ENMU set to host annual College 'Daze' Rodeo

PORTALES — Greyhound Stadium will be a busy place this weekend, with Portales hosting St. Pius on the gridiron Friday night and Eastern New Mexico University opening its Lone Star Conference football season at noon Saturday against Texas A&M-Kingsville.

It’s even busier just a little bit south of the stadium at Lewis Cooper Arena, where three nightly sessions await rodeo fans as part of ENMU’s College “Daze” Rodeo.

The arena will host 7 p.m. sessions Thursday, Friday and Saturday, with hundreds of competitors across the Southwest coming to Portales for ENMU’s only home rodeo.

Each night is $10 for adults, $5 for children 12 and up and no charge to ENMU students with ID or children younger than 12.

The school's athletic department is offering a discount for attending both the rodeo sessions and the football game. A ticket stub from the Friday nght rodeo session covers admission to the Saturday football game, and a ticket stub from the football game covers admission to the Saturday rodeo session.

Rodeo coach Albert Flinn said a total of 26 teams are coming to Portales for some level of participation. The top competition coming on the men’s side are Clarendon College, Western Texas, Sul Ross State and Tarleton State. Women’s teams expected to be in the team leaderboards are Weatherford College, Sul Ross State, Texas Tech, South Plains College and Tarleton.

The rodeo is the season debut for the Greyhounds, who will have a five-rodeo fall season with four straight weekends of competition.

While it’s always nice to open the season at home, Flinn said being the host always makes competing a little more difficult.

“There is a lot of work during rodeo week,” Flinn told The News. “(It’s) hard to practice.”

After Portales, the rodeo squads head to Sul Ross State (Sept. 23-25), Vernon College (Sept. 30-Oct. 2) and Frank Philips College (Oct. 7-9).

The team finishes the fall season on the last weekend of October at the Texas Tech University Rodeo.

Last season saw three ENMU rodeo members reach the College National Finals Rodeo, with Madelyn Schauer finishing seventh overall in goat tying.