The Rushmore Plaza Civic Center in Rapid City will play host to the 20X (twenty-ex) High School Rodeo Showcase this Sunday afternoon. This one-of-a-kind rodeo extravaganza pegs the top three performers from each of the ten events of last year’s rodeo rankings.
According to South Dakota High School Rodeo Executive Secretary Ann Sundermann, the 20X Rodeo Showcase is unique, because it gives the kids the atmosphere of a big stage event.
"They get to perform in the same arena that the pro rodeo is performing in that week. They have a professional rodeo is performing in that week. They have a professional announcer, they have professional sound, they have the big screen, they have the professional clown acts and personnel," explained Sundermann. "So it’s one of the biggest shows that these kids will ever get to perform in, if they don’t go on beyond high school."
Because the event pulls the top performers of high school from the previous year, no freshman compete at the event. The 20X high school rodeo showcase has been going on since 2003, and it is always the first Sunday of the Black Hills Stock Show.
South Dakota has pretty deep roots when it comes to a rodeo culture, and it extends to all corners of the state in some way shape or form. Like most high school sports and activities, rodeo is extremely popular and heavily followed by parents, communities, and fans.
"I think that rodeo in general touches everybody in the state in some way," said Sundermann. There’s a comradery there that’s passed on, and has been passed on from generation to generation. These kids and these parents will do anything to see someone succeed – and not just someone from their own family either.
This year’s 20X High School Rodeo Showcase will begin at 1 pm MT. For more information visit sdhsra.com.
