Rough stock riders on the Mid-Plains Community College Rodeo Team will be able to practice year-round thanks to the generosity of the Phillipsburg Rodeo Committee.
The committee presented six bucking chutes to Dustin Elliott, MPCC Rodeo Team rough stock coach, and Garrett Nokes, MPCC Rodeo Team timed event coach, during the first performance of Kansas’ Biggest Rodeo on Thursday night in Phillipsburg, Kan.
“The chutes are something we have really needed,” said Elliott. “I think this donation reaffirms that support for our rodeo team is continuing to grow from all areas.”
The chutes had been used at the Phillipsburg Rodeo since the mid ’80s. They were replaced in May as part of a series of upgrades to the arena and surrounding area.
“It was always our intention to give them to a college,” said Steve Christy, Phillipsburg Rodeo Committee member. “We wanted the chutes kept together, so started asking around to see if anyone could use them.”
One of the calls made was to Nokes.
“My wife Deb and I had connections to the MPCC Rodeo Team,” Steve said. “We put on a fundraising rodeo for the college in March. One of the kids from Phillipsburg was on the rodeo team, and Deb has helped some of the team’s barrel racers.”
He said the chutes were replaced with a style easier to operate and similar to the kind used at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo.
“For us, getting the old chutes is pretty exciting,” Nokes said. “We’re lucky to receive them because they’re a high dollar item. They’re going to be a huge asset to our program.”
Up to this point, the rodeo team hasn’t had a place to practice rough stock events during the winter. It’s been able to practice timed events at the Kiplinger Arena in McCook, but the facility doesn’t have bucking chutes – something that was also a challenge when the team had its rodeo in March.
“The Kiplinger facility is second to none in about a three-state area,” said Nokes. “However, the contractor used for our rodeos has been dependent on who can bring the chutes. It’s been kind of a pain.”
The idea is to set up the Phillipsburg chutes in the Kiplinger. They are currently stationary, but Nokes is working with the McCook Community College welding department to add wheels so the equipment can be mobile.
“Then we can move them in and out, and the chutes won’t be in the way of other people renting the building,” said Nokes. “Also, while the chutes will primarily be used in McCook, we could run them to North Platte if we needed to or rent them to others.”
The chutes will be picked up from Phillipsburg at a future date. Nokes anticipates they could be in use by late fall.