Rodeo state finals return to J.B. Wells Arena

Get ready for an armada of pickup trucks, horse trailers and luxury RVs sweeping into Gonzales this weekend as the Texas Junior High Rodeo Association State Finals makes its annual stop at the J.B. Wells Arena.

The TJHRA State Finals, which will feature 11 different events for upwards of 1,000 sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade performers, will bring lots of kids, parents, fun times and fierce competition to the arena.

“Whether you rodeo or not, this is a big event for our community,” Gonzales city manager Allen Barnes proclaims. “I don’t think we, as a community, realize how important an event this is for our town.

“Our community benefits greatly by hosting this event. Not only do the TJHRA Finals provide good family entertainment, but we get to see the future stars of rodeo,” Barnes says.

“The rodeo families will visit our shops and restaurants, they will shop at our H-E-B and Walmart, and they will inject money into our economy. They will see our wonderful sites as well.”

As many as 4,500 spectators are expected to attend the event, which runs from Saturday, May 26, through Saturday, June 2.

“We will also draw people to the rodeos from our area as well. The TJHRA has contestants from Gonzales, but they also have contestants from our area. In short, the TJHRA State Finals will continue to make Gonzales a great place to live, to visit and to enjoy,” Barnes believes.

As one can imagine, the competition to reach the national finals in Gallup, N.M., is extremely tough when the state’s best reach Gonzales, which is the only home the state finals has ever known.

Barnes is quick to point out that with 2012 being a bid year to return the event to Gonzales and the city facing formidable competition for the Finals from much larger cities, the importance of the TJHRA and the Finals is magnified, and he is calling on Gonzales residents to demonstrate their support for the Finals.

“These kids who participate in the rodeo are good kids who work as hard as any other athlete to develop their skills,” he says. “We need to present a great and welcoming environment for these kids and their families.”

The week of competition will not only provide quality entertainment for Gonzales residents, but because of RFD-TV, will take the Finals and Gonzales onto the national stage. Gonzales and the J.B. Wells Arena will be the point of focus for a national audience as RFD-TV spends the week covering the event.

“These kids in other states who will compete against the Texas kids will be watching from across the country, as will the decision makers for the National Finals,” Barnes says.

Barnes expects RFD-TV to also take the opportunity to turn its cameras on the community as well, highlighting the quality of life in Gonzales and the other events — such as the Summer Concert Series which begins its five-week run on Friday, June 1 — that make the city particularly desirable for other events and visitors alike.

“All these opportunities for exposure might make our attempts to get other rodeos and to bring other visitors to town easier,” he says.

While the state finals will feature competitors from throughout the state, Gonzales is no stranger to rodeo excellence on the sport’s biggest stage. The Gonzales junior high rodeo team won the 2011 national team title last June in Gallup, and added the girls and boys championships for good measure.

The TJHRA has 10 regions throughout Texas representing thousands of members. From those 10 regions, only the Top 10 in each event qualify for the state finals. At the state finals, only the top four kids advance to the national finals scheduled for June 24-30 in northwestern New Mexico, where they compete with contestants from all over the United States as well as Canada and Australia.