The 2022 Annual Rodeo Week at Ride On Center for Kids, or ROCK as the organization is known, has come to another successful end.
βRodeo Week is our annual celebration specifically for all of our participants to celebrate all of the work that they do throughout the year,β Olivia Coleman, PATH Certified Riding Instructor at ROCK, told Hello Georgetown. βSo, itβs an opportunity for them to kind of show off their riding skills, have fun playing games in the arena, and then ultimately earning an award and a t-shirt.β
The 23rd annual Rodeo Week took place from May 2 through May 2. Rodeo Week is a highlight for ROCK riders, many of whom, Coleman said, donβt typically get to participate in competitive sports outside their time at the riding center.
βA lot of our participants donβt have opportunities to compete in sports outside of ROCK, a lot of them donβt get the opportunity to go to the horse shows that we do offer, and so this kind of covers that,β Coleman said. βRiders look forward to this event all year long and weβll hang on to those trophies for life.β
Coleman said the annual games are classically rodeo themed and adjusted to the ability levels of the rider. Some of the activities include barrel racing, steer head roping, giant tic-tac-toe, and more.
βThere is actually a new one and itβs a pole bending game where riders are racing down to stack hats on either a volunteer or their instructor,β Coleman said. βThe riders have loved the addition of that game this year, and itβs pretty funny to watch everybody get all these silly hats stacked on top of their heads.β
Whatβs universal across all the games is joy and enthusiasm amongst the riders. Coleman said seeing each rider participate, and receive their prizes, is the best part of the whole week.
βI was watching the first group get presented their trophies and t-shirts and their faces, I mean, the joy and excitement that they have receiving that trophy is absolutely priceless,β Coleman said. βI was like, βI could stand here, all day every day, this week, and that would be my favorite spot is just to watch those participants get their trophies and know that they did a good job.β
The event and the subsequent memories made by everyone who participates, Coleman emphasized, is made possible thanks to the many community partners who support the mission of ROCK.
βROCK relies heavily on our friends in the community and we rely heavily on our volunteers,β Coleman said. βWe could not do what we do out here without community support and volunteers. We have a couple of really great sponsors who sponsor the event annually, and so thatβs how weβre able to purchase the trophies and t-shirts for all of our participants. Weβre really lucky to have such great partners in the community.β
Learn more about ROCK (Ride On Center for Kids) on their website, Facebook page or Instagram.
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