The contestants of the Tennessee High School Rodeo Association (THSRA) met in Memphis this weekend to officially begin the 2014-2015 rodeo season.

Over 100 cowboys and cowgirls converged at the Shelby Showplace Arena on Sept. 6-7 for rodeo competition. DeKalb County was represented by bull rider, La-Kota Luna, a junior, and Shara Adcock, a senior, who competes in team roping, breakaway roping, goat tying, pole bending, and barrel racing. Both students managed to accumulate points this weekend, getting them off to a good start for the season.

Luna scored 71 points during his ride on Sunday, earning second place honors in the bull riding event.

Adcock won the breakaway roping and the goat tying competitions on Saturday, with her career best time in goat tying with a 8.9 second run. During the Sunday rodeo, she placed first in goat tying, second in team roping, with her partner Ramsey Goolsby from Watertown, and placed sixth in the breakaway roping.

The next qualifying rodeo will be hosted by our local students and the Upper Cumberland High School Rodeo Club in Cookeville on Oct. 4 at 7 p.m. and on Oct. 5 at 10 a.m. at Hyder-Burks Ag Pavilion Arena.

The student athletes of THSRA will also host a special needs rodeo for members of the Structured Athletics for Challenged Children (SACC) organization on Oct. 4 at 2 p.m. This is a service project that the students look forward to all year, and admission is free to this event.

Please come out and support our local rodeo athletes. Weekend passes are $10 and will be available at the door.