Red Bluff Hosts California Junior High Finals Rodeo
The Red Bluff Round-Up played host to the California Junior High School State Finals last weekend. The top four cowboys and cowgirls in each of fourteen events qualifies for the National Junior High Finals Rodeo in June. Photo by Larry Smith.
Red Bluff, Calif. (May 15, 2017) – Last weekend, the Tehama Distr. Fairgrounds in Red Bluff, Calif. hosted the California Junior High Finals Rodeo.
The finals have been held in Plymouth, Calif. since 2008, and the move to Red Bluff was beneficial, said Ken Paddock, state president of the California High School Rodeo Association, which also oversees the junior high division.
There is more stall space in Red Bluff, which allows for more horses to be accommodated for. And the Tehama Distr. Fairgrounds has two indoor arenas, so in case of rain, competition can be moved indoors.
Red Bluff has multiple hotels, motels and restaurants, which is also an advantage. Plymouth had one hotel, so families were driving twenty-plus miles to the next closest lodging.
The Red Bluff Round-Up and the Red Bluff Bull and Gelding Sale paid for the cost of the fairgrounds, which was another incentive to move to Red Bluff, Paddock said. “We appreciate what they’re doing, and we know they are helping us out to the fullest extent. It’s getting very expensive to run these rodeos and we don’t have a lot of extra funds.”
About 200 junior high rodeo athletes competed at state finals, the top four in each of fourteen events (boys’ breakaway roping, girls’ breakaway roping, boys’ goat tying, girls’ goat tying, tie-down roping, chute dogging, bull riding, barrel racing, pole bending, team roping, ribbon roping, saddle bronc steer riding, bareback riding and light rifle .22 competition) qualify for the National Junior High Finals Rodeo, which will be held in Lebanon, Tennessee, June 18-24.
The Red Bluff Round-Up’s 97th anniversary will be April 20-22, 2018. More information on the Round-Up can be found at RedBluffRoundup.com.