Hundreds of competitors from across the region will wow fans at the venue’s first rodeo.
Nearly 400 riders from schools in the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association’s (NIRA) Southern Region will converge on Commerce this weekend as East Texas A&M University’s Rodeo Team hosts its first-ever event in the new Spur Expo.
Opened on March 3, The Spur Expo serves as a multipurpose agricultural education and event venue slated to host rodeos, concerts, FFA conferences, livestock expos, and more. The 190,000-square-foot facility can accommodate 1,250 fans for rodeo events in the main arena and features stall capacity for up to 200 horses, as well as an RV lot.
Rodeo details
This year’s East Texas A&M home rodeo event is scheduled for Friday and Saturday, March 20 and 21, at The Spur Expo, located at 2900 State Highway 24 in Commerce. On both days, slack rounds are held at 10 a.m., with performance rounds held at 7 p.m.
Tickets are free for East Texas A&M students, faculty and staff. Children aged 13 and under also get in free.
General admission tickets are available for $12 and can be purchased online.
“This new venue is a game changer for us,” Lion Rodeo Head Coach Dameon White said. “All the ETAMU rodeo students are excited to perform in front of the hometown crowd for the first time.”
Making a push for the CNFR
East Texas A&M’s Rodeo teams look to win big at their home event and improve their rankings in the NIRA Southern Region, which consists of more than a dozen other colleges and universities in Texas and Louisiana. Only the top two men’s and women’s teams from each region qualify for the College National Finals Rodeo (CNFR) in Casper, Wyoming from June 16-22, 2026.
East Texas A&M Rodeo has fielded four different individual National Champions over the last four years.
Lion rider Jill White is the top-ranked Breakaway Roper in the region after six rodeos, winning the event at the season-opening rodeo hosted by Panola College. Two other Lions sit just outside of CNFR qualifying spots in their respective events; Chancey Wright and Emmett Silva are currently in third place in the region in Breakaway Roping and Tie Down Roping, respectively.
Breakaway Roping is the team’s strongest event in the 2025-2026 season so far, with seven Lions holding the top 15 spots in the region.
Learn more about Rodeo at East Texas A&M.
Article source: Ryan Sctott, East Texas A&M University
Pictured: ETAMU Rodeo team members Sarah John (left) and Corrinna Solinger participate in a team roping demonstration at The Spur Expo on March 3, 2026. | Photo credit: Jason Connel, East Texas A&M Marketing and Communications
