<body><div><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=2xMeuG_1E2cI1Rp00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2xMeuG_1E2cI1Rp00" width="1200" height="600" >POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. (Heartland News) - As one of southeast Missouri’s biggest rodeos brings competitors and fans to Sikeston this week, the fight to preserve a part of the sport’s future continues just down the road.Supporters of the Three Rivers College rodeo program say they are still working to reverse the school’s decision to eliminate the program.TRC announced last month that it was cutting the program due to low enrollment, but advocates are actively communicating with school administrators to find common ground and bring the team back to the Poplar Bluff campus.“This is farmers and ranchers coming together and rodeo enthusiasts who feel like we should be represented in terms of an athletic program,” said Joyce Rehkop, a former TRC agriculture instructor who is leading the charge. “We have a group that has been diligently working on getting the rodeo back. We’ve submitted proposals to the administration.”Rehkop said the group’s proposals include forming a dedicated booster club to help the program achieve long-term financial sustainability.“What we’re working at sustainably is to, as a formed booster club, to help recruit, to pay NIRA [National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association] memberships, to assist in any way, shape, or form with major fundraising to where we can pay for more scholarships,” Rehkop said.While nothing has been finalized, college leaders say discussions are moving in a positive direction.In a statement, Three Rivers College President Wesley Payne said, “We have been presented a proposal that is being seriously discussed. A follow-up meeting is in the process of being scheduled to further refine the proposal and move forward in partnership.”Rehkop pointed to the massive crowd turnout at this week’s Sikeston Jaycee Bootheel Rodeo as proof of the region’s deep connection to the sport.“Right now over in Sikeston... they expect 10,000 people a night at that event,” Rehkop said. “And so that’s telling you how much support this event has, this sport has in this community.”She added that collegiate programs like TRC’s are vital because they serve as a launching pad for future professional athletes.“The person who won the short round in saddle bronc riding last night at the Sikeston Rodeo was a former Three Rivers Community College alumnus,” Rehkop noted.Supporters say they have no plans of slowing down until the team is officially reinstated.“We don’t foresee us quitting,” Rehkop said. “Agriculture people don’t quit.”</div></body>

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POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. (Heartland News) - As one of southeast Missouri’s biggest rodeos brings competitors and fans to Sikeston this week, the fight to preserve a part of the sport’s future continues just down the road. Supporters of the Three Rivers College rodeo program say they are still...

Push to reinstate Three River College’s Rodeo Program continues

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POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. (Heartland News) - As one of southeast Missouri’s biggest rodeos brings competitors and fans to Sikeston this week, the fight to preserve

Push to reinstate Three River College’s Rodeo Program continues

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