Photo: Spicer Gripp Memorial Youth Foundation via Facebook
A resident of Hereford, Texas, Spicer Gripp was loved and admired by many in the Western and rodeo community, and following his passing, friends of Spicer established the memorial roping in 1994, which grew to the point that the Spicer Gripp Memorial Event Center made its debut in 2001. Held annually at the event center, the Spicer Gripp Memorial is also a benefit for the Spicer Gripp Memorial Scholarship Fund at West Texas A&M University, providing scholarships for students pursuing a degree in Agriculture Sciences or who participate on the Rodeo Team at WTAMU.
Scheduled to take place this July, the Spicer Memorial Roping has unfortunately been canceled for 2020. The official statement read:
After much deliberation, it is with a heavy heart that we have decided to cancel the 26th annual Spicer Gripp Memorial Roping due to the unforeseen circumstances that have been caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Spicer Gripp Memorial Youth Foundation is humbly honored to be able to continue in Spicer’s footsteps with proceeds from the annual Spicer Gripp Memorial being used to fund the Spicer Gripp Memorial Scholarship Fund at West Texas A&M University. The SGMYF has also been able to hold true to having no stock charge in our main events.
Due to the times we are in, we are not willing to lower the expectations of our contestants, sponsors and all those involved in order to have an event that doesn’t meet or exceed the quality of event that we have put on in years past.
While we are uncertain what the upcoming weeks and months will look like compared to “normal life”, we are certain that our nation, communities and families will get through this and continue to thrive.
Thank you to our sponsors, volunteers, and supporters. We will see you in 2021.
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