The Internationa Finals Youth Rodeo wrapped up July 15 at the Heart of Oklahoma Expo Center in Shawnee. The event wouldn’t have been possible without the 600 volunteers who helped plan and run one of the largest rodeos in the country.
IFYR has many different volunteer opportunities, from camp area volunteers who help take care of people at the campgrounds, to the stalling committee, who cares for the horses. IFYR requires hundreds of volunteers to make sure the event runs smoothly. Besides a free ticket to a performance and an IFYR T-shirt, the volunteers do not get paid.
Among the volunteers are Tommy and Linda Carpenter, managers of the Message Center at IFYR, who have spent years volunteering at IFYR during the summer. “Probably 20 plus years,” Tommy Carpenter said. “We’ve been in charge of this building for 11 years.” Carpenter was a cowboy back in his day, and although he doesn’t compete anymore, he enjoys the newest generation of rodeo contestants. They’re good, honest, hard-working kids,” Carpenter said. “I get here at seven in the morning, and these kids are all out here in the barns taking care of their horses.”
Their volunteering for IFYR began over six months ago, back in December, when the volunteers began meeting to discuss plans for the 2022 rodeo. In May, the Carpenters began asking local businesses for items for the IFYR welcome bags, which every participant receives. “They put coupons, flyers. We put together a welcome bag, and each contestant is issued one. Freddy’s gave a free one-topping sundae to every contestant that came,” Tommy said.
Not only do the welcome bags provide a great resource for the participants, but Shawnee businesses also see a substantial economic boost during the week of IFYR. “This is probably their busiest single week of the year,” Carpenter said. “This and the week of Christmas,” Linda added. The welcome bags provide free advertising for local Shawnee businesses, and rodeo participants can enjoy free or discounted products at local restaurants and businesses.
The Carpenters also gather contact information for all participants. The contact information helps with the event lost and found, consolidates emergency contact information, and gives information to the media if they want to interview a contestant. This year, the Carpenters collected contact information for over 600 contestants.
Updating performance results is the most important task the Carpenters do in the Message Center. As the week progresses, the Message Center works to post results in real-time. Updated performance results are essential to the rodeo because contestants must know when they perform next. Participants come in and out of the Message Center building each day to look at their results posted along the walls.
Carpenter said he volunteers for the rodeo because he loves the kids. “They’re very polite; they all come from a rural background. He said his favorite part about IFYR is working with the kids. “Just getting to communicate and deal with the young people.” His love for the kids was evident as he talked about a young man who signed a rodeo college scholarship earlier in the week. “He signed right in front of our banner over there,” said Carpenter. “We pulled a table over, and he and the two coaches sat down and signed his letter of intent.”
“It’s just a pure pleasure to work with them,” Carpenter said of the kids. The Carpenters and hundreds of other volunteers dedicate their time to IFYR each year. “Everybody just has their little piece of the pie.” From the campgrounds to the message center, IFYR wouldn’t be possible without every volunteer and their dedication to kids and rodeo.
