The Greater Des Moines Convention and Visitors Bureau and the National High School Rodeo Association are seeking 200 volunteers for the National Junior High Finals Rodeo Championships, June 22-28 at the Iowa State Fairgrounds.
Volunteers are needed for 24-hour check-in for both contestants and livestock starting Thursday, June 19 through Sunday, June 22. Shifts are available in four-hour increments. A brief training will be provided for all volunteers.
“Families arrive at all hours to the grounds, and aren’t permitted to set up camp or unload livestock until a thorough safety and health check has been performed,” says James Higginbotham, Executive Director of the National High School Rodeo Association, the parent organization of the National Junior High Finals Rodeo. “Volunteer support is vital. Check-in sets the pace for a smooth-running event.”
“We’re proud to host this group in Des Moines for the first time,” says Greg Edwards, President and CEO of the Greater Des Moines Convention and Visitors Bureau. “Our community’s support is needed as volunteers to provide a welcoming first impression of our city to contestants and their families.”
The Championships will include 1,100 Junior High contestants from 42 states, 5 Canadian provinces and Australia. More than 35,000 spectators are expected. The contestants, ages 15 and under, will compete across 11 different events—from barrel racing and bull riding to goat tying and chute dogging. 2014 is the first time the Championship’s will be held outside of Gallup, New Mexico since the event’s inception in 2005.
To sign up for a volunteer shift for the 2014 National Junior High Finals Rodeo Championships in Des Moines, visit catchdesmoines.com/rodeo.