March 8, 2019
Kody Lahaye, Montana Western’s head rodeo coach is getting ready for the Rodeo Club Banquet. The annual event will be held March 29, 2019 at 5:30 p.m. in the Keltz Arena. Lahaye rodeoed for UMW under former head coach Iola ‘Olie’ Else, and as he takes the reins from his mentor, Lahaye looks forward to continuing the program she built.
Lahaye graduated from Montana Western in 2014 with a degree in Business Administration. While attending UMW, Lahaye had a successful rodeo career. He was the Big Sky Region Champion team roper in 2011 and Reserve Region Champion tie-down roper in 2012. He also qualified for the College National Finals Rodeo (CNFR) four consecutive years and in 2013 and 2014, Lahaye finished in the top-10 in the nation for bulldogging.
After graduation, Lahaye worked in the admissions office at Montana Western and was the assistant rodeo coach under Else for two seasons. From there, Lahaye went on to assistant coach the Montana State University rodeo team for three seasons.
When the position for head rodeo coach came open, Lahaye decided to bring his experience and rodeo knowledge back to his alma mater. He feels very lucky to step into a position once held by his rodeo coach.
“Olie did a heck of a job laying a foundation. I’m just hoping I can take what Olie did and build from there,” Lahaye said.
With the annual Rodeo Club Banquet fast approaching, Lahaye is thankful for the rodeo programs continual supporters as they help him organize the event. Lahaye is inspired to work hard as the head rodeo coach because he sees how many people believe in the program.
“Without the Rodeo Banquet this program would not be able to keep doing what it’s doing,” Lahaye attested.
The funds generated from the Rodeo Banquet help offset travel expenses during the regular season and CNFR. Additionally, banquet proceeds assist in providing scholarships for UMW rodeo athletes.
The college rodeo season starts back up on April 11-14 at Montana State University’s Spring Rodeo. Currently the UMW Men’s rodeo team is sitting third in the Big Sky Region, only 150 points behind Montana State, while the Women’s team is second. The top two men’s and women’s teams from every region advance to the CNFR held June 9-15, 2019.
To learn more about the Rodeo Club Banquet or to purchase tickets, please call the UMW Foundation at 406-683-7306.
