The SandHills Junior Livestock Show and Rodeo continues through Saturday, with a lot of excitement already generated in its first days.
The stock show and rodeo returned to the Ector County Coliseum Jan. 6, NewsWest 9 reported, kicking off with a rodeo opening night. Stock shows started early the next morning; events throughout the show included roping contests, a rodeo clown contest for kids, a Christian youth night and the Miss Rodeo Sandhills Royalty contest, according to news reports and event organizers.
Raising, showing and competing livestock requires years of dedication and hard work, show officials said, but it can pay off when the bidding starts after the show concludes.
Thomas Elrod
| linkedin.com/ThomasElrod
"To see these kids walk through the ring, it's the culmination of a year's worth of hard work and many more years of hard work," Thomas Elrod, SandHills Stock Show and Rodeo Board of Directors Member, said to NewsWest 9.
Elrod told the news outlet that on that night, $244,000 was raised in the livestock auction. "These dollars all go back to the kids and their families raise future livestock animals to perpetuate the industry," Elrod said.
The annual stock show and rodeo added a new event to its traditional lineup, according to show organizers, with the Ropin' in the Sandhills Breakaway Roping competition, which attracted top female riders from around the country. The competition, held Jan. 9, was won by Danielle Iowman with a time of 12.71, the show announced on its Facebook page.
The SandHills show concludes Saturday evening as it began, with a rodeo. Show organizers advise tickets be purchased at the Coliseum box office or online through Box Office Solutions.