DEVILS LAKE – More than four months of hard work paid off in full this past weekend for Devils Lake Rodeo Club.
Of course, he didn’t have to tell Brandon Padilla, the president of the Devils Lake Rodeo Club, such a statement. Since the creation of the Devils Lake Rodeo Club in April, Padilla wanted to bring the sport back to an old hotspot: Devils Lake.
Along with the Abrahamson Rodeo Company, Padilla and the Devils Lake Rodeo Club saw their dream come true September 9-11 when the Devils Lake Chute Out Rodeo packed the stands at Burdick Arena for a weekend of non-stop action.
Padilla understood the obstacles between fulfilling rodeo responsibilities and working his current full-time job with the City of Devils Lake. But he also recognized the reward of helping to organize such an event.
And the reward was more than productive. If anything, it was also memorable.
“It’s been a lot of work,” Padilla said. “It’s been 20 to 30 hours a week on top of my full-time job, between everyone at the rodeo club. Between bringing everyone we need here to help and putting on the show and making it a good show, there’s been a lot of phone calls and a lot of emails sent out, and it’s been a lot of head scratching about how we were going to make some things work. In general, it has been good. It is a lot of work. It’s a lot of legwork to put on this event.”
293 contestants officially participated in the three-day rodeo event. Approximately 80 sponsors and an added $20,000 prize pool helped increase the competitive appeal.
Kyle Abrahamson, the owner of the Abrahamson Rodeo Company, knew the history of the Devils Lake rodeo succinctly. Ever since sitting in the seats of Burdick Arena itself during his childhood, Abrahamson longed to find that experience once again.
For Abrahamson, the atmosphere helped define the experience almost perfectly.
“The energy in this building,” Abrahamson said. “It’s one of the few rodeos we do each year in a building. Everyone is up. It is a closed place. I mean, the energy in this building… You talk to two guys who rode here 25 years ago, and they’ll ask you what their favorite rodeos are, and they’ll always say Devils Lake. And there’s been enough of a break now. A lot of these contestants and riders and stuff, they’ve never raced here before. So they haven’t had that experience of a three-day week at Devils Lake. So, I know a lot of people are looking forward to that.”
After starting out in the rodeo industry at age six, Padilla, now 29, has gotten involved in the sport in more ways than one. And so it was only natural that Padilla would bring the sport he has come to love back to the same community where the now-dissolved Lake Region Rodeo Club made its mark for nearly three decades.
For Padilla, the opportunity to bring the sport back to Devils Lake through the Devils Lake Rodeo Club and the Abrahamson Rodeo Company could not be taken for granted. After all, hosting the Devils Lake Chute Out Rodeo might just be the thing that helps youngsters find their love of the sport.
For Padilla, the future of the sport means as much as the current state of the sport. And so, providing young people with a local avenue to experience a rodeo made sense.
“All the little kids you see when you talk about the rodeo, their eyes light up,” Padilla said. “Everyone loves to go to a good rodeo. Just by hosting this event this year, we’ve gotten a lot of kids who are eager to help out in any way they can, and that’s the main reason we did this: to give the community an event to look forward to, to be entertained and also such once opening people’s eyes to doors opening on the western lifestyle and western heritage in the sport we all love in the name of rodeo.”
According to Padilla, such a successful turnout for the Devils Lake Chute Out Rodeo could lead to a future rodeo event at Devils Lake in 2023. Still, the 2022 performance couldn’t have created a more memorable atmosphere.
For Abrahamson and Padilla, the event was what they needed to signal the return of rodeo to the region.
“It’s just electric, I guess,” Abrahamson said. “You pack the stands at the Burdick Arena here, and there’s an 85-point bull ride. I mean, there’s so much energy here like you’re in a big stadium. People enjoy the rodeo. The nice thing about here is that many places will only cheer for a bull rider. Here, I mean, if there’s a barrel racer who does a steamy race and is in first place, you know, they get as much applause as the guy who scored 85 points on a bull.
“It’s amazing how supportive the community has turned out to be for us on sponsorship, and it will be great to see how supportive the community is for us on attendance as far as fans go,” Padilla said. “It is going to be an outstanding event in every way. I think this has been a sought after and expected event in the Lake District now that it’s back and now that it’s here.”
John Crane is a sports/general assignment reporter for the Devils Lake Journal. Feel free to contact John via work phone (701-922-1372), cell phone (701-230-4339), email ([email protected]), Instagram (johnbcranesports) or Twitter (@johncranesports) with any story idea.
Source: www.devilslakejournal.com