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Driskill riding high as Sikeston rodeo’s 2024 general chairman
SIKESTON — For Clay Driskill — general chairman of the 2024 Sikeston Jaycee Bootheel Rodeo — it’s a year of firsts for the annual event, which is in its 72nd year.
New entertainment on Thursday featuring a Christian act, brand new bleachers and seating, moving the arena fences back and adding a new rodeo announcer — all to make for a better patron experience — are among the investments at this year’s rodeo, which began Wednesday, Aug. 7 and ends Saturday, Aug. 10.
“We’re just really proud of the investment we’ve made this year and want people to take that in and see it firsthand,” Driskill said prior to Wednesday’s opening night of the rodeo.
The Jaycees invested almost $2 million, which is the largest investment they’ve ever had, in the new bleachers and seating — a project that began in April 2022 and was completed just in time for this year’s rodeo, according to Driskill.
“We worked with numerous people on the bleachers project,” Driskill said. “That was something we always knew we needed to do. It’s not an ‘eye-catching’ project, but it definitely is something we take a lot of pride in.”
Driskill said this year’s rodeo also features some great cowboy matchups with livestock.
“We have one of the biggest matchups we’ve ever had here on Friday night,” the chairman said. “This year is really good. There’s also a different flavor of music every night. Everybody can experience something different each night.”
And, of course, another “first” is Driskill’s one and only year as the Sikeston rodeo general chairman.
“You get one chance to make every decision,” said Driskill, who served as co-chair in 2023 with general rodeo chairman Ethan Vasquez. “I don’t get to learn from it and do it again next year.
He continued: “So, you overthink a $100 purchase just like you would a $100,000 purchase because I don’t get to know if that’s the right move or not. I don’t get to say: ‘Well, last year I did this, let’s change it.’ So, every decision is your first and only.”
And because of that, Driskill said, the role of general chairman is often stressful and easy to overthink every, little piece.
“We have the hardest-working group of individuals in Southeast Missouri,” Driskill said of the Jaycees. “They will show up and get the work done and it will look awesome. Every chairmen told me that when I was stressing out three weeks ago, and here we are on Wednesday and couldn’t be happier.”
For Driskill, who works as a certified public accountant for Farm Credit Southeast Missouri, knowing he only has one opportunity as the general chairman has been the hardest part, he said.
“You have to overthink everything and use your resources,” Driskill said. “Past chairmen are invaluable to a current chairman. What did they do? What did they learn? We rely heavily on the contract personnel here as well. I’ve called numerous people on some of the projects we’ve had and asked for their opinions.”
However, being an accountant, Driskill said he’s pretty analytical and often overprepared — traits 2024 Sikeston Jaycee President Hunter Crowley said work for Driskill, especially in his role as rodeo chairman.
“Clay has a very analytical background, and I think he’s contributed a lot through that,” Crowley said. “I’m not in every decision made in the actual process of the rodeo, but in working with him, I’ve seen how he approaches a problem, how he handles things. He’s a CPA. That’s bleeding into a lot of the decisions that he’s making. So he’s very capable of pulling any issue a part and really analyzing the numbers.”
Crowley said Driskill is very professional and insightful, which is how he ended up joining the Sikeston Jaycees.
After graduating from Sikeston High School, Driskill attended Avila University in Kansas City, where he played football for five years and obtained degrees in finance and accounting.
“I didn’t come from a big rodeo family, but have always been interested in all of the background work and moving parts that make an event like this possible, such as advertising, concessions, sponsors and financials,” the 30-year-old Sikeston native said.
After graduating college, he returned home and joined the Sikeston Jaycees for networking opportunities, he said.
“I never came into this wanting to be rodeo chairman, but I started getting interested in putting on events for the Jaycees,” Driskill said. “I did the crawfish boil in 2020 and had a lot of fun, and I realized I enjoyed putting on events. I grew up in sports and this is a professional sporting event so it ties in both worlds for me.”
Driskill kept taking the next step in the organization and hasn’t looked back. He said Sikeston and this rodeo are very special, and many people don’t realize the weight of it all.
“The last few years the Jaycees have been able to give back to the community over $150,000 each year between volunteer groups at the rodeo grounds and also a quite a bit of donations as well,” Driskill said. “This year we’re working with Southeast Missouri Food Bank on Saturday and bringing some hunger relief awareness, and we’re very happy. They serve a lot of the same area we try to reach out to as well.”
Driskill said in addition to money, the Jaycees donate time to the community.
“The Jaycees have a Little League football program that I’ve been involved with for years that I have probably spent more time doing than I have at the rodeo grounds,” Driskill said. “Or we set up the Kenny Rogers Children’s Center Telethon, those kinds of things. When you have to get 30 guys involved for a few hours, that’s a lot harder than cutting a check, and we take a lot of pride in making sure we are able to help those in that capacity.”
And when a tornado struck Sikeston on May 26, the Jaycees orchestrated a cleanup crew.
As 2024 rodeo chairman, Driskill has spent the past 18 months preparing for this week’s four-day event.
“So, in two years it’s been a whirlwind trying to get to this day,” Driskill said Wednesday morning. “ … This year alone with projects we’ve put in place, it’s been a very challenging year but also very rewarding at the same time.”
Driskill acknowledged his wife, Hailey, and their almost 2-year-old daughter, Harper, for their support.
“My wife understands the time commitment it takes and the load it carries to be chairman,” Driskill said, adding his employer has also been very understanding.
As Driskill’s reign as chairman comes to a close Saturday night, he couldn’t help but remember the same time a year ago.
“One of the most humbling experiences was receiving the chairman (belt) buckle last year,” Driskill said. “Saturday of rodeo, I got my buckle, and it all hit home right then that it’s now you’re turn. A lot of guys look up to you – not just in Sikeston but around the PRCA (Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association) world, and Sikeston is a very big rodeo so it has a lot of added nostalgia to it.”
On Saturday, Driskill will present the chairman buckle to his 2024 co-chair, Austin Curtis of Sikeston.
“The 2025 Sikeston rodeo is in great hands,” Driskill said of Curtis. “There is no one I’ve worked with out here more than Austin. We’ve chaired and co-chaired many things together and he’s a learner. He wants to learn everything he can. So, we’re in good hands for the future.”