COLLEGE AIMS TO ROPE IN RODEO DONORS.

Byline: Eric Wahlgren Daily News Staff Writer

Since Pierce College announced plans to scrub its annual rodeo, a stampede of callers has offered to rescue the 41-year-old tradition.

But the offers so far have former organizers or the rodeo asking ``Where's the beef?''

``There is a tremendous amount of concern,'' said Ron Wechsler, a Pierce College professor who has run the Old West fiesta for the past 28 years. ``Everyone has a quick-fix, Band-Aid approach to it. But we need an approach that will keep the rodeo going in the long term.''

That means money.

Pierce earlier this year decided to cancel the two-day, intercollegiate rodeo because the Agriculture Department could not pony up $30,000 to rent animals and put on the event, Wechsler said.

Bad weather and waning interest slowed ticket sales in the last three years.

After decades of roping in crowds of more than 10,000 to watch bull-riding, steer-wrestling and other contests, the rodeo attracted only 3,500 last year and went $14,000 in the red.

``We have just basically exhausted our funding,'' said Wechsler, the college's rodeo coach, who teaches in Pierce's horse program. ``In the past, we were able to keep the show going with reserves left over from previous years. The reality of life is, we don't have any money.''

Students in Wechsler's rodeo class who planned to compete in the May 1997 rodeo said they were disappointed by the school's decision to cancel it.

``I'm upset,'' said 19-year-old Miguel Padilla of Pacoima, who competes team roping of steers.

``This was my first year at the college, and we are not going to have it. If you don't have it one year, you probably won't ever have it again.''

Wechsler said he is holding out hope that a large corporate or private sponsor will step up and offer to endow Pierce's agriculture department with long-term funding for the college's horse program and rodeo.

The rodeo could become the second Pierce event to be canceled under the tenure of new Pierce College President E. Bing Inocencio.

Last year he pulled the plug on the college's Fourth of July fireworks extravaganza, citing the show's failure to break even.

Inocencio could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

Long the state's largest college rodeo, the Pierce event typically draws 10 college teams and more than 120 competitors.

Wechsler said he does not plan to offer his rodeo class next semester, but 18 or so students in the horse program will be able to compete in intercollegiate rodeos at other schools.

``I think it is just a terrible shame that we can't participate this year,'' said Dick South, chairman of Pierce's Agriculture and Natural Resource Management Department. ``This is the equivalent of telling the baseball or tennis team that they have to play every game at another school.''