BOZEMAN — It's one of the most anticipated weeks in Bozeman as the Montana State Spring Rodeo returns to Brick Breeden Fieldhouse on Thursday night and runs through Sunday afternoon.
"To start off the spring season, I really hope that our team is bringing their A-game," Montana State rodeo coach Kyle Whitaker said about his team. "That you can’t tell that they’ve had that long of a layoff. That’s kind of our goal, is to make sure we pick up right where we left off and hopefully better."
MSU has been waiting to compete since its final rodeo of the fall season in September. What better way to kick off the spring season than the premiere rodeo it hosts?
"The tradition here that has been built over the years is unbelievable," Whitaker said. "It’s unmatched in college rodeo, and everybody looks forward to it, contestants look forward to it, the spectators look forward to it."
What makes this event so unique at MSU is the fact that it turns the fieldhouse into an indoor rodeo arena. It’s a week-long process in which crews load trucks of dirt onto the floor, and then the team builds their own steel barricades.
"It’s kind of a marathon sprint at the same time, and we kick it off here," Whitaker explained of how his team has to make the most of the spring season as it only lasts through the beginning of May. "So, it’s easy to get distracted because we have to set up the arena, we have to tear down the arena.
"We don’t get to practice this week because we’re getting ready for the rodeo. Well, I guess we do have some practices in here, but it’s not our typical practice.”
Montana State looks to keep the same high standard as years past and hopes to start off strong.
"They know we want to be number one in the standings, but we don’t really talk about that a whole lot," Whitaker said. "We talk about our performance. You got to have your maximum performance every time, and the standings will take care of itself.
"I’ve been emphasizing all through the winter that, ‘Hey, this is the Brick. This is our house. We want to sweep the team titles.'"
The Montana State Spring Rodeo will be broadcast on the MTN channel. To learn how to watch, click here.
