Iowa

Mexican clubs from Iowa showcased a slice of a Mexican rodeo at the Iowa State Fair

Published

2 years ago

August 12, 2024

Mexican clubs from Iowa showcased a slice of a Mexican rodeo at the Iowa State Fair

The Iowa State Fair saw a slice of an authentic Mexican rodeo on Sunday afternoon. Charros and Ecaramuza from central Iowa performed on the Fairgrounds for the first time at Elwell Family Park.

The show demonstrated a sport known as Charreria, which is composed of 10 events called Charreada. However due to certain limitations, only five events were displayed including dancing, horsemanship and roping.

“Performing at the fair is amazing,” Alejandra Pina, captain of the Escaramuza Quetzallihas, said. “We’re mostly Iowans so it’s the culmination of a lot of dreams.”

Charreria as a sport orginates in Mexico and requires contestants to demonstrate skills with a lasso and control of their horse. It involves both showmanship and carefully refined technical skill. While Sunday’s show wasn’t competitive, Pina said it was good practice.

“The rings are a bit smaller,” she said. “And the ground is very different. We’re used to soft, sandy surfaces.” Pina’s assistant team coach, Anna Garcia, said she’d rolled her ankle once already after the first show.

President of the Charros clubs in Iowa and announcer at the event Juan Pina said they were “making history as we perform.” The Charros have been in the State Fair Parade for 16 years, but this is their first time performing on the grounds.

The show started with a dance routine by Wendy Espinoza, who shared the ring with a horse that trotted around in time to the music. A live band was present to score most of the show, adding yet more Mexican flair to the event.

After Espinoza, a lone Charros performed a series of technical maneuvers including multiple 360 degree spins in a row. Some of the maneuvers were even performed without a bit, a tool that makes it much easier to control the horse.

One of the highlights was an impressive display of skill with a lasso by Dariel Delgado, one of the younger Charros who performed. Not only did Delgado lasso a horse that was at all full speed, but he also performed 40 consecutive jumps through his lasso, a trick called the Texas Skip.

The crowd was treated to several more dances and shows before the event came to an end.

Pina said he hoped the show would be able to come back next year. Garcia agreed, calling the sport and show a labor of love.

“It’s a really fantastic way to connect with your roots,” she said.

The Escaramuza team that performed can be found on Facebook.

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Iowa

3 Biggest Needs for Iowa State Basketball in Transfer Portal

Published

10 hours ago

April 6, 2026

Press Room

3 Biggest Needs for Iowa State Basketball in Transfer Portal

There have been a lot of things that T.J. Otzelberger has excelled at as the head coach of the Iowa State Cyclones, but if there is one thing that truly sticks out as a strength, it is his ability to identify players who fit his scheme perfectly.

Whether it is in the transfer portal or recruiting high school athletes, the Cyclones’ depth chart has been restocked successfully year after year. This offseason, Otzelberger faces arguably his toughest test yet.

Five seniors are departing, one player has entered the transfer portal and Milan Momcilovic declared for the 2026 NBA Draft with the ability to come back to school if he chooses. With so many potential voids to fill, where should Iowa State prioritze their attention?

Here are their three biggest needs heading into the transfer portal opening.

Capable Lead Ball Handler

Mar 27, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Iowa State Cyclones guard Tamin Lipsey (3) controls the ball in the first half against the Tennessee Volunteers during a Sweet Sixteen game of the Midwest Regional of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at United Center. | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Replacing a player of Tamin Lipsey’s caliber is virtually impossible. He is one of the best players in Cyclones history and will assuredly have his No. 3 uniform raised to the rafters at some point in the future.

The long-term outlook of the backcourt is excellent, with Killyan Toure and Jamarion Batemon being joined by incoming Class of 2026 guards Christian Wiggins and Yusef Gray Jr. However, there is a major need for some experience and depth.

Cade Kelderman is heading into the portal, which will be a blow to the depth. Ideally, Otzelberger will find someone capable of not only running the offense but helping set the tone defensively as well.

There is a lot to like about Jaquan Johnson to help fill that void. Despite being undersized at 5-foot-9, he is the reigning Missouri Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Year and was an All-MVC First Team selection.

Do-It-All Nate Heise Replacement

Mar 27, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Iowa State Cyclones guard Nate Heise (0) moves the ball in the first half against the Tennessee Volunteers during a Sweet Sixteen game of the Midwest Regional of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at United Center. | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Over the last two seasons, Nate Heise has done everything to help Iowa State win basketball games. Regardless of what his role has been, whether he comes off the bench or starts, he has excelled.

Finding glue guys like that who are willing to do the dirty work to help a team win is easier said than done. But, there is one player who sticks out as an ideal target: Trevian Carson, formerly of the North Dakota State Bison.

He dominated in the Summit League, stuffing the stat sheet efficiently. It wasn’t just him beating up on lower-level competition, as he performed well against the UC Irvine Anteaters, Drake Bulldogs and Michigan State Spartans.

His skill set is similar to Heise’s in so many ways, as an excellent rebounding guard who can do a little bit of everything while providing versatility on the defensive side. However, he offers even more offensive upside with better efficiency numbers.

Power Forward Depth

Mar 19, 2026; St. Louis, MO, USA; Iowa State Cyclones forward Joshua Jefferson talks to the media during a practice session ahead of the first round of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Enterprise Center. | Jeff Le-Imagn Images

If there is one area of the roster that looks shored up right now, it is the frontcourt. Blake Buchanan and Dominykas Pleta are both expected to be back. Jackson Kiss and Dorian Rinaldo-Komlan are part of the Class of 2026 with bright futures.

However, the Cyclones are thin at power forward. Pleta could play some minutes there as he did previously before joining Iowa State. Kiss has received some comparisons to Joshua Jefferson, but there is no way Otzelberger thrusts a freshman into that size of a role.

There aren’t many players in the country who make an all-around impact at as high a level as Jefferson did; finding a one-for-one replacement will be virtually impossible. But if they were to lean toward a specific skill set, finding someone who can put the ball in the basket would be ideal.

An offensive-minded forward would become even more important to find if Momcilovic doesn’t return for his senior year.

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Iowa State basketball names veteran Tim Buckley as new assistant coach

Published

22 hours ago

April 6, 2026

Press Room

Iowa State basketball names veteran Tim Buckley as new assistant coach

Iowa State men’s basketball has filled the first assistant coaching vacancy on its staff.

The Cyclones announced on Monday, April 6, that head coach T.J. Otzelberger has named Tim Buckley as a new assistant coach. He will begin his duties with Iowa State immediately.

Buckley most recently served as an assistant for two seasons at Cincinnati, but he comes to Ames with more than three decades of coaching experience. He was also previously part of Otzelberger’s staff for both years of his tenure at UNLV from 2019-21.

“A renowned coach in player development, I’m excited to have Tim join our staff at Iowa State,” Otzelberger said in a statement. “Tim brings a wealth of knowledge, both as a head coach and assistant coach. He has recruited and developed some of the top talents in the NBA. I’m thrilled that our student-athletes will get the opportunity to work with Tim.”

The 62-year-old Buckley has garnered a reputation for his player development and recruiting. Before arriving in Ames, he got Division I head coaching experience at Ball State (2000-06), and he’s also been an esteemed assistant coach at Wisconsin (1993-94), Ball State (1994-99), Marquette (1999-00, 2007-08), Iowa (2006-07), Indiana (2008-17), UNLV (2019-22), South Carolina (2022-24) and Cincinnati (2024-26).

Before joining Otzelberger’s staff at UNLV, he was also a scout for the Minnesota Timberwolves from 2017-19.

Buckley has worked with 12 NBA Draft picks, nine of whom were drafted in the first round. Of those nine first-round picks, six of them were lottery picks. Some of the top talent Buckley has recruited and developed include Dwyane Wade, Victor Oladipo, Cody Zeller and Noah Vonleh. He also helped coach All-American Yogi Ferrell at Indiana.

“I’m thankful for the opportunity to be reunited with T.J. Otzelberger,” Buckley said in a statement. “What he has done over the last five years is amazing. Iowa State is a nationally recognized program and I’m excited to be a part of it.”

Buckley played at Waubonsee Community College from 1982-84, before finishing his playing career at Division II Bemidji State from 1984-86. After that, he went right into coaching at his alma mater for two seasons, before moving over to Division III Rockford, where he spent one year as an assistant. He was promoted to Rockford’s head coach, a job he held from 1989-93, before breaking through to the Division I ranks.

Iowa State finished this past season at 29-8. The Cyclones reached the Sweet 16 for the third time in five years under Otzelberger. The Cyclones still have one assistant coaching vacancy to fill, after J.R. Blount (San Diego) and Kyle Green (Northern Iowa) departed for head coaching opportunities.

Eugene Rapay covers Iowa State athletics for the Des Moines Register. Contact Eugene at erapay@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @erapay5.

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