodeo at a young age they might spark their interest.

"There's kind of a lull right now in Butte and the surrounding area as far as athletes that are competing in rodeo, so what we did is we offered this so that they have a little bit better understanding to hope that they'll come up and start participating in rodeo," Clark said.

Following the field trip each student was presented with a free ticket to the rodeo on Thursday. Representatives invite anyone in elementary school or younger to attend the rodeo on Thursday free of charge. To redeem a free ticket contact the Butte Civic Center at 1-(800)-555-8989.