Youth school ropes new rodeo participants

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Drawn by the promise of outdoor fun and heart-pounding excitement, dozens of Aboriginal youth from across Saskatchewan travelled to Whitecap Dakota/Sioux First Nation Aug. 20 to 22 to take part in a youth rodeo school.

According to organizer Curtis Taypotat, and backed up by the broad grins of every eager participant, the school was a big success.

"I think overall the kids got a lot out of it. We had 48 kids registered," said Taypotat, who hails from Kahkewistahaw First Nation, but chose the Whitecap reserve as the location of the school because of it's central Saskatchewan location and proximity to Saskatoon. "I think this school will spark more interest in rodeo. These kids will go back to their homes and tell their friends how much they liked it."

Such grassroots growth in the sport's popularity will only continue a long trend that has seen ever more Aboriginal people and communities get involved in rodeo . The roots of this trend were laid down over a decade ago, with the establishment in 1991 of the Prairie Indian Rodeo Association (PIRA). PIRA's mandate is to promote the sport of Aboriginal Rodeo to Saskatchewan's Indian and Metis people, and Taypotat, the association's current president, sees youth schools as a cornerstone of continued development.

"The sport's growing so much now, it's important to get more First Nations youth involved. We first started organizing rodeo schools back in 1999, and that's helped a lot of kids. Take baseball or hockey-kids can try that anywhere. But rodeo is hard to get into," he said. As he went on to point out, it isn't as if one can just go out, find an energetic bull or bucking bronc, and hop on (a bad and dangerous idea even if it were possible).

In rodeo, a person learns by doing, and by listening to those who have done it before. So Taypotat made sure to bring in only experienced Aboriginal instructors to teach the school participants the finer points of the various rodeo events, including bareback, saddle bronc and bull riding, calf, team and breakaway roping, barrel racing and even steer wrestling.

"All the qualified instructors here are First Nations people. That shows the kids that we're all the same, and that they can do what we've done, too," he explained.

"My family and I have been in rodeo for quite a while now. I just came here for some practice to get ready for finals," said 19-year old K.J. Bird, who already has six years of rodeo experience under his scuffed belt. Bird competes regularly in three separate events on the rodeo circuit, and shows a steely desire to better his skills and win more competitions.

This ambition to succeed and commitment to improve is something Taypotat tries to impart to all attendees of his schools.

"I never turn away from helping the kids get into rodeo. I grew up rodeoing white, and I was shoved back in the corner and not really looked at. But I was determined. I wanted to do it and I knew I could do it. I achieved my goals, and I'm trying to help these kids achieve theirs. It can happen if you put your mind to it.

"After the kids take this school, they can compete in our Indian rodeos," Taypotat continued. "They got some good training here, but it's hard to fit everything into three days. I'd like to have two or three schools over the summer in different locations, so they could all come back and pick up more. You learn more each time. You can't just pick it all up in one shot."

Standing in the way of this goal is the ever-present problem of funding. The FSIN funded this school, and Taypotat extends his warmest thanks for their ongoing support of his efforts. However, bringing in over a hundred head of livestock and a group of instructors from as far away as British Columbia is not a small or inexpensive undertaking, and Taypotat knows that demand for his schools is far greater than he can presently supply.

For the kids fortunate enough to attend the youth rodeo school, though, funding shortfalls and long-term visins of rodeo's future couldn't have been further from their minds. To them, it was just about having fun. Hearing their continuous laughter, often loud enough to drown out even the neighs of the horses, it's clear that Taypotat's goal of increasing rodeo participation among Aboriginal youth is well on its way to being met.