As the tides rolled in and sun set, the rodeo atmosphere was on full display as the horses kicked up sand left and right leaving fans and participants with an unforgettable experience at the third annual Break-A-Wave event hosted by the Cal Poly rodeo event.
“It was incredible," freshman Cal Poly rodeo breakaway roper Nicole Donahoo said. "To rope on the beach and have the water right up on you and to have everybody here watching, cheering, it was unlike anything I've ever experienced.”
With a unique format head-to-head format, 24 breakaway ropers competed in two adjacent three-sided arenas with the fourth side being the Pacific Ocean. The participants ranged from junior high athletes all the way through the college ranks but it was Arizona native and Cal Poly rodeo assistant coach Caslyn Weidenbener that walked away as the 2023 Break-A-Wave champion.
“Not being from California and being an outsider and being somebody who wants to travel, this is a championship that I can take everywhere with me and I'm excited to be able to be a part of it,” Weidenbener explained.
For Weidenbener, she wants to see the head-to-head format in more rodeos moving forward.
“Seeing the other girl roping in the other arena was a real mental challenge because you want to be faster than them, but you also don't want to short yourself and messed up in the process," Weidenbener said. "The head-to-head format was exciting and I'd like to see this at more rodeos because it it definitely amplifies the excitement.”
Make no mistake, this event is a one of a kind. In just one hour of action, fans were treated to breakaway roping, bronc riding, live music, trick rides and a lot of exposure for many of the sponsorships that helped put on the event with the Cal Poly rodeo team.
"I will definitely try to be here next year and every year after that," Donahoo said.
“This is something I will try to qualify for for many years after this,” Weidenbener added.
