As readers look at this week’s column, the International Finals Youth Rodeo has only four performances remaining. The contestants compete Thursday morning beginning at 9 and in the evening starting at 7:30 p.m. and Friday morning again at 9.
That will complete the second round and each of the nearly 800 contestants will have had an opportunity to compete in each of the events they entered.
The final performance begins at 7:30 Friday night and that will bring down the curtain on the 32nd IFYR. The final competition features the top 15 plus ties in each of the events at the conclusion of Friday morning’s performance.
From information I learned earlier in the week, there are around 800 contestants competing this year. That number is about the same as a year ago, an Expo Center official has indicated to me.
But when you consider the number of all the family and friends these contestants bring with them each each year to Shawnee and this area, that makes a significant impact. First and foremost this rodeo would not be possible to pull off if it weren’t for the sizable number of volunteers who take their time to help make sure it happens.
This year Pottawatomie County commissioners have worked closely with IPRA Executive Director and IFYR General Manager Dale Yerigan along with all the volunteers to pull this together and continue to the solid tradition this event has brought to Shawnee and the surrounding area.
Featuring more than 1,000 entries from 35 states and provinces, this diverse group of athletes has gathered in Shawnee, Oklahoma, for the 33rd year of the IFYR. The event is one of the richest youth rodeos in the sport, awarding nearly $250,000 in cash and prizes in 2024.
The Civic and Cultural Development Authority years ago approved the IFYR as one of three Legacy events at the Expo Center supposedly ensuring that it and the other two are protected and continue in the future.
The other two events are the annual Pottawatomie County Free Fair that is coming up in September and the annual Pottawatomie County Junior Livestock Show held the first week in March each year.
According to studies conducted by Oklahoma State University, the economic impact of the IFYR to the region is more than $5 million.
When one thinks about it, when combined those three events at the Expo Center involve a lot of people, hundreds of volunteers and create excitement for the communities throughout the area.