The thundering sound of hooves entering the show arena is accompanied by a cowgirl on horseback headed for the first of three barrels.
The scenes of a rodeo are familiar to many, especially in February in Starkville as the annual Rotary Rodeo Classic draws in crowds, cowboys and cowgirls from all over.
“We had so many people there this year that we had them parked in the road, and they were standing everywhere,” Mississippi Horse Park manager Bricklee Miller said. “… When they start driving up for the rodeo, it’s like the field of dreams — the cars are just rolling in, and you can see them lined up down Poor House Road coming in.”
The Rotary Classic Rodeo is one sanctioned by the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association and the Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association, which are the two governing bodies for the largest competitive rodeo in the world. Men and women compete in PRCA- and WPRA-sanctioned events in order to earn a spot at the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas in December each year.
Among nine states and 70 rodeos, the Rotary Classic Rodeo has been given the Justin Boots Best Footing Award for the southeastern circuit by contestants within the WPRA.
“It really means a lot because this award comes from the contestants that are traveling all over and competing in all 70 of these rodeos in the southeastern circuit,” Miller said. “It’s a consumer award. It’s coming from the people that you serviced, and I think that is outstanding. It means a lot to me and the Horse Park staff.”
When rodeo competitors go to an event to try to earn a spot at NFR, one of the most important aspects of the rodeo is footing, or the ground on which they compete on. It not only ensures fair and equal competition but also safety for both riders and livestock.
“Getting recognized for the best footing in the circuit allows us to have larger numbers of contestants because everybody knows there’s a chance to win first,” Miller said. “It doesn’t matter if you draw on top of the ground or if you’re the fifth girl running, and it doesn’t matter what performance you’re in. Everybody has a chance to win first, and that’s what they’re trying to do. They want a fair and equal shot, and that’s what we’re giving them.”
For the rodeo, a professional tractor driver from Kentucky, John Michael Poss, came in to work the ground during the two-day event. Miller said he and the crew at the Horse Park are to thank for their hard work in allowing fair competition.
Miller will travel to Las Vegas to accept the award and $1,500 at the Banquet of Champions on Dec. 1., and she said it is an honor for the Starkville and Oktibbeha community to shine on a national stage.
Starkville Rotary Club past-president and rodeo chairman John Forde said the club is grateful for Miller and her staff, and he knows he will represent Starkville well in Las Vegas.
“We’re thankful we get to work with Bricklee and her staff at the Mississippi Horse Park each year for the Starkville Rotary Classic Rodeo,” Forde said. “This award is such an honor since it’s voted on by contestants who visit many arenas. The rodeo is our biggest fundraising event each year, and it continues to grow and improve.”
The money raised at the rodeo goes right back into the community to groups like Starkville Strong, Starkville Habitat for Humanity and Oktibbeha Young Leaders.
Though Miller will travel to Las Vegas to accept the award for this year’s rodeo, preparations have already begun for the 2023 Rotary Classic Rodeo. Miller said she mailed off 2023 applications this week, and the date is officially set for Feb. 10-11, 2023.
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