May Steals the Thunder in Home Stadium

The chance to represent your school at home, inside Canvas Stadium. Your name is announced and more than 10,000 people roar their approval for the lone Ram.

And it was all for McKinlee May, a junior on the Colorado State rodeo team. Normally a facility devoted to the football team on fall weekends, for the second year it was converted into a rodeo arena. After the success of the Professional Bull Riders event last season, the lightbulbs started going off and this year's return opened up with the Collegiate All-Star Rodeo.

One of the last set of riders to finish the event, May and her horse, Vela, rode into the arena to thunderous applause and exited with the final win of the session, working the barrels in a time just a nose past 17 seconds.

A bit of a surreal moment for the girl from Bozeman, Mont.

"Oh my gosh, yeah. That was … I just felt so touched being the hometown cowgirl and everybody screaming," May said after she had walked Vela back to the trailer. "And earlier today, the football team was there cheering me on at practice. I just felt so supported, and I honestly think that's why we went out there and she just flat ran."

The event was put together by Learfield College Rodeo, with Hope Talkington doing all in her power to help pull it off. Talkington, who serves as Learfield's digital rodeo content manager, spends most of her days as a partnership services manager for Rams Sports Properties. She directed major credit to Shelby Rasmussen in the Learfield rodeo offices as being the main push by using her contacts at PBR to make the event come to life.

It required multiple hours, but it was a labor of love for Talkington, who grew up around rodeo.

"I love seeing it all come together. I love seeing it for the college athletes," Talkington said. "I love seeing all the hard work that went behind it from the Learfield College Rodeo team.

"The looks on all the college athletes' faces when they walked in this morning and getting their jerseys and being a part of a team and seeing the coaches and everything, it's all very rewarding to see."

Performers from 19 colleges took part, separated into teams of 12, North vs. South, in a race to 14 points, cowboys and cowgirls from each team competing one-on-one for points and a share of a $120,000 prize to the winning team.

The North walked away with the win, sealing it with victories in the first two rounds of the barrel racing before May and her ride took center stage for the South.

It's an event where the relationship between rider and horse is critical. Despite their lack of time together, May and Vela rose to the occasion. Her normal horse is currently injured, and she recently had to borrow Vela back from a friend. That was just few weeks ago, and just six months ago, Vela was primarily a pack horse, moving cows and elk off mountains. On top of that, May said she's a bleeder, meaning blood can come up from the lungs and affect breathing.

None of that was an issue on Friday night, in front of a packed house, an energy she felt both parts of the equation tapped into in a positive way.

"I honestly, I think tonight that's the best she's ever felt," May said. "I'm shook. I really am. I'm so surprised. I mean, she's a fantastic horse. I give all the credit to her. You just look at her and she's just an athlete, and so she's built for it. So just pure genetics at that point. And I just got to put my hand down and trust her.

"A little bit tonight I had to help her out. Normally I don't have to help her at all, and that was a plus to you guys cheering so loud, even got my horse frazzled."

It was just the second time May has been inside Canvas Stadium, the first time being for freshman orientation. Excuse her, as she's incredibly busy pulling off being a 4.0 student majoring in equine science. On top of that, she's training her five horses, getting up at 5 a.m. each day to do so before heading to classes.

The school year might honestly be the section of the calendar when she has down time, because it's certainly not during rodeo season.

When the sun rises Saturday morning, she and a friend, Maci DeHaan, will be off to the next stop, the Glacier Chase back home, with events Saturday and Sunday, as long as Vela is up to the challenge. They've put 50,000 miles on the truck this year alone.

"I love it. I love it to death because me and my best friend travel. And it's like none other," May said. "We get to enjoy each other, travel down the road. It's a lot of early mornings, late nights, taking care of horses, sacrificing your time. Like, I can't tell you how bad my back hurts just sitting in the truck and sacrificing my sleep to make sure (the horses) are fresh, ready to go. Tight legs, good muscles, like whatever they need really.

"So we get the privilege though of in the summer we can see each other. And then we're in the same rodeo region. So we get to see each other on the weekends, and it's great."

Talkington knows the life, the sacrifices, which made the night even more special. It's a sport competed mostly out of the spotlight, especially at the collegiate level.

So the crowd spurring each of them on and tipping their caps to each performance was exactly what she hoped to see. And hopes to see again.

"It's great. It's fantastic. It's nice to see that college rodeo is on this big of a stage," said Talkington, whose uncle, Don Kocis is in the CSU Rodeo Hall of Fame. "It's great to see college rodeo be on this big of a stage and get this much recognition and have it be in a stadium this big is huge. And seeing the look on the athletes' faces tonight when all the attendees are in here is amazing."

Saturday's early alarm seemed so far off in the moment. It's a daily occurrence for May, but Friday night was not.

Her school's football stadium turned into a rodeo arena. A large and supportive crowd, one which saved the peak of their collective voices for one of their own.

It was something May had ever experienced before, but one she hopes to share in the future.

"It was super. I don't know what that looks like for CSU rodeo, but I talked to people here, and they don't even know we have a rodeo team," May said. "To me who, this is my whole life, and I commit everything to it, I'm like, why don't we get the hype that the football team does? So I'd love to see this keep going.

"I'd love to be here again. I'd love to see some more CSU girls make it on here and get some more representation out here."

Bulls and Beats continues at Canvas Stadium on Saturday and Sunday, with the Team Events season opening up for PBR, each day followed by a concert. Bailey Zimmerman takes the stage Saturday, while Miranda Lambert closes out the three days Sunday afternoon.

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May Steals the Thunder in Home Stadium

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