The Iowa State Rodeo Club hosted the 59th annual ISU Cyclone Stampede Rodeo on Saturday night with over 1000 people in attendance.

The rodeo included, among others, events in Bareback Riding, Steer Wrestling, Team Roping, Barrel Racing and Bull Riding, providing competitors the opportunity to qualify for the National College Finals Rodeo.

Averi Sievert, a sophomore majoring in animal science and a member of the Rodeo Club, said the Cyclone Stampede is the last student-run rodeo in the nation.

“It is a competition of colleges across the great plains region,” she said. “Multiple different colleges come and compete.”

Earlier in the afternoon, the slack, a first round with more competitors, took place. The best contestants of the slack competed in the rodeo on Saturday night.

All the funds for the rodeo are raised by the Rodeo Club on his own through multiple fundraisers in the year and different other rodeos, Sievert said. The club has a committee with two co-chairs, working the whole year to plan the rodeo.

Shawnee Judd, a senior majoring in agricultural business and one of the co-chairs of the committee for the Cyclone Stampede, said the planning process includes finding a stock contractor bringing in the animals, bringing in an announcer as well as a lot of detailed preparations for the day of the rodeo.

For Christopher Boyle, a senior majoring in mechanical engineering, the Cyclone Stampede was the first rodeo he attended. 

“I wanted to see what a rodeo is about,” he said. “It was exciting but kind of at some points vicious, there was a horse that fell on it’s hip and it looked like it broke its leg, so it was eye opening, but other than that it was a pretty cool experience.”

For years the announcer has been Jeff Lucas, a Iowa State University alumni and former member of the Rodeo Club. He lives in Nashville, Tennessee, but comes back every year for the Cyclone Stampede.

“I am proud of these kids,” he said. “The group that I was in are now my best friends as an almost 30-year-old. To see what these kids are starting to lay foundation with, it’s the same kind of thing.”

Lucas said this year’s rodeo went exceptionally well, having outstanding performances in the events, including two arena records in barrel racing, and a sold out crowd.

“This weekend has been the best weekend of the Cyclone Stampede that I have ever seen,” he said.

The final results will be checked and officially announced as the week progresses and can be found on collegerodeo.com.