March 25, 2015 - One of the wildest, most spirited and extremely heartwarming RodeoHouston® events is the Calf Scramble. With the drop of a cowboy hat, the calves are signaled to be released onto the dirt arena for 30 Texas 4-H and FFA members to chase and catch using only a rope halter. The number of students is always greater than the number of calves. With teenagers and calves darting in every direction across the NRG Stadium floor, the calf scramble is one of the most chaotic, unscripted and beloved events of the Rodeo.
Each student who catches a calf is awarded a $1,500 certificate to purchase a registered beef heifer or market steer to show at the Houston Livestock Show™ the following year. Returning as an exhibitor, the student shows in a special competition with other calf scramble winners. The student receives a $250 bonus if program requirements are fulfilled throughout the year.
A donation of a calf in the calf scramble is $1,750, individuals, companies, organizations can donate this much or less. The donations go towards the certificates for the calf scramble winners.
Calf Scramble Results
When reviewing the calf scramble results, the categories are Mystery Calf, Glazier (First) Catch and Hard Luck. The Mystery Calf is selected by the Calf Scramble Committee prior to the event and remains a secret from the participants. The student who catches the Mystery Calf receives an additional prize along with the calf scramble certificate. The person to catch the first calf receives a belt buckle and $250 in addition to the certificate. Hard Luck is an award given by the Calf Scramble Committee to a participant who did not catch a calf, but showed an exceptional effort. The Hard Luck winner also receives a certificate to purchase a heifer.
The following local students were Calf Scramble winners between March 17 – 22nd. The date each student participated is listed next to their name.
Joaquin FFA - Cralon Hughes – March 18th
Additional results by day can be found at the following links (www.rodeohouston.com):
Results – March 17th; Results – March 18th; Results – March 19th; Results – March 20th; Results – March 21st; Results – March 22nd