CHADRON, Neb. – The Chadron State College rodeo team will be back in action beginning this weekend when the spring portion of the Central Rocky Mountain Region's season opens at Gillette College on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, March 20-22.

A strong group of upperclassmen and women makes CSC head coach Lane Day optimistic that his team will do well. 

The team's leader during the five rodeos last fall was senior Cinch Kiger of Overton, Nebraska. He won the bareback riding at three of those rodeos and was the runner-up in the event at the remaining two. 

Kiger finished the fall schedule with 775 points, 250 more than the nearest contender in the event. The top three individuals in each event qualify for the College National Finals Rodeo in Casper each June. 

Sophomore Tanner Olson of Gordon placed fourth in bareback riding twice last fall and had an 80-point ride, the kind that is needed to become a national contender.
  
Senior Bridget Romey of Hot Springs is a contender to qualify for the CNFR at the halfway point in the season. She is third in the region's barrel racing standings with 260 points after placing fourth in that event at Chadron State's rodeo last September, winning the championship at the second rodeo at Central Wyoming College at Riverton and having the second fastest time in the long go-round at the third rodeo at Sheridan College.

Romey and her gray gelding, Six, also had strong runs at the final two rodeos last fall, but knocked over a barrel at both of them. The barrel racing draws about 100 contestants at every rodeo.

Four CSC tie down ropers, Seth Glass of Sidney, Sid Miller of Merna, Nebraska, Layne Palmer of Kadoka, S.D., and Pepper Rhyne of Craig, Colorado, all placed at least once in that event last fall. So did breakaway roper Makayla Wray of Ord, Nebraska, who caught her calves in 2.6 and 3.7 seconds to place fourth among 101 entries at the Lamar College Rodeo.

The Chadron State team will compete in five rodeos this spring before any potential national qualifiers then move on to the College National Finals Rodeo in Casper. The spring dates will see CSC travel to Gillette College (March 20-22), Eastern Wyoming College in Torrington (March 27-29), Colorado State University, held in Loveland (April 10-12), Casper College (April 17-19) and the University of Wyoming (April 24-26).