High School Rodeo hits Strathmore this weekend

This weekend will see the AG grounds host the 51st annual High School Rodeo,  with 270 entries it's sure to be a big, bold, and the crew is ready to welcome spectators this year.

Besides the usual rodeo events like barrel racing, breakaway roping, goat tying, pole bending, steer wrestling, and team roping. Ryan Schmidt the General Manager of the Strathmore AG Society explains what else rodeo fans can expect.

“Last year nobody could really go. So our fans are allowed to come out and watch and cheer everybody on, and it's free admission. You can see some great young rodeo athletes from all over southern Alberta. Just mosey on down and grab a seat and watch some of the action. There'll be a few food trucks there, so you can feed the kids too.”

This event has increased the number of competitors compared to last year's event out of the water as the easing of Covid-19 restrictions has created a better atmosphere for rodeo fans as Schmidt illustrates.

“With the restrictions more around last year, we had to keep everybody a certain distance apart and that's challenging when you've got parents all trying to sit in the bleachers and watch their kids and the kids were supposed to stand apart behind the chutes. So really what is going to be nice about this year is it will be a lot more relaxed. Everybody can kind of be in their natural flow of rodeo and cheering together.”

Schmidt and the AG Society are ecstatic to be putting on this event and hopeful that the community will once again come together after enduring the ups and downs of the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Schmidt is thrilled with the impact that these events have when they come into the community, "We have never been busier. It's really exciting to see the community coming back to life, doing events again, and being together."

The AG Society has been busy filling up the calendar with events for Strathmore locals and many other groups from outside of the community.  Some of the events put on directly by the AG society include the Cowboy Town Concert on June 4th, Senior Pro rodeo, Strathmore Stampede, Rodeo School, and Stampede Fright Night.

If that wasn't already enough, third-party groups are booking the grounds including Double S Barrel Racing Series and The Last Cowboy Standing event taking place this fall.