Rodeos don’t start when the first rider enters the arena.

For Colorado State rodeo team, it starts earlier, in the stalls, in the dirt and in everything that has to be set before people start watching. By the time the Skyline Stampede begins, the same athletes competing have already spent ample time getting it ready. Then, they put on a different hat, participating in events like goat tying, steer wrestling, barrel racing, bull riding and more.

That overlap shapes the entire weekend, even if it isn’t in the program sheet.

“They don’t even know that we have a rodeo team,” CSU barrel racer Jordan Smith said. “So it’s kind of cool to see when people come out and support, and it really means a lot to us because it just shows that we do have the support behind us up at CSU.”

The Skyline Stampede, which was held April 3-5 this year at The Ranch’s Mac Equipment Indoor Arena in Loveland, Colorado, is the longest continuously running college rodeo in the country. CSU has hosted it since 1950 and played a role in shaping rodeo through the formation of the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association.

That history is established, though.

What carries the event now is the group moving between competition and everything else around it.

“A lot of people in our region did grow up in a rodeo family, but I didn’t,” Smith said. “I started riding horses in about 2020, and then I actually was encouraged to run to be a rodeo queen. … And then, at the same time, I kind of transitioned into competing in rodeo as well. And so I competed in barrel racing at the junior rodeo level in high school a little bit.”

Smith’s entry point into rodeo came through community before competition, being an ambassador for the sport as a rodeo queen.

That perspective shows up in how she currently approaches the weekend and the work tied to preparing for it, which doesn’t always bear a clear distinction.

“Helping out at the rodeo is a big part of our job here,” Smith said. “We run this entire rodeo, and a big part of it is our team that does it. So it’s pretty cool to see all of our teammates out here supporting each other and making this rodeo happen.”

There is no real separation between those roles in April.

Work that would normally sit outside the competition falls on the same group stepping into the arena. Riders can be seen setting up and breaking down fences for bull riding throughout a full day of activity.

“I think there’s something that’s really special about our rodeo team; we’re really like a family,” Smith said. “We love each other so much, and we really support each other just so much. And if you’re itching to get into rodeo or even have an interest in rodeo, that’s something that you can pursue through our club program.”

For Nina Bradley, the weekend reflects a different kind of workload.

The sophomore from Steamboat Springs competes in multiple events, adding performances while working through the same structure as the rest of the team.

“Oh my gosh, so many (things are) different; I’ve gained two new events (since last year),” Bradley said. “I used to just do barrels, and (now) I do barrels, breakaway and team roping. Well, I guess I did breakaway last year, but I’ve gained the team roping. And I ran team roping this morning, and I did super good, so I was super excited.”

Expanding into another event shifts how the weekend is built, too.

It changes preparation, timing and how often a rider resets between runs. And that mindset moves depending on what is coming next and which horse is involved.

“I really just focus on whichever horse I’m going to be running or riding,” Bradley said. “Most of my attention goes to them. I don’t really have to prepare any differently for myself, just getting the horse that’s going to run ready first.”

Though, each horse brings something different.

That bond is something unique to rodeo athletes and something that isn’t present in many mainstream sports. That difference shapes how every run feels before it begins.

“I love (trying) different horses,” Bradley said. “I personally only own one right now, and I get to just hop on a bunch all the time. And my rope horse, he’s big and tall and slow and lanky, and he’s super smooth to ride in. My barrel horse, she’s like a fire dragon, and she’s super quick.”

Even though the riders said they don’t have a strong personal connection to the steers, they’ve learned how to work closely with animals amid potentially dangerous conditions.

And Bradley described it as something that only really comes together through repetition.

“It just takes a lot of practice, learning how to work with yourself, the athlete; your animal athlete, the horse; and possibly a steer or a calf,” Bradley said. “It’s a lot of minds working together all for one run. Like specifically in the team roping, it’s two people, two horses and a cow like that. It takes a lot, and the only way you can kind of figure out how to do it is through practice, figuring out what the animals are going to do, … making sure they want to do what you want them to do so that your run can go as smoothly as possible.”

Weekends like Skyline bring that sort of cohesiveness into full frame, and it also puts the team in front of people who might not otherwise see them.

“I love that we are able to host a college rodeo that’s so close to CSU, and just getting people to know about the rodeo,” Bradley said. “And once they come to the rodeo, then the club gets on their radar, and then they’ll be more likely to follow us and then come back in the future.”

The Rams will ride into their next competition April 17-19 at Casper College.

Reach Michael Hovey at sports@collegian.com or on social media @michaelfhovey.

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