Get your cowboy hat and spurs ready, Roundup is approaching on Oct. 15. Don’t worry about trying to find a sparkly dress, you won’t need it! Head over to your favorite Tractor Supply for your outfit and you’ll fit in just fine!

Many students are excited for this year’s Roundup dance. I, however, would be more excited if Rider had a normal homecoming like many other schools.

Though it is fun to pretend to be a cowgirl and dress in a hat and boots, it feels like students are missing out on a true homecoming experience, like dressing up in sparkly dresses and heels, running for Homecoming Queen and King, the court being brought out at the football game. 

Many stores cater to the idea of a traditional homecoming. It is nearly impossible to find an outfit for Roundup that is not jeans and a nice flannel shirt. I would rather be able to dress up than look like a lumberjack for a night.

There are only two years left with Rider being a high school. While there is no reason to change traditions now, Roundup should not be carried over to Legacy and Memorial high schools. They should have the opportunity to enjoy a normal homecoming experience. 

For example, I recently attended a homecoming event in Munday. The town was completely shut down and everyone was in the main area for a parade. The parade was led by horses and horseback riders. Each graduating class, dating as far as the 1960s, had a float. Then, young children who were preschool age even participated. The parade was during the day in order to end the events for the whole public. Then, the high school students were able to celebrate on their own at the dance that night. 

If Rider were to do a true homecoming celebration, we would not need to do another parade. We did one last month for the Rider-Old High game. However, it would be nice to have an event for alumni to come back for. Like, the bonfire that was discontinued. Rider could have a fire and alumni could go and make smores and reminisce about their time in high school while watching students celebrate.

Roundup has always been a Rider tradition, WFHS also has a country-themed event called Howdy. Hirshi has a traditional homecoming. The new schools should be able to build new traditions that does not involve cowboy hats and spurs.