By TONY GUERRERO
Hays Post
The Fort Hays State Rodeo Club and Team is gearing up for its second- annual rodeo gala, an evening of excitement and various auctioned donated items.
The gala is set for 5:30 p.m. on Jan. 25 in the Unrein Building at the Ellis County Fairgrounds. The event features a silent auction, live auction and buffet-style dining.
FHSU head rodeo coach Guy Forell said the gala serves as a fundraiser primarily for scholarships for rodeo athletes. Future fundraisers are planned for program and facility improvements.
"We're hopeful that we can raise more than we did last year. That's the goal," he said.
Tickets are $50 per person and can be purchased at the gate or through the Fort Hays State University Rodeo Facebook page. The attire for the event is National Finals Rodeo Formal.
The evening includes dinner provided by The Union Catering Company, a guest speaker and highlights of the program's recent achievements.
"We've won several individual events this fall, and that's been exciting for Fort Hays," Forell said. "We're currently sitting at eight for the men's team and fifth in the women's team in our region."
The gala's silent and live auctions will help the rodeo team compete against what Forell described as "powerhouse rodeo programs" from Oklahoma.
Attendees can bid on auction items throughout the night, including stallion breeding fees, a King Cobra revolver, cowhide rugs, cow skulls and hunting trips.
The live auction will start at 8 p.m., and donations will be accepted until the day of the event. You can contact the rodeo team on Facebook or Forell at 785-628-4010 to contribute.
In the past year, the FHSU rodeo team has celebrated success as a team and through individual achievements.
"We're hopeful that we will have somebody at nationals this year. That's our biggest goal right now," Forell said.
Forell spotlighted Cole Kerner, John Jones, Hailey Witte and Abby Olson as rodeo athletes with the potential to qualify for nationals.
Kerner recently won the bull riding and All-Around titles at Northwestern Oklahoma State University. He is tied for third in bull riding and ranks fifth in bareback riding within the Central Plains Region.
Witte secured barrel racing victories at Kansas State and Colby Community College this fall, holding second place in the Central Plains Region standings. Olson, in third place, competed in December at the Junior World Finals in Las Vegas.
"Jones is setting 12th in the region in tie-down roping," Forell said. "You never know what's going to happen with him. He's electric."
The program began in 1964 when a group of students proposed the idea of a rodeo club, receiving official recognition from the FHSU Student Organizations Committee in 1965.
According to Forell, the club has 45 members and consistently grows in membership and competitive performance.
"We expect those numbers to keep increasing. We're on the recruiting trail, and we're going to continue to get bigger," he said.
After the gala, the rodeo team will focus on preparing for their annual rodeo, scheduled for April 17–19 at the Ellis County Fairgrounds, which also serves as a fundraiser.
Student-athletes will compete in five regional rodeos this spring, most of which are in April.
You can follow the Fort Hay State University Rodeo Team's journey on Facebook.