MISSOULA — When it comes to college rodeo, there are some schools that have programs under the umbrella of their athletic departments. And then there are schools like the University of Montana that have a club team.
“We’ve turned into a powerhouse for recruiting the last three years,” UM coach Kory Mytty said.
The biggest difference between UM's club team and programs like those at Montana State or Montana Western is that club teams aren’t affiliated with their school’s athletic department. Other than that, the differences aren't many. The club team at Montana offers scholarships and other ways to help its athletes.
“We get plenty of scholarship dollars from the University of Montana to help recruit athletes. We raise a ton of funds to help offset some of their other costs,” Mytty said.
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Mytty has a strategy to get athletes to choose his program over other schools — by simply out-recruiting them.
“Getting out there in front of the kids that are in Montana and surrounding states, showing a good program that we have here, showing the practice facilities," he said. "They’re going to get good instruction from good people and be around a great group of kids."
He also expects nothing but future growth for the program he runs.
“I see our program doubling in size in five years, competing at a higher level because of volume," Mytty said. “If I could get 35 athletes instead of 15, the numbers are going to pan out.”
One of the biggest differences between the Montana State rodeo program and UM's club team is the number of athletes on each squad.
Freshman Griz team roper Kayton French has had nothing but great experiences so far on the smaller team.
“We get more of a say in what we’re doing,” French said. “Instead of being just another number we’re a person on the team that’s here to compete and do our job. There’s lots of community and it’s a nice group of people that I’ve gotten to know well and made some really, really great friends.”
For some athletes, competing against bigger programs puts a chip on their shoulder. That goes for grad student Rance Allen, who’s a tie-down roper for the Griz.
“Being here where the school isn’t backing the rodeo team as much is kind of tougher, it definitely makes you want to try a little harder to beat them out as a team,” Allen said.
Allen said that even though the team is technically a club, being a member still requires a lot of time and sacrifice.
“You spend a lot of days away,” Allen said. “You’re on the road a lot, you’re under a lot of pressure, you spend a lot of time away from doing schoolwork and your family.”
Montana’s team may only be a club team, but at the end of the day the Grizzlies hold their own against the school-affiliated teams.
