Tri-Cities Rascal Rodeo back in a national arena despite getting kicked by COVID

An email, likely sent by mistake, led Rascal Rodeo to its first Wrangler National Finals Rodeo last December.

This year, Rascal Rodeo founder Ann-Erica Whitemarsh got a call from W Productions asking if she would bring the program for people with special needs of all ages back to the national finals.

Of course, she said yes.

“Last year, I received an email asking if I wanted to be a vendor,” Whitemarsh said. “I don’t know why I was on their list. I sent an email back — a shot in the dark — I told them what we do, and asked if that was something they would want to have. I got a response right back, saying, ‘Let’s talk.’ ”

The National Finals Rodeo had had a type of exceptional rodeo for 30 years, but it never used live animals.

While communities are responsible for securing sponsorship for the event, Whitemarsh had to ask strangers to bring their horses to the Las Vegas Strip and the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino.

It all came together, better than expected.

“It was perfect,” Whitemarsh said. “We had 75 participants, and 45 people from the Pacific Northwest that came and volunteered.”

The trip to the rodeo finals has helped put Rascal Rodeo on the map.

“We have had some good national attention,” Whitemarsh said. “That helps in the matter of sponsorship money. This year was our 10th anniversary and we had 20 rodeos tentatively scheduled. We also had had interest from two rodeos in the Midwest.”

The success of the 2019 program at the National Finals Rodeo earned Rascal Rodeo a return visit, but this time they will be at the Will Rogers Memorial Center in Fort Worth, Texas, on Dec. 12.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the rodeo has been moved from Las Vegas to Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. The event will run Dec. 3-12.

“One of our board members (Hannah Leib), who is Miss Rodeo Washington, just moved to Texas and will be our contact for horses,” Whitemarsh said.

The host rodeo is responsible for supplying music, a rodeo clown and an announcer to work the event.

Each participant receives a T-shirt, buckle, bandanna, cowboy hat and a paper Miss Rodeo America crown.

During the event, participants can try their hand at seven events, including riding a horse, the stick horse barrel race, cow milking, calf and steer roping, bull riding, bronc riding and unicorn riding.

“It’s more than just a rodeo,” Whitemarsh said. “We have had people bring animals for a petting zoo, Texas longhorns, and a camel named Izzy, who lives in Waitsburg. The parents get joy watching their kids have fun.”

School senior project

Whitemarsh created the Rascal Rodeo in 2001 as her senior project at Pasco High School. She held her first event at the Benton-Franklin Fair & Rodeo with four participants and 20 volunteers.

Her efforts earned her the state Prudential Spirit of Community Award for Youth.

It would be another 10 years before Rascal Rodeo resurfaced.

After she graduated from high school, Whitemarsh went to Warner Pacific College, where she played volleyball and track, and majored in business.

In 2019, Warner Pacific honored Whitemarsh with a Distinguished Alumni Award. After college, Whitemarsh joined the workforce. It did not suit her.

“I was working at PNNL, and I hated it,” she said.

After being laid off from a few jobs, Whitemarsh threw herself back into Rascal Rodeo.

“In 2010, a friend who was involved in rodeo wanted to know if I wanted to come do this at the Washington State High School Finals in Moses Lake,” she said. “We had seven participants and 100 volunteers. It was awesome. After that, I started the paperwork to be a 501C3. We got clearance the next year.”

Whitemarsh, with the help of the Rascal Rodeo board, does everything from securing events to seeking donations of belt buckles for participants and wrangling volunteers. Rodeo committees are responsible for securing sponsorships for their events.

“We have had everything from championship buckles to those with a Mack truck on it,” Whitemarsh said. “We get them from all over the United States. They just need to be appropriate. Some rodeos that had buckles they couldn’t use this year were donated. We get world champion cowboys come and help. They (participants) don’t care who they are, they are having fun.”

Challenging year

With the coronavirus shutting down rodeos all over the nation, Rascal Rodeo also was affected.

Not being able to hold any in-person events, Whitemarsh started an Adopt a Cowboy/Cowgirl.

Parents would create a profile of their child, and people who were invited to the group could “adopt” a cowboy or cowgirl.

Those who adopted sent a gift to brighten their day.

“Within a week, we had a 1,000 members on Facebook,” Whitemarsh said. “It was fun to read about them and see how this impacted them. It was fun to see them outside of Rascal Rodeo.”

The program was a success.

“The people were so generous,” she said. “For so long, people with special needs have been pushed aside. If you give them an opportunity, their abilities are endless. We have had three participants speak their first words after a rodeo.”

The group’s fundraising also took a hit with COVID-19, with large gatherings not allowed.

Again, Whitemarsh thought outside the box.

They had a Father’s Day feast, complete with dessert that was available for purchase, and a recent Glow Ball Golf Tournament raised nearly $10,000. In April, they had a virtual happy hour that included Smasne wine, chocolates and a charcuterie box.

Whitemarsh’s efforts are endless to ensure Rascal Rodeo is back on the dusty trail next year, but for now, the National Finals Rodeo awaits.

To donate visit the group’s website or Facebook page or text RODEO to 41444.