Pro Rodeo Canada Insider Dec 2021/Jan 2022

Pro Rodeo

CANADA CFR CHAMPIONS! Riley Warren (pictured here on his tie-down mare, Mona) earned his third Canadian High Point Championship and first Canadian Tie-Down Roping title. CFR photo by Covy Moore.

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INSIDER

Pro Rodeo Canada Insider Congratulations and best of luck to the Canadian contenders at the 2021 National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas!

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Zeke Thurston, Big Valley, Alta.

Jeremy Buhler, Arrowwood, Alta.

Curtis Cassidy, Donalda, Alta.

Orin Larsen, Inglis, Man. Scott Guenthner, Provost, Alta.

Layton Green, Meeting Creek, Alta.

Dawson Hay, Wildwood, Alta.

Shelby Boisjoli, Stephenville, TX (raised at Langdon, Alta.)

Kolby Wanchuk, Sherwood Park, Alta.

Ben Andersen, Rocky Mountain House, Alta.

Sarah Morrissey, Ellensburg, WA (raised in Merritt, BC)

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Canadian Cowboy Country December 2021/January 2022

C.P.R.A.

Thank You The 47th Canadian Finals Rodeo was a celebration of CPRA athletes, stock, fans and partners, along with a return to the organization’s premier event after a year hiatus — and it was an outstanding CFR. CPRA management, Board of Directors and staff, would like to congratulate all the 2021 Champions and extend a big thank you to Westerner Park and the City of Red Deer for a job well done.

CFR47 saw a return to a Wednesday-to-Sunday schedule with a kick-off Night of Champions gala evening Nov 2, where season leaders, qualifiers and award winners were recognized. Fans enjoyed early evening performances Nov 3–6 and two matinee performances — one on Saturday, Nov 6 and the final performance Sunday, Nov 7. While attendance was lower than in 2019, an impressive 25,000 fans enjoyed the 2021 CFR. Overall, $1.17M was paid out to CPRA rodeo athletes over the five-day Finals that saw a lot of drama. Two-time World Saddle Bronc Champion Zeke Thurston earned his second consecutive Canadian Championship and roper Riley Warren won his third consecutive High Point title and first Tie-down Roping Championship. For the first time, a Canadian Ladies Breakaway Roping Champion was crowned when the defending National High School titleholder, Kendal Pierson, secured the Championship by winning all three breakaway rounds and the aggregate.

Along with the fast-paced arena action, attendees and athletes enjoyed nightly buckle presentations, exciting cabaret shows, a well-attended Western lifestyle trade show and a number of other events in both Red Deer and surrounding communities. The Canadian Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame in Ponoka hosted visitors throughout CFR as well.

While fans who came to Red Deer enjoyed a dynamic CFR week, those at home were able, once again, to see the CFR in real-time via the FloRodeo broadcast. Subscribers can view the archived performances at FloRodeo.com.

Along with a return to CFR, the CPRA was excited to see the second Maple Leaf Circuit Finals run in Regina, Sask. Nov 24–27 as part of Canadian Western Agribition. Congratulations to the winners! This event kicked off our 2022 season.

Congratulations to the nine Canadian competitors who, in addition to a broad list of Canadian stock contractors and their animals, will be representing our country at the 2021 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo Dec 2–11 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nev. As we look back on an abbreviated but successful 2021, we extend a sincere thank you to our members, sponsors, fans, rodeo committees and their volunteers. Thank you to those committees that were able to move ahead and have a rodeo this year. And we’ll be excited to see a full roster of events, including some new ones, as we move into 2022. We appreciate everyone’s efforts over the last months as we all travelled a challenging road.

Finally, we’d like to wish everyone a happy Christmas season and an amazing year ahead. See you on the rodeo trail.

2022 CPRA Schedule JANUARY Red Deer, AB * (BR)

FEBRUARY Claresholm, AB * (BR)

MARCH Dawson Creek, BC — new rodeo

APRIL Medicine Hat, AB Crowsnest Pass (Coleman), AB

MAY Drayton Valley, AB Falkland, BC Swift Current, SK * (BR) Innisfail, AB * (SB) Stavely, AB Grande Prairie, AB — Pro Tour Leduc, AB

JUNE Hand Hills, AB Leduc, AB Bonnyville, AB Brooks, AB Rocky Mountain House, AB Lea Park/Marwayne, AB Wildwood, AB * (SB) Innisfail, AB Wainwright, AB — Pro Tour Sundre, AB High River, AB Ponoka, AB — Pro Tour *SB-Saddle Bronc *BR-Bull Riding All dates are subject to change. Please visit RodeoCanada.com for up-to-date information.

Terry Cooke President, Canadian Professional Rodeo Association cowboycountrymagazine.com

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Pro Rodeo Canada Insider

CFR 47 CHAMPIONS DECLARED

2021 Canadian Finals Rodeo Champions, from left, Miss Rodeo Canada Alicia Erickson, All-Around Champion and Bull Riding Champion Jared Parsonage, Barrel Racing Champion Justine Elliott, High Point and Tie-Down Roping Champion Riley Warren, Saddle Bronc Champion Zeke Thurston, Team Roping Heeler Champion Tyce McLeod, Team Roping Header Champion Clay Ullery, Steer Wrestling Champion Cody Cassidy, Bareback Riding Champion Clint Laye, Junior Steer Riding Champion Kane Scott, Breakaway Roping Champion Kendal Pierson, Stock of the CFR rep’s BB & SB Horse of the CFR Calgary Stampede Keith Marrington, Bull of the CFR Curtis Sawyer, Miss Rodeo Canada Lady-in-Waiting Jayden Calvert. Missing: Novice Saddle Bronc Champion Brodie Roessler and Novice Bareback Champion Cruz McNulty. CFR photo by Covy Moore.

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C.P.R.A.

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Pro Rodeo Canada Insider Kole Ashbacher on 2021 Top Saddle Bronc of the CFR, W-16 Wild Cherry.

CFR photo by Covy Moore.

I

IT WAS A FITTING FINALE FOR THE RETURN OF PROFESSIONAL RODEO IN CANADA. AFTER A 24-MONTH ABSENCE, THE CANADIAN FINALS RODEO RETURNED TO RED DEER’S PEAVEY MART CENTRIUM TO RING DOWN THE CURTAIN ON THE ABBREVIATED 2021 SEASON. IT WAS A WEEK FILLED

WITH JUBILATION AND HEARTBREAK, AND MOST OF ALL, DRAMA, AS THE 2021 CANADIAN CHAMPIONS WERE CROWNED ON SUNDAY AFTERNOON.

While several races went down to the last ride or run, one event was decided before the afternoon action began. For Big Valley, Alta., superstar saddle bronc rider Zeke Thurston, Sunday afternoon’s final performance was a coronation. The king of Canadian saddle bronc riders posted an 85.5 score on C5 Rodeo’s Trump Card for third in the round to go with two earlier round wins, two secondplace finishes and a previous third.

“Kicking it off with a go-round win at the start of the week got the ball rolling, and you can ride that wave the rest of the week.

Having that big of a cushion (going into the final round) is darn nice, but even if I didn’t, 6

I’d go out there and do what I always do,” Thurston said.

The two-time World Champion and defending Canadian Champion earned 41,760 points at the CFR for a season total of 74,383. Thurston also claimed the aggregate title.

One of the most dramatic finishes came in steer wrestling. Five-time Canadian Champion Cody Cassidy virtually had to win the round and move up a couple of places in the aggregate to claim the sixth win.

“Overall, I had good steers and got off to a good start,” Cassidy commented.

“Saturday afternoon, I had a steer I knew would be tricky to catch. Unfortunately, I let him slip through my grasp, but that’s part of it. I came back with two good steers after that. You can come here (to the Finals) five or six times, and just because you’re here doesn’t mean you’ll have the opportunity to win it. You still have to draw good.”

Cassidy did what he had to, and the stars aligned to give the Donalda, Alta., bulldogger an 8,000 point margin of victory. The six titles equal the Canadian record total established by Hall of Famer Bud Butterfield over a half-century ago in 1963.

The final ride of the 2021 Canadian Finals Rodeo provided one of the most thrilling moments of the entire week. Maple Creek, Sask., bull rider Jared Parsonage who had earlier been declared All-Around Champion of Canada, mastered Outlaw Buckers’ Homegrown for 87 points to claim the aggregate and his first Canadian bull riding title.

“It was a tough set of bulls, and the guys stepped up all week and made some good rides,” Parsonage explained. “I knew it was in my hands today. It’s simple — do a good job riding him, and the rest will take care of itself. I expected those guys to ride those good bulls, but at the same time, I expected myself to do the same thing.”

Parsonage wasn’t the only two-event winner at this Canadian Finals Rodeo.

Though Sundre roper Riley Warren managed only a 10.6 run in the final round of tie-down roping, adversity plagued a couple of the overall leaders heading into Sunday. Warren emerged as the aggregate Champion and parlayed that to a 3,000 point advantage over second-place man Logan Bird to claim his first tie-down roping title. That result, coupled with a second-place finish in the team roping, earned Warren his third High Point buckle.

In the ladies barrel racing, it was Justine Elliott’s day. Despite not winning a round, the Lacombe, Alta., cowgirl, and her two-time Barrel Horse of the Year, Blondy maintained a consistent approach displayed throughout the week with a 14.262-sec run to place fourth on the final day. That consistency gave the three-time CFR qualifier the aggregate title and a 13,000 point edge to win her first Canadian title in the final standings. Elliott’s closest rival in the see-saw battle that defined the week, Lynette Brodoway, though running

Canadian Cowboy Country December 2021/January 2022

C.P.R.A.

first on the ground, hit a barrel, ending her opportunity for a title this year.

It went down to the wire in the bareback event on the final day of CFR. But it was six-time CFR qualifier Clint Laye who came out on top to win his first Canadian title. Laye headed into the final performance with the highest overall season earnings and sitting third in the lucrative aggregate. The Cadogan, Alta., cowboy rode C5 Rodeo’s Black Feathers to 87 points and second spot in the round for a total of 44,751 points. Laye held off the hardcharging Ty Taypotat, who was coming off back-to-back wins on Saturday but only managed 83.75 pts to tie for sixth in the final round. The margin of victory was less than 300 points between good friends Laye and Taypotat. The veteran Taypotat, who began CFR in eleventh place, made a huge move and won the aggregate but fell short in his title quest.

The team roping championship for 2021 was split between Alberta and Saskatchewan as team roping header Valleyview cowboy Clay Ullery teamed with Waldeck, Sask., heeler Tyce McLeod for the win. The pair needed at least a 6.6-second, fourthplace finish to clinch the aggregate and the Canadian Championship. The Sask., team of Brady Chappel and Tee McLeod saw their title aspirations vanish with an unlucky notime in the final round.

History was made at Westerner Park on Nov 7 as the first-ever ladies breakaway roping champion was determined after three rounds of action. Second-generation cowgirl and National High School Champion Kendal Pierson of Wardlow, Alta., won all three rounds to secure the title in front of a large and appreciative Centrium crowd.

Junior event winners were Brodie Roessler from Fairview, Alta. in the Novice Saddle Bronc Riding; Cruz McNulty from Biggar, Sask., in the Novice Bareback and Kane Scott from Condor, Alta., in the Steer Riding.

Top Stock of the CFR included two Calgary Stampede horses; A-91 Agent Lynx in the bareback riding and W-16 Wild Cherry in the saddle bronc. Sawyer Pro Rodeo’s -5 Train Wreck won Bull of the CFR. CPRA and Westerner Park organizers were very pleased with the attendance and enthusiasm shown by fans and competitors alike as the CFR made a triumphant return. c cowboycountrymagazine.com

Griffin Smeltzer coming off of 2021 Bull of the CFR, Sawyer’s -5 Train Wreck. CFR photo

by Covy Moore.

Dylan Bilton on Top Bareback Horse of the CFR, Calgary Stampede’s A-91 Agent Lynx.

CFR photo by Covy Moore.

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Pro Rodeo Canada Insider Layton Green of Meeting Creek, Alta., on Vold Rodeo’s 11 Shorty. 2018 CFR photo by Billie-Jean Duff.

ROAD TO THE NFR

THE CANADIANS IN VEGAS

By TIM ELLIS

N

INE CANADIAN COWBOYS QUALIFIED FOR THE NATIONAL FINALS RODEO THIS SEASON, AND EACH HAD REASONS FOR WHY COMPETING IN LAS VEGAS IN 2021 WOULD BE SPECIAL. FOR STEER WRESTLER SCOTT GUENTHNER, HIS FOURTH TRIP TO THE FINALS

WOULD UNDOUBTEDLY PROVE TO BE AN EMOTIONAL JOURNEY.

“It is my last year competing in the U.S.,” confided the 30-year-old Guenthner, whose wife, Becky, was due to have their second child the day after the NFR. “This NFR could be a lot different because it will be my last one. That’s what I’ve committed to, and that’s what my plan is.”

“I think it’s time for a change in life. I want to get back to the ranch and help my dad and sisters and brothers-in-law. And my son is at the age where he knows where I am. Near the end of the season, he didn’t want to face-time, didn’t want to say goodbye. I think it’s my time to come back.”

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Fellow bulldogger Curtis Cassidy has been treating his recent NFR qualifications as if they were his last. But he continues to defy even his own odds.

“I never expected to make the NFR when I was 40,” says the 43-year-old Cassidy, who has now competed at the Finals in three different decades. “Here I am making my third trip in my 40s.”

His first qualification came at the age of 24. This is his eighth, putting him one behind two-time World champion Lee Graves for the most steer wrestling qualifications by a Canadian.

Bronc rider Zeke Thurston already has seven qualifications at the age of 27, but the two-time World champ admits it’s not getting any easier.

“This was probably the toughest year I had trying to win consistently,” offers Thurston, who hasn’t missed an NFR since 2015.

“It’s incredible how many good bronc riders there are. It’s fun to be a part of.”

Among the group of which Thurston speaks are four other Canadians who will join him in Las Vegas: NFR rookies Ben Andersen of Rocky Mountain House, Alta., and Kolby Wanchuk of Sherwood Park, Alta., two-time NFR qualifier Dawson Hay of Wildwood, Alta., (who posted the highest marked score of the season with his record-tying 95-point ride at the Hardgrass Bronc Match in Pollockville) and Layton Green, who returns to the bright lights for the first time since 2017, the year he also won the Canadian saddle bronc championship.

“I don’t think I got to a hundred rodeos combined in the last three years,” says Green, who dislocated a bone in his leg in 2018, suffered a badly broken leg in 2019 and dealt with a separated shoulder and pulled groin last season. “I finally just went home last summer to fully heal up and came back at 100 per cent this season.”

Rounding out the Canadian contingent in Las Vegas is 2016 World heeling champion Jeremy Buhler of Arrowwood, who also returns for the first time since 2017, and Canadian-born bareback rider Orin Larsen, who joins Thurston in qualifying for the seventh consecutive season. c

Canadian Cowboy Country December 2021/January 2022