Rachel Patrick shows off her rodeo skills in the Block & Bridle Club’s Great Southland Stampede Rodeo. The rodeo, which began Thursday and runs through Saturday night, features both student and professional athletes. Photo by Jesse Walker

The University Block & Bridle Club’s Great Southland Stampede Rodeo made its way back to Athens Thursday for a weekend promising to be better than any eight-second ride.

Touted as the “Greatest Show on Dirt,” the 36th annual GSSR kicked off Thursday morning with Special Events Rodeo at the Livestock Teaching Arena, where University student rodeo athletes performed for a crowd of about 1,600 local grade-school students.

“It’s a chance for us to interact with the kids and educate them about the rodeo industry,” said Jessie Turk, special events rodeo chairwoman and a senior from Gillsville. “It’s just something for us to do that’s free and fun.”

Josh Whitworth, a junior from Bainbridge and livestock chairman, was one of the bull riders at Thursday morning’s event.

“Today would have been my first ride,” he said. “I lasted probably a total of two seconds, about the same as the other bull riders.”

To place in a professional bull-riding event, athletes must last at least eight seconds on the animal.

“I came out alive, so I guess I’m alright,” Whitworth said.

In addition to watching University students and their friends rope and ride in their boots, chaps and cowboy hats, spectators were entertained by both a professional rodeo clown and two Block & Bridle clowns.

“This is the first time I’ve done it,” said Traci Bland, merchandise co-chairwoman and a senior from Jacksonville, who entertained the crowd as a rodeo clown. “We knew there’d be dead time between events.”

Bland said she enjoyed making kids laugh and keeping the energy in the arena up as University students and friends volunteered their time and talents.

Turk said she was given $2,000 to spend on Special Events Rodeo, and she came in under budget, despite having to provide for a crowd double that of last year’s.

Ashley Buford, rodeo chairwoman and a senior from Cordele, said there were more attendees because Block & Bridle invited schools from surrounding counties after the group realized this weekend preceded Athens-Clarke County students taking the CRCT standardized test.

She said the group thought teachers would be less likely to take students on a field trip right before the important test — but the projected 400 attendees suddenly became 1,600.

Buford said one rodeo sponsor spoke with elementary school teachers throughout the rodeo and received very positive feedback from those in attendance.

Thursday night marked the start of the three-night professional rodeo. Professional athletes came to the event in order to compete for prizes up to $2,000.

GSSR is the only student-run Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association rodeo in the country, Buford said. She said it costs $80,000 to put on, with half the money coming from ticket sales and the other half from selling sponsorships and vendor spaces. GSSR has been a PRCA rodeo since 1974, though it technically started in 1972.

“This year we are asking the Athens community, ‘Are you tough enough?’” Buford said.

Thursday night was student night, and the theme involved asking attendees if they were tough enough to be bulldogs.

Buford said Block & Bridle teamed up with Relay for Life and advertised heavily on campus. The group also had a competition to see which Greek organization had the most attendees.

Tonight, spectators are asked if they are tough enough to wear pink. For every person wearing pink, Buford said $1 will be donated to breast cancer research.

Saturday night, members of the military, firefighters and members of the police force will be honored as Block & Bridle asks the crowd if they are tough enough to serve.

“It’s a fun event amongst the rodeo world,” Buford said. “It’s the one and only event of its kind.”