State high school rodeo finals will be contested for the next two years at Majestic Valley Arena north of Kalispell.

The Montana High School Rodeo Association will hold its 2014 and 2015 State Finals at Majestic Valley, with an option to extend the agreement to 2016 and beyond.

The rodeo finals will be June 3-8, 2014, and June 3-7, 2015.

Top qualifying high school rodeo competitors from across Montana will come to Kalispell for five days of competition in barrel racing, pole bending, goat tying, breakaway roping, saddle bronc riding, bull riding, tie-down roping, steer wrestling and team roping.

“We are thrilled to bring Montana’s biggest rodeo event of the year to Kalispell,”  Rob Brisendine, group sales manager with the Kalispell Convention and Visitor Bureau, said in a news release. “Word continues to spread among rodeo organizers that Kalispell is home to one of the best indoor arenas in North America and our community embraces the excitement and tradition of these events.”

The rodeo announcement comes on the heels of the Cinch Bucking Horse Championships held Oct. 19 at Majestic Valley.

An audience of 2,200 watched 22 riders and 45 horses compete for the richest purse of the year in the United States. Jake Costello of Newell, S.D., and Chase Brooks of Deer Lodge won the first and second rounds. Josh Reynolds of Ekalaka emerged as the overall top point winner for the 2013 season. Looking Good, a bronc owned by Fettig Rodeo Broncs of Dickinson, N.D., was the top prize-winning horse.

Contestants in the Montana High School Rodeo State Finals will compete for prizes including college scholarships.

The top four competitors in each event qualify for the National High School Finals Rodeo in Rock Springs, Wyo.  

The State Finals consist of two go-rounds of competition culminating with a championship round, along with a cutting competition and the Montana High School Rodeo State Queen competition.

The finals have been in Bozeman for the past five years.

The addition of the rodeo to Kalispell’s event schedule reflects a broad effort to build the shoulder tourism seasons in the Flathead Valley. The Kalispell Convention and Visitor Bureau also has helped attract events such as the Montana Pond Hockey Classic (Feb. 21–23, 2014), Montana Spartan Sprint (May 10, 2014) and Montana Dragon Boat Festival (Sept. 13-14, 2014) to the Flathead Valley.

“We anticipate that the Montana High School Rodeo State Finals will bring more than 4,000 people to our community for nearly a week, which means great things for all businesses in our local hospitality industry,” said Brisendine. “That’s why events like this are an important part of economic development for our community, filling our hotels and restaurants at a time of year when business has historically been slower than the peak summer travel season.”