BOZEMAN—The Montana State University rodeo team will be on the national stage next week when the student-athletes participate in the Pass in Review, otherwise known as the Inaugural Parade, in Washington, D.C., on Monday, Jan. 20. The parade will begin at 1 p.m. Mountain time.
The Pass in Review is held after the formal inauguration ceremony and traditionally constitutes a symbolic review of military regiments. The parade also includes bands, citizen groups and floats proceeding from the U.S. Capitol down Pennsylvania Avenue to the White House. The parade tradition began with the first inauguration of George Washington in 1789 in New York City.
The Bobcat Rodeo Team was nominated in December by Montana U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke to participate in the parade, and 36 student-athletes will travel to the nation’s capital this weekend. Rather than transporting their own horses, the team will collaborate with local partners in Washington, D.C., for parade mounts, including several horses and a wagon.
“I think it’s huge. To my knowledge there has never been a college rodeo team in an inaugural parade,” said MSU rodeo head coach Kyle Whitaker. “It sets us apart and it shows how embraced we are, not just at the university, but through the whole state.”
Team travel to and from the inauguration will be covered entirely by donor support. Once they return from Washington, the athletes will continue preparation for the spring rodeo season, which will kick off in the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse with the annual Bobcat spring rodeo April 10-13.
The Bobcat Rodeo Team has a rich history within the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association. In addition to almost 30 years of hosting the College National Finals Rodeo, MSU rodeo teams have claimed nine national team titles, 35 individual national championships and a multitude of Big Sky Regional crowns.
More information about the Pass in Review is available on the website of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies.
