This story was sponsored by the Swiftel Center.

The South Dakota State University rodeo team will kick up the dust at the 65th annual Jackrabbit Stampede Rodeo Friday, April 5 and Saturday, April 6, at the Swiftel Center in Brookings, SD. Sixteen colleges in the Great Plains Region will bring more than 300 contestants to Brookings for three action-packed rodeo performances.

Tickets are on sale now at the Swiftel Center Ticket Office, by phone 800-745-3000 and online at Ticketmaster.com. Advance tickets are $20 for adults, $12 for children, and $14 for SDSU students. Prices increase day-of-show. For every ticket purchased, $3 goes directly back to the SDSU Jackrabbit Stampede Rodeo team.

Attendees will watch intense rodeo action with the initial competition beginning at 7 p.m. Friday, April 5, and continues Saturday at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. This two-day event is a National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association approved rodeo featuring events such as:

• Bareback Riding
• Breakaway Roping
• Tie Down Roping
• Saddle Bronc Riding
• Steer Wrestling
• Goat Tying
• Team Roping
• Barrel Racing
• Bull Riding

On Friday and Saturday night performances, the first 50 kids who visit the Jackrabbit Stampede booth will get a free poster that can be autographed by rodeo team members after the performance. Attendees are encouraged to get to the Swiftel Center early because this special offer will go fast.

SDSU rodeo participants compete in 10 rodeos during the year in the Great Plains Region, five in the spring and five in the fall. The team travels 5,500 miles around South Dakota, North Dakota, Iowa, Wisconsin and Nebraska representing SDSU. The SDSU club started in 1952 with 40 students meeting in the basement of the South Dakota Agricultural Heritage Museum and 10 of them traveled to compete. Today, the rodeo club has grown to a 60-member club with more than 40 team members competing in rodeos throughout the year.

The South Dakota State University (SDSU) Rodeo Club is involved in the production of the SDSU Jackrabbit Stampede Rodeo as well as other fundraising rodeo practices.