Members of the St. Matthew school council, along with Father Joseph Orr, recently announced the Rawhide Rodeo will be coming to Central Pennsylvania this summer.
The rodeo will be held at the Huntingdon Fairgrounds on June 3, 4 and 5.
The Rawhide Rodeo company is based in Leichester, NY and performs throughout the USA and Canada bringing high quality, high intensity performances to regional audiences. With a significant money commitment from business sponsors and St. Matthew School, both International and American Professionals will be invited to participate.
A press release from the school gave a brief explanation of the American cowboy and what rodeos consist of in today’s world.
“Rodeo is a true American sport, springing from the unique occupation of the American Cowboy. The rodeo cowboy has taken the skills of the ranch cowboy and refined them with the perfection and precision required of all professional athletes. Rules were added to the contests, imposing conditions and pressures ranch cowboys do not have.
“St. Matthews School Rodeo will be sanctioned by the International Pro Rodeo Association and operate under its rules.
“Although many cowboys still come from traditional ranch or farm backgrounds, today’s rodeo competitors may have started in youth or high school rodeo. Another change in rodeo in the past twenty years is that the circuit used to run from spring until fall, but indoor rodeos in coliseums and arenas have made year-round rodeo competition possible.
“Rodeo competitors spend countless hours and miles traveling from one rodeo to another. Travel logs of 75,000 miles per year are common for cowboys and cowgirls who usually enter three or more rodeos per week and commute all over the country.
The ultimate goal in rodeo is to win a world championship. The IRPA names world champions at the conclusion of the International Finals Rodeo in seven events: bareback bronc riding, saddle bronc riding, bull riding, cowgirls barrel racing, steer wrestling, calf roping and team roping. These world titles are sought-after and hard-earned but the title of World Champion All-Around Cowboy is rodeo’s most prestigious. To win this coveted award the cowboy must excel in more than one event, a difficult feat in today’s age of specialization.”
The hope of St. Matthew’s is that the rodeo will prove to be a successful fundraiser, helping to aid in the upcoming building renovations.
Plans for the building project include tearing down the house that sits between the school and the church and then connecting the school, the church and Harkins Hall.
The idea to hold the rodeo came when the school council was faced with the decision of what to do with the two million dollars it had previously received for the building project. The council was worried about where money to keep the school up and running would come from once the two million dollars was spent. Plus, another $500,000 was still needed for the building project.
Father Orr explained that right now, the school is looking at a $250,000 a year budget.
“Most Catholic churches and schools, they run on bingos and that’s not really that popular with us,” said Father Orr. “So we thought, let’s take a risk, let’s do something different, something very different.”
The school council decided to invest the $50,000 in the New York-based rodeo.
“As far as I know, we’re the only Catholic school having a rodeo,” said Todd Lewis, school council member.
On June 3-5, top IRPA cowboys and cowgirls will be at St. Matthew’s School rodeo at the Huntingdon County Fairgrounds to compete for prize money and world championship points.
For more information on the Rawhide Rodeo or to download a ticket purchase form, log onto www.centralparodeo.com.
Tickets are also available at Reliance Bank, Ace Fix-It Hardware and Keith\’s Country and Western and Music Emporium.
Advanced tickets may be purchased prior to May 27 at $10 for adults and $3 for children 12 and under. Tickets at the door are $15 for adults and $5 for children 12 and under. Children under three are admitted for free.
