Meet the Board of Directors... Carl McCollum I am a 1978 graduate of Bagley High School and was a MNHSRA contestant 1977 and 78. I tried to ride bareback horses and team rope but settled for bull riding, which produced a trip to the NHSRA Finials in Huron SD as the 1978 Minnesota State Bull Riding Champion. An honor and experience I will remember all my life. I was elected as a Region 1 Director in 1979-81 and again in 1985-87. I have been involved in all aspects of Rodeo, from promoting and scheduling HS Region 1 Rodeos and rough stock event clinics, to working and/or competing at rodeos in Minnesota, Iowa, Montana and North and South Dakota. At present I am enjoying the blessings in my life, my wife Deborah our two daughters Katie and Maggie our son Shadd and two wonderful grandchildren Kyra and Kasson (with one more on the way) Although we live in Mankato where I am a mechanical estimator and project manager, we still have deep roots in the Bagley area, keeping our ranch where we raised beef cattle for years, as well as our family and many great friends. When not working I enjoy being with family and friends, woodworking and bbqing. As I look back, High School Rodeo has been and is a huge part of my life, the competition, the standards, the opportunities and the life long friendships all have and will continue to be a life lesson not forgotten. Even though for several years I remained out of the“loop”. When given the opportunity to get involved with the Alumni Foundation five years ago I had no idea the impact it would have, the renewing of old and meeting new friends all sharing the common love of Rodeo and our Western Heritage. Through the Alumni Foundation I am thankful for being a part of preserving the past, involved with the present and securing the future of our western heritage and the great sport of HS Rodeo. Tracy Busswitz I am a 1985 high school graduate from Slayton, MN and participated in high school rodeo from 1982-1983 in bull riding. I finished 10th in the state in 1983, not a champion, but still very proud to have had the honor to be involved. After high school I rode with the Camp Lejeune U. S. Marine Corp Rodeo Team. My last bull ride was in Isanti, MN in July of 1993, where I separated my shoulder and ended my bull riding days. I live in Rosemount, MN with my lovely wife Rhonda and our two daughters Coty, 16, and Amanda, 15. I love the sport of rodeo. I enjoy helping our contestants and am always available to offer any advice or answer questions. I am proud to say I am a judge for the High School Rodeo. It gives me great pride to be a part of the Alumni Foundation. We are always looking for new ideas to help our young contestants with anything they might need. So the next time you see an Alumni, make sure to introduce yourself and say hello. It is the work of many dedicated and selfless hours that are put forth by the Alumni members with the goal to keep the sport of rodeo and our western heritage alive. Fred Sulzbach A city kid who bought his first horse with paper route earnings and then drove his dad crazy needing [frequent] rides to "farm country" [hwy 13 & 35w] to see the horse. I started making my own tack while still in high school; which led the while teaching high school in Minneapolis. It was very clear that just like other sports...the bigger part of the rodeo equipment business was at the high school level-more kids-more rodeos...which brought me to all the state finals in the Midwest-including Granite Falls. I eventually met and got to know some of the directors, this led to becoming a director for 25 years,and then a National Director for 15 years...and most important of all meeting so MN High School Rodeo. I also observed over the years that these were deep and lasting friendships, developed by the common bond of wearing a MHSRA CONTESTANT NUMBER. Now we have the opportunity to develop a ALUMNI foundation for everybody to revisit our history and keep in touch with our very best friends. Yeh Alumni   Carl Lindgren I competed in High School Rodeo form 1981 to 1984 in Bareback and Saddle Bronc. In 1984, I finished 4th in Saddle Broncs and 9th in Bareback Riding. Also in 1984 I had the honor of receiving the “Top Contestant” award which was the first award of its kind and later turned into the “Cowboy of the Year” award program. I was a country boy at heart (my dad was a dairy farmer in southern Kanabec County) but after a tragic tractor accident which killed my father I was forced to live a city boys life until I met Wally Steiner. A friend of my mother knew Wally and knew I loved horses but had no means to be around them. Involved with High School Rodeo herself she found a way to get me down to Wally's ranch so I could spend some time riding the some 25 or so horses Wally had on the ranch. After that fall weekend in 1979 Wally took this green city boy and reformed him into a cowboy in a very sort time. My time involved with High School Rodeo changed my life from then on.