ProRodeo Sports News - July 28, 2023

PRORODEO YOUTH

Continuing Tradition Weekley Brothers keep hosting youth summer camps David McKissick photo The stands are full of children who took part in the Weekley Brothers Davie (Fla.) Pro Rodeo for Youth. The rodeo for youth has been taking place for 35 years.

BY JULIANNA MORGAN, Special to ProRodeo Sports News T he Weekley Brothers Davie (Fla.) Pro Rodeo has produced PRCA rodeos several times a year for decades. These rodeos include all PRCA events and the RAM Southeastern Circuit Finals in November. However, in June of each year, a special kind of rodeo happens in the town. This year, there were two performances on the last weekend of June. The Saturday night rodeo was a regular performance with a regular crowd that you would see at any other rodeo across the country. However, the Friday performance audience differed from the rest. That was because the crowd was packed with youth summer camp participants from around the area. These kids get the special opportunity to watch a ProRodeo and be the only ones in the crowd. The Davie Pro Rodeo has been hosting youth summer camps at this June rodeo for years “This is our 35th year doing the Weekley Brothers Davie Pro Rodeo for Youth,” said Troy Weekley, producer of the Davie Pro Rodeo. “Over those years we have had over 185,000 kids witness PRCA rodeos. By doing so not only have we made cowboys and cowgirls, but we also introduce them to ProRodeo and have made rodeo fans for life. While the Town of Davie was at one point a large agriculture area

with rodeo roots, the area has been built up quite a bit over the years. Therefore, even though the roots remain, a lot of the kids getting to watch the rodeo most likely would not have seen one if not for this performance. The Friday performance had all the regular ProRodeo events. Juan Alcazar won the bulldogging with 3.8-second run. Team ropers Bradley Massey/Reno Gonzales won with a 5.0-second run. Barrel racer Emilee Jackson took top honors with a 15.62-second time. While this was happening, the kids were getting to experience it all. Barrel racer Addison Roberts, from Davie, said she enjoyed competing in the performance because “it helps promote our sport and lifestyle. It also shows the kids something they don’t get to see every day.” Thirty-five years may seem like a long time, but the attendance is not slowing down by any means. This year’s rodeo had more than 4,200 kids attend. These kids are getting an opportunity to watch the rodeo firsthand for themselves and it allows them to see what the sport is all about. “It gives kids that don’t understand the lifestyle of a cowboy an opportunity to see a cowboy and it might make one of them want to be a cowboy,” said Southeastern Circuit champion and all-around cowboy Spunk Sasser. The Davie Pro Rodeo is doing its part to support this generation of cowboys and cowgirls, while at the same time, inspiring the next generation.

ProRodeo Sports News 7/28/2023

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