Perrin Rodeo Team is hosting the North Texas High School Rodeo event at the Mineral Wells Rodeo Arena, September 27th and 28th and a “PeeWee” Rodeo the 28th promising a fun, action packed event for all ages.
The current Perrin Rodeo Team began during the 2023-2024 school year with just seven athletes and one sponsor, the first team in several years according to current sponsors, Amy and Josh Donegan. Since, it has grown, adding several new members as both athletes and sponsors. Amy Donegan gave a little background info on not only the Perrin Team but the North Texas High School Rodeo Association as well, adding, “NTHSRA lets willing schools host the rodeos, so the kids get to see what it is like to produce a rodeo. They must hire all the contract help, decide on what awards will be given, run the concession stand, and help run the rodeo over the two days it is going on. This allows the team to see all the aspects that go into producing a rodeo.”
The Donegan’s were able to get Perrin to host a rodeo last season, as their daughter Marli joined the team as a freshman. Both Amy and Josh came from rodeo backgrounds and generations of rodeo families, so it made sense that they would be able to pull it off. They explained the steps they took, “With everyone on board, we started working on things needed to make our team successful. Firstly, we came up with our purpose, which is to encourage the sport of rodeo and preserving the western heritage while instilling responsibility, work ethic, and team building skills in high school athletes that will last a lifetime. We started with fundraisers to get our 501c3 status with the IRS, created a team logo, and got sponsors for our first rodeo last April.” The Donegan’s followed up on the success of the first event by adding, “With a great team of kids, with outstanding family members we were able to host a rodeo that had 304 entries. We also hosted a “Pee Wee” rodeo for kids 7 and under. It was a huge success in promoting the sport of rodeo to young kids. We were very proud of our team at the end of our rodeo last season.”
Though the Perrin Team is small, they are mighty. Compared to the 30-plus members that some schools have, Perrin’s five-person team of sponsors made it one of the most organized and popular rodeos of the season with the help of the athletes and their families as well. The success of the season didn’t even with a great event, and Perrin Rodeo sent two athletes to the finals last year as well.
This season’s event at the end of September, hopes to follow up the success of the event last year. The first night of action is September 27th beginning at 8 pm and then will conclude the following night with events beginning at 5 pm. The “PeeWee” rodeo events will begin at 10 am on the 28th and will not only be for rodeo athletes seven years and younger but will also accommodate special needs children ages ten and under. This came as one of the Perrin Team members has a younger sister that is autistic. Their mother, who is one of the board members added, board, “My Daughter is autistic, and she had fun with the ribbon pulling and stick horse race, so we wanted to make it available to other children like her.”
Donegan concluded by adding, “We are very excited to work with the Palo Pinto County Livestock Association and rent their arena. This will give us the opportunity to host the rodeo close to home where we can get support from our community. It also gives the other members of the NTHSRA a chance to rodeo in different arenas. We want to bring back the experience of competing in an outdoor arena with the stands packed with their peers and family. We hope this rodeo can be an annual event held in Mineral Wells.”
