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Small but dedicated group wrangles up rodeo team at Carroll CollegeHELENA, Mont. (AP)--When Meghan Gee was choosing a college to attend, she really wanted to go to Carroll College. There was one thing holding her back--the college did not have a rodeo team. Gee, whose father, grandfather and grandmother all competed with the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, started barrel racing when she was 4 years old. She decided to attend Carroll and continue to compete as an individual. After starting classes in fall, the Stanford, Mont., native met up with a few other Carroll students who had the same predicament she did, and they decided to remedy the situation. In December, six students established the college's first rodeo team. While they don't have a coach or set funding, the team is very driven. The team's president, Betsy Malecha, a pre-veterinarian biology freshman, will be the first to compete for the team this spring, with the other five following suit in the fall. Malecha's first two rodeos of the year will come in the next few weeks. She'll compete in Bozeman on April 10, followed by the Big Sky Region Rodeo in Helena April 18 and 19. "Horses were just a passion for all of us," Malecha said while taking a break from practicing barrel racing recently at Sonny and Beverly Stiger's ranch in the Helena Valley. She also competes in goat tying and breakaway roping. The team made up of vice president Gee and secretary Erica Mannix, who are also both pre-veterinarian biology freshman; treasurer Anna Stitt; Kirsten Kay Svennungsen and Brady Gibbons will spend the summer fine tuning their skills and horses. They estimate it will take about $30,000 to sponsor the team for a year of competition. The team members are responsible for all of their expenses, including horse boarding, National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association entry fees and travel. "It adds up quickly," said Stitt, a freshman studying accounting. Their first ventures into fundraising are brochures, which will be sent out to acquaintances and businesses, announcing the formation of the team. They know they have their work cut out for them when they compete against large teams from Bozeman and Missoula who have more amenities, but they are excited to get out and rodeo across the state and Wyoming. Future fundraising endeavors may include a mini rodeo and a beef raffle, Stitt said. Stitt said the team will work to prove itself and grow, and members hope to eventually approach the college about sponsorship. Meanwhile, she is excited about how far they've come so far. "It's a dream come true to compete in college rodeos. It's just awesome," she said. 4/7/08 Date: 3/28/08
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