The University of Idaho will host its first rodeo in more than 13 years this weekend.

The rodeo is slated for Oct. 12-13 at the Palouse Empire Fairgrounds in nearby Colfax, Wash., starting at noon each day. Admission is free.

The UI rodeo will be the season opener for the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association’s Northwest Region, which includes teams from Idaho, Oregon, Washington, California and British Columbia. UI’s rodeo club has grown to include a dozen members, both men and women, all from the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences.

Jamie Slocum, who coaches the club with Alan Chipman, helped organize UI’s previous rodeo as an athlete in the spring of 2011.

She set a goal of resurrecting a local rodeo when she rejoined the club as coach earlier this year, according to a UI news release. The university was enthusiastic about bringing back a rodeo to spur interest and investment in its club, and the national association urged the university to plan a rodeo to help grow the sport regionally.

Slocum and the team have worked since June on planning the rodeo and seeking donations from area businesses. Major sponsors include The McGregor Co., Atlas Sand & Rock and Platypus Marine.

“I feel like we shook out the cobwebs and learned a lot on how to make this happen, and I think we can make this a yearly event,” Slocum said.

More than 100 competitors, many of whom will bring their own horses, have entered the UI rodeo. Scheduled events include barrel racing; goat tying; breakaway and team roping; bull, bareback and saddle bronc riding; tie-down roping and steer wrestling.

“We have some pretty good competitors we added to the team this year,” Slocum said. “The fact that our numbers are up and our members are competing in almost every event gives us really good standing.”

The rodeo enables competitors from the region to earn points toward qualifying for the College National Finals Rodeo in Casper, Wyo.

The UI team includes two women who qualified last year.

UI club members practice weekly at Slocum’s personal arena at her home near Palouse, Wash.