Bucking broncos, lassoed steers and a back-flipping rodeo clown kept fans entertained all weekend long at the 52nd Annual Cyclone Stampede Rodeo.

The Cyclone Stampede included 260 athletes from 15 teams across the Great Plains Region. Points were earned to qualify for the College National Rodeo Finals in Casper, Wyo. next June.

According to the ISU Rodeo Club, Cyclone Stampede is the last student run rodeo in the nation. The rodeo is sanctioned by the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association.

Event winners, along with the winners of Overall Cowboy and Overall Cowgirl, were awarded special belt buckles for their victories.

“Scholarships can be won at all levels,” said Kara Christensen, a senior in animal science and Cyclone Stampede chairwoman. “We’re just awarding the belt buckles.”

While the ISU Rodeo Club didn’t enter any students into the competition, the rodeo could not have taken place without them.

“They’re doing all the legwork,” Christensen said. “Without their help there wouldn’t be a rodeo.”

No official numbers were immediately available, but Marshall Thorp, ISU Rodeo Club vice president and senior in management, was pleased with the event.

“Everything went smooth, no one was seriously hurt,” Thorp said. “The turnout, especially on [Oct. 4], was much better than we expected.”

The rodeo was also a fundraiser for the ISU Rodeo Club.

“It helps support our club,” Thorp said. “It really helps us out for the rest of the year.”

All rodeo events come with the potential for injury but some are more dangerous than others. Bull riding, bareback bronco riding and steer wrestling are considered the most dangerous. 

The event was held indoors for the first time since its inception in 1962. The Deb and Jeff Agricultural Student Learning Center opened in January and features an almost 34,000 square foot arena.

“That’s definitely the best part,” said Jeff Lucas, rodeo announcer and a senior in elementary education. “Being indoors and the big screen display are something not a lot of college rodeos have.”

Lucas began bull fighting at amateur rodeo events when he was 12. Over the next six years, Lucas worked his way up to the World’s Toughest Bulls and Broncs circuit. That’s when he learned his father had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

“My dad came down with cancer and he asked me to slow down,” Lucas said. “So I had an in to try out announcing because of my bull fighting.”

Lucas estimated he has announced 88 events already this year. 

“I get a lot of my jobs just from word of mouth,” Lucas said. “Getting to announce [Cyclone Stampede] in my hometown is icing on the cake.”

Christensen said she was pleased with the event this year and sees potential for growth in the future.

“We had more people than we expected this year,” Christensen said. “I hope next year it’s even bigger.”