Ever since I was a young, I have been enamored with horses and the stories of the old west.  I imagined being a cowboy riding across the open spaces with just me, my horse, and my dog. I cannot count how many western movies I watched as a kid looking for cowboys who looked like me. However, the movies left the contributions that African Americans played in the nation's western expansion out of the popular cowboy narrative.

It was not until I was in college that I learned that one in four cowboys were African American. According to William Loren Katz, a scholar of African American history, being a cowboy was one of the few jobs open to men of color who did not want to serve as elevator operators or delivery boys or other similar occupations. With this historical awaking, came an insatiable need to educate myself on contributions African Americans played in creating the cowboy culture.  

I remember reading the autobiography, The Life and Adventures of Nat Love, first published in 1907, who was an African American born into slavery in Tennessee, who participated in cattle drives, battled with Native peoples resisting colonization and, competed in "dare-devil riding, shooting, roping and such sports" against other cowboys. A precursor to the modern rodeo?

To a young black kid, the story of Nat Love was captivating and inspirational. In my late twenties I bought my first horse, equipment and accessories, and attended my first rodeo where I imagined a life on horseback, chasing down cows—like Nat Love.  So, what does all of this have to do with CR rodeo?

While life clearly took me in another direction, my passion for horses and rodeos never went away. So, it is with profound appreciation and gratitude that one of the final initiatives Dr. Tom Jackson and I will accomplish together is the creation of intercollegiate rodeo teams at both CR and Cal Poly Humboldt. While our rodeo initiative was met with support in some quarters and enmity in others, adding rodeo to our Athletic Department makes sense.

Creating a CR rodeo honors and acknowledges the deep roots and the long history of rodeo in Del Norte, Humboldt, and Trinity counties. I can point to the yearly and very well-attended Fortuna, Hoopa, and Orick Rodeos as examples. In fact, for years, families with children who were active in rodeo in high school and before asked why we didn't have a rodeo team. Many students felt that they had to choose between staying local for college or continuing with rodeo outside of our area.

Rodeo provides access to higher education. Like other intercollegiate sports, rodeo will provide pathways for student-athletes into CR and Cal Poly Humboldt, while competing in the sport they love. College rodeo can also reinforce the concepts of hard work and perseverance—whether in professional rodeo or the workplace.

Unlike other student-athletes, our rodeo team members will be responsible for their own gear, animals, and competition fees. Some will have invested thousands of dollars in rodeo equipment and assets before they even step foot on our campus. Which will keep down costs for the college.

Finally, rodeo is not uncommon in the California community college system. Lassen College, West Hills College, Gavilan College, Feather River College, Allan Hancock College, Cuesta College, and Bakersfield College all have teams that compete in nine different events. The women compete in barrel racing, breakaway roping, goat tying, and team roping, while men compete in saddle bronc riding, bareback riding, bull riding, tie-down roping, steer wrestling, and team roping. 

However, the goal is not simply to offer intercollegiate rodeo. We want our Corsairs Rodeo team to participate in the National Intercollegiate Rode Associate (NIRA) competitions in the West Coast Region, and ultimately, qualify for the College National Finals Rodeo, the premier collegiate rodeo event, in Casper, Wyoming where more than 100 colleges compete in June of every year. With this goal in mind, we aim to build a strong, competitive rodeo program that fosters a sense of pride and tradition for our students and our community.

But, as with everything we do at CR, we will need community support. Our rodeo team will rely heavily on funding from generous local champions. All donations and sponsorships will cover the costs associated with collegiate rodeo and help pay for the coaches. Here is a link to the CR Rodeo Team fundraising page: https://app.dvforms.net/api/dv/4ZLGb

If you have any questions about Corsairs Rodeo, please email Athletic Director Bob Brown at  Bob-Brown@redwoods.edu or Assistant Director of Athletics Ryan Bisio at Ryan-Bisio@redwoods.edu.

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