Olds College in turmoil as students express frustration after Spring Rodeo cancelled

Students in the Olds College rodeo program are upset after the college cancelled the Spring Rodeo.

Students in the rodeo program at Olds College are frustrated and hurt after the school cancelled their Spring Rodeo late Thursday afternoon, little more than a week before the event.

The Olds College Spring Rodeo has been around for more than 50 years as part of the college’s rodeo program.

It was supposed to go March 7 and 8, but now that it’s not, rodeo competitors and local businesses are both missing out.

The on-campus rodeo features events like barrel racing, bullriding and steer wrestling. It also serves as a key fundraiser for the program.

Athletes can also compete on the collegiate circuit while getting their education.

The school notified students late Thursday afternoon the event, which brings hundreds of visitors to town, was off.

“The Olds College Spring Rodeo, scheduled for March 7-8, has been cancelled due to a sudden resignation and additional animal care requirements as part of the college’s animal use protocol,” the school said in a release. “Given the timing of both of these, Olds College has decided to cancel the event.

“As an institution, we’re disappointed to cancel the Spring Rodeo knowing the impacts this has on the student athletes, coaches, family members and friends that were planning to compete and attend the upcoming rodeo on campus.”

Sudden resignation

The “sudden resignation” the release referred to was likely Emily Pugsley, the head coach of the rodeo program, who quit Wednesday.

Pugsley said in a Friday interview with CTV News the relationship between the rodeo program and Olds College administration had been strained for a long time.

“The explanation was that the Animal Care Committee (ACC) at Olds that oversees the roles of the rodeo team were not supportive of the activities and they were not comfortable with (rodeo practices),” she said.

“The issue is that the ACC and Olds College committee are not educated in terms of rodeo -- how rodeo goes and what goes on.”

“It’s a lack of education on rodeo events,” she said. “They’re unsupportive of experts in the field, such as head coaches who were hired to coach those events and to grow the program.

“There’s never been an effort to understand rodeo and understand the rodeo program at Olds College.”

Pugsley was in her third year with the program and her first as head coach.

She was the third head coach of the program in three years.

Taylor Fitchett, from Ponoka, is in her first year in the program. She boards two horses, paying $900 a month from September to April. Fitchett said the cancellation wasn’t entirely surprising because there has been a lack of support from the school for the rodeo program from the beginning.

“It was a pretty big bummer, I can’t lie,” Fitchett said. “This is a sport that I really love. And its quite disheartening to have to fight so hard to compete in it.

“But I can’t really say we were surprised,” she added. “We’ve been having difficulties the entire semester and a few of us were expecting it.”

“We’ve had issues all year, but just this semester, we’ve had practices cancelled constantly,” she said. “My frustration is because of oversights to do with animal use protocols and stuff to do with that – we have not had the level of support needed to compete at this level, in my opinion."

According to Pugsley and several students, the rodeo program falls under the supervision of the Smart Farm program at the college, which they feel is unsupportive of rodeo in general.

“The Smart Farm is a completely different department that has taken control of the rodeo program without any knowledge of how to operate it,” Pugsley said.

A blow for community

The cancellation is a blow for Olds small businesses as well. Bulldog’s Saloon owner Darren MacDonald had big events planned for next weekend, including a band he hired from Innisfail that will have to be cancelled.

“Every small business in town will be affected now, from the guys that own the liquor stores to the gas station owners to McDonald’s to everywhere,” he said.

That includes Olds College, because MacDonald is a sponsor of the school and he wants a refund.

“I give quite a bit of money toward their program every year,” he said. “And I’m probably going to ask the college to give it back because the money that I make this (Spring Rodeo) weekend is what I turn around and give right back to the kids – it’s not like I’m trying to make extra money. I use that money for sponsorship stuff."

The bitterest pill for Olds small businesses -- and for the rodeo students, to a certain extent -- is that the rodeo is still on, but instead of taking place in Olds, it will take place in Vermillion, at Lakeland College, where they will host Canadian Collegiate Rodeo Association (CCRA) events two weekends in a row.

“They’re not a very big community, but they stepped up,” MacDonald said. “They’ll find places for everybody and now instead of having one good weekend in the spring, they’ll have two.”

No flight insurance

Al and Marci Langford live in Petrolia, Ont., 3,600 kilometres from Olds, where their daughter is in her second year in the program.

Marci booked time off work and bought plane tickets -- but no flight insurance -- to be in Olds next weekend.

They’re still coming, but this time they’re going to stay in Vermillion.

“There’s 36 kids on this team,” said Al. “It’s not one or two that got duked. They put their heart and soul into this, and they have finals that they’re building points toward, and want to be there. The part that bugs us too is they want to be there for the school, and the school wasn’t there for them.

“Secondary education is the best time of their lives – it was for us – and they’re (Olds College) not making it that way," he added.

“They’ve made it very difficult for them to enjoy what is supposed to be the best time of their life before the real world sinks in.”

‘Not what I signed up for’

Fitchett said she feels betrayed.

“This is not what I signed up for,” she said.

“If I had known we would not be able to practice or have limited practice, or limited practice stock, I probably would have chosen a different school.

“Roping is my passion, and this has severely impacted my athletic career, I would say,” she added.

“As far as college goes, it’s been a letdown for my first year of college, for sure.”

Olds statement

“The cancellation of the Spring Rodeo is of no fault of the student athletes,” Olds College said in its statement. “Olds College takes full responsibility for this disruption and is committed to improving the program supporting the athletes that represent the College so well.

“The college is aware of the contributions that the rodeo program makes within the community and also recognizes the complexities of operating a successful college-sponsored rodeo program on campus.

“Broncos Athletics will be working with the Canadian Collegiate Rodeo Association (CCRA) to determine if the event can be rescheduled. Any updates related to the schedule will be posted to the gobroncos.ca.

“Broncos Athletics and the College community appreciate your patience as we navigate this cancellation and support our Rodeo Team for the remainder of the season and into next year.”

Brody Groves, from Czar, Alta., is finishing up his second year in the rodeo program at Olds College but said he was frustrated by the cancellation of practices which made him question his decision to go to school in Olds rather than attending rodeo school in the U.S.

“Right now, I feel like – and I know a whole bunch of kids on our team will back me –it’s just—they’ve got a great facility here, they’ve got everything but the support’s not there," Groves said. “I think I would have been better (off) looking at different places, rather than just setting my mind on Olds and coming, knowing what I do now.

“Just because it’s so hard to try and keep going and keep going and just get nowhere.”

Olds College responds

Early Friday evening, Olds College responded with the following statement:

“Animal welfare at Olds College is a shared effort by everyone involved in the handling and the use of animals,” said Todd Ormann, vice-president external relations and research. “The Smart Farm oversees general livestock care, while the rodeo program, operating under athletics, assumes responsibility for the animals during scheduled practices and competitive events.

“Use of animals for rodeo activities is approved by the Olds College Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC), following protocols developed by the rodeo program for a rodeo-specific Animal Use Protocol.

“The purpose of developing a rodeo-specific Animal Use Protocol is to ensure that Olds College Broncos are a leader in North America for Post Secondary Rodeo.

“The Olds College IACUC is comprised of individuals with significant livestock experience across industry, academic and veterinary sectors, all of whom are committed to establishing processes that ensure the welfare of the animals used in rodeo and thus the success of both the college and rodeo program.

“While we recognize that the college’s approach is unique, we believe it will result in a more resilient rodeo program that emphasizes student excellence while maintaining a high level of animal care.

“Unfortunately, not all parties supported these processes, which led to the current impasse. As a college, we remain dedicated to building a solid, sustainable rodeo program and are committed to working through these challenges.

“With the dedication of many at the college to explore every available option, we are pleased to have found a path forward to continue the rodeo and appreciate the individuals who have stepped up during this difficult situation to find solutions to keep practices moving.

“Rodeo is a vital part of our campus and always will be.”

When asked why it was OK to hold the rodeo at Lakeland College but not at Olds, a spokesperson said, “Lakeland has their own practices that meet rodeo standards.”

With files from CTV’s Camilla Di Giuseppe