Cowboys and Kids assemblies get Clovis students rarin’ to go to Clovis Rodeo

The 103rd Clovis Rodeo will be held next weekend and Clovis Unified students are ready to be entertained after getting a crash course in rodeo this week.

Elementary school students at eight campuses learned a few lessons in cowboy conduct — like show respect, make good choices and say ‘no’ to bullying — during Cowboys and Kids assemblies.

The children also learned the basic rules of various rodeo events so they can be active spectators at the Clovis Rodeo beginning with the PBR Bull Riding competition Thursday.

Test yourself on some of the rodeo trivia the kids learned, according to Janet Lemmons, who has been a Cowboys and Kids presenter for 15 years. (Scroll slowly; answers appear below.)

1. In team roping, two cowboys use a rope, called a lariat, to catch a steer. The _______ must catch the steer around the horns, head or neck, while the _______ must catch the steer by its two hind legs.

2. Barrel racing is primarily a rodeo event for women. Contestants must ride their horses in a _______ pattern around three 55-gallon drums.

3. In bull riding events, bulls have to buck for 8 seconds. The average bull will buck for a total of _______ minutes per year.

4. _________ is the only rodeo event that was developed solely for the rodeo arena and has no direct tie to ranch duties.

5. In bareback riding and saddle bronc riding events, up to _____ points can be awarded to the cowboy and _____ points can be awarded to the animal. A perfect score has never been done in the sport of rodeo in these two events.

This story was originally published April 21, 2017 at 2:58 PM with the headline "Cowboys and Kids assemblies get Clovis students rarin’ to go to Clovis Rodeo."