Pro Rodeo Canada Insider - Aug/Sep 2019

Pro Rodeo

CANADA

INSIDER

COWBOY CHRISTMAS! Zeke Thurston of Big Valley, Alta., scoring 89 points on Calgary Stampede’s A-83 Ancient Delivery in the 2019 Ponoka Stampede Showdown.

The 2016 World Champion Saddle Bronc rider “40-percented” the field at the famous Stampede by winning the long go, the finals, the average and the Showdown, and for good measure, he won the Williams Lake Stampede as well. All told, the young cowboy brought home about $26,000.

Photo by Wildwood Imagery/Chantelle Bowman.

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Canadian Cowboy Country August/September 2019

C.P.R.A.

2019 CPRA Schedule JULY

Tours & Circuit News It’s been an exciting and busy Canadian Pro Rodeo season so far with tight races, the Finning Pro Tour Finals just a month away and CFR on everyone’s minds.

And we’ve seen some exceptional rodeo performances at our Finning Tour venues, Maple Leaf Circuit rodeos and special events.

I’d like to recognize the efforts of our rodeo committees — both large and small — all of whom go above and beyond to make rodeos great for contestants.

And a cornerstone to every committee are the volunteers who give up personal and family time and offer their talents to make these events successful and sustainable. It’s rewarding to see long-standing volunteers like Willie Crosina in Williams Lake, B.C., who has been a part of the Williams Lake Stampede committee since the early ‘60s and Shane Crouch who was recognized as the 2018 CPRA Committee Person of the Year. (Shane has served on the Sundre Pro Rodeo committee for close to three decades, since his steer riding days.) It’s also great to see new, younger volunteers step up and get involved, like Melissa Churchill who is a third-generation rodeo chairperson at the historic Falkland Stampede. These individuals represent hundreds more who make CPRA rodeos and special events happen.

I’d also like to give a shout-out to one of the truly unsung but very important programs within our industry. All of us have been tremendously impressed with the calibre of young Canadian rough stock riders, including 2016 World Champion Zeke Thurston and outstanding talents like Clay Elliott, Layton Green, Jake Watson, Dawson Hay, Connor Hamilton and Kolby Wanchuk, to name a few. One of the reasons for this string of successes is the Calgary Stampede’s dedication to rodeo youth. The Calgary Stampede Novice Tour has been a huge factor in developing young rough stock talent, as the annual program covers the entry fees and boosts the prize money for young athletes at select CPRA rodeos. Novice saddle bronc, bareback and junior steer riders also compete for the Champion’s buckle and bronze in each event. The steer riding award will be presented at the tour finale at the Strathmore Stampede, and the novice awards at the IPE and Stampede in Armstrong, B.C. Finally, as we move into the homestretch of the 2019 season, I invite you to cheer on your favourite competitors and check out the latest results and standings at www.rodeocanada.com.

See you on the rodeo trail,

Terry Cooke, President, CPRA cowboycountrymagazine.com

Calgary, AB * (BR)—NEW..........................Jul 2–4 Coronation, AB............................................Jul 5–6 Benalto, AB...................................................Jul 5–7 Taber, AB........................................................Jul 5–6 Teepee Creek, AB — FINNING................Jul 12–14 Morris, MB — FINNING............................Jul 18–21 Quesnel, BC * (SB) — NEW.......................Jul 19–21 Kennedy, SK.................................................Jul 20–21 Oyen, AB * (BR)............................................Jul 24 Medicine Hat, AB — FINNING................Jul 25–27 Lacombe, AB * (BR) NEW.........................Jul 27 Pollockville, AB * (SB)................................Jul 27 Bowden, AB * (BB)......................................Jul 27 Bruce, AB.......................................................Jul 28 High Prairie, AB...........................................Jul 30–31

AUGUST Camrose, AB * (BR)....................................Aug 1–4 Regina, SK — FINNING — NEW..............Aug 2–4 Strathmore, AB — FINNING....................Aug 2–5 Grimshaw, AB..............................................Aug 3–4 La Crete, AB..................................................Aug 6–7 Jasper, AB......................................................Aug 7–10 Dawson Creek, BC — FINNING..............Aug 9–11 Cranbrook, BC..............................................Aug 16–18 Pincher Creek, AB.......................................Aug 16–18 Smithers, BC * (BB)....................................Aug 22 Red Deer, AB * (BB, SB, BR) NEW..........Aug 23 Okotoks, AB (Millarville, AB)...................Aug 23–25 Armstrong, BC — FINNING......................Aug 28–31

SEPTEMBER Armstrong, BC — FINNING FINALS..... Sep 1 Merritt, BC.....................................................Aug 31–Sep 1 Medicine Lodge, AB..................................Sep 7 Olds, AB..........................................................Sep 13–14 Brooks, AB....................................................Sep 20–21 Hanna, AB......................................................Sep 27–29

NOVEMBER Red Deer, AB — Canadian Finals Rodeo................................................Oct 29–Nov 3 Regina, SK — Maple Leaf Circuit Finals — NEW................................Nov 27–30 * indicates Special Event Finning Pro Tour All dates are subject to change. Please visit RodeoCanada.com for up-to-date information

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Pro Rodeo Canada Insider

The Short Round

By TERRI MASON, BARB POULSEN

IT’S ALL IN THE TIMING Over the years, fans have wondered why Pro Rodeo Canada times the barrel race to the thousandth of a second.

That practice was validated once again at Innisfail Pro Rodeo in June, as rookie barrel racer, Stacey Ruzicka of Bluffton, Alta., and her horse, Known to be Wild CS, whose barn name is Kaye, edged CFR-NFR qualifier Jackie Ganter by 1/1000th of a second for the Innisfail win (15.927-second run) and $3,083.20.

This was the third pro rodeo win for Ruzicka in as many weeks. —B.P. Photo by Zachary Cormier.

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Canadian Cowboy Country August/September 2019

C.P.R.A.

HATS & DRIVERS

MORE RODEO FUNDRAISERS

The 3rd Annual Canadian Cowboy Classic Golf Tournament ran June 18, in support of the Canadian Pro Rodeo Sport Medicine Team.

The event was held at the Valley Ridge Golf Club in Calgary, Alta., and after the pancake breakfast, the fundraiser literally opened with a bang as their much-anticipated shotgun start saw all players tee off from different holes at the same time.

All proceeds raised went directly to the not-for-profit organization, Sports Medicine. The team, which attends pro rodeos for a fee, strives to help rodeo athletes by providing care before, during or after each performance, as necessary. The team educates and enables competitors to take better care of themselves and their injuries to ensure they get the most out of their rodeo season.

This year, the funds raised are earmarked for development of educational programs. Along with the Ty Pozzobon Foundation, the team is producing a series of educational videos to educate rodeo competitors on mental health and the seriousness of concussions, as well as many other rodeo-related issues.

For more, visit prorodeosportmed.com. —T.M.

A Night at The Ranch, the premiere bull riding event held at the Daines Ranch near Innisfail each May, is also a major fundraiser.

This years’ recipient was The Smiles Thru Lindsey Endowment Fund. Created in 2015 after Lindsey Kathleen More tragically took her life at the age of 22, the Foundation was developed by her parents, Rick and Cindy More, through the Red Deer & District Community Foundation and supports those suffering from mental illness through high-impact programs.

The two-day event featured a charity poker tournament, pro bull riding, a timed event challenge, and steer riding. It wrapped up with music by rising country artist, Jamie Woodfin.

Griffin Koester won the Junior Steer Riding with 76 points. In the long go of the bull riding, Cody Lee Coverchuk earned 85 points on Calgary Stampede’s -125 Wounded Warrior, and the short go saw Sage Kimzey rack up 86.5 points on Outlaw Buckers’ 096 Tennessee Whisky. The average was won by Kimzey, who totalled 166 points on two head.

This year, A Night at the Ranch donated $40,000 to the Foundation. —T.M.

CODY SNYDER BULLBUSTIN’

GLENCROSS INVITATIONAL

Now in its 20th year, the Cody Snyder Charity Bull Bustin’ offers three nights of professional bull riding, July 2–4 in Calgary. This year it was held at the Grey Eagle Resort and Casino and featured 25-plus bull riders who went head-to-head against bulls from the best stock contractors in the business.

Event producers, Cody and Rhonda Snyder, donate funds from the PRCA-CPRA event to specified charities each year, including Special Olympics Canada, Canadian Mental Health Association Calgary and the Sheldon Kennedy Child Advocacy Centre.

“It’s more than just a bull riding to us, it is all about how we can give back and change the lives of those in need,” says 1983 World Champion bull rider, Cody Snyder.

2019 bull riding average winners at this year’s event were Wacey Finkbeiner and Klayton Lakevold (tie), Jackson Scott and Todd Chotowetz. —T.M.

Another long-standing event, the Glencross Invitational Charity Roughstock Event, set for August 23 at Westerner Park in Red Deer, Alta., features bareback, saddle bronc and bull riding.

Presented by ATB Financial and the Calgary Flames Foundation, the Glencross Invitational has raised over $1.6 million for the Ronald McDonald House Central Alberta and Every Kid Every Community Program through the Hockey Alberta Foundation.

The annual Glencross Invitational Charity Roughstock event started in 2012 as a family affair with Curtis Glencross, a retired NHL hockey player and former member of the Calgary Flames, using his passion for rodeo, family and hockey to serve his community and Albertan roots. The event includes a rough stock rodeo featuring elite bull, bronc, bareback riders and stock, including past CFR Champions, followed by a country music concert. —T.M.

cowboycountrymagazine.com

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Pro Rodeo Canada Insider

CPRA STANDINGS AS OF JULY 8, 2019 (Including: Ponoka Stampede, Ponoka Stampede Bonus Round, Williams Lake Stampede and Airdrie Pro Rodeo) The number in brackets () indicates the number of rodeos competed at during the 2019 season.

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SADDLE BRONC

Rank Name 1 Thurston Zeke (13) 2 Hay Dawson (10) 3 Watson Jake (14) 4 Finlay Jake (6) 5 Andersen Ben (17) 6 Green Layton (9) 7 Wanchuk Kolby (17) 8 Larsen Tyrel (8) 9 Crawley Sterling (1) 10 Hausauer Dusty (13)

Address Big Valley, AB Wildwood, AB Hudson’s Hope, BC Goodwell, OK Eckville, AB Meeting Creek, AB Sherwood Park, AB Inglis, MB Huntsville, TX Dickinson, ND

BAREBACK

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Dublin, TX Tremonton, UT Calgary, AB Inglis, MB Calgary, AB Cadogan, AB Regina, SB Bowden, AB Airdrie, AB Eastend, SK

Champion Richmond (12) Bennett Caleb (15) Hamilton Connor (11) Larsen Orin (8) Lacasse Spur (19) Laye Clint (11) Taypotat Ty (16) Marshall Ky (18) Vold Jake (8) Bertsch Dantan (15)

BULL RIDING

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Moctezuma, Sonora MX Strongcity, OK Ponoka, AB Maple Creek, SK Meadow Lake, SK Meeting Creek, AB Sonningdale, SK Didsbury, AB Dawson Creek, BC Honeyville, UT

Durazo Edgar (7) Kimzey Sage (11) Hansen Jordan (15) Parsonage Jared (13) Coverchuk Cody Lee (9) Green Garrett (8) Ellis Ty (17) Brown Kyle (19) Gardner Jacob (13) Bingham Tyler (9)

TIE-DOWN ROPING

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Stinnett, TX Scandia, AB Millsap, TX Decatur, TX Sexsmith, AB Wimborne, AB Stephenville, TX Nanton, AB Chubbuck, ID San Angelo, TX

Riemer Reese (7) Bouchard Alwin (19) Durfey Tyson (2) Cooper Tuf (6) Rombough Lee (20) Smith Blair (20) Milligan Tyler (8) Bird Logan (20) Shiozawa Matt (9) Harris Ty (11)

STEER WRESTLING

Earnings 43,744.98 19,490.55 16,947.34 16,092.52 14,345.10 8,612.46 8,374.92 6,482.98 6,218.80 5,518.40

Rank Name 1 Cassidy Curtis (19) 2 Cassidy Cody (20) 3 Brunner Tanner (2) 4 Guenthner Scott (19) 5 Culling Stephen (19) 6 Cure Hunter (7) 7 Moore Clayton (12) 8 Milan Tanner (19) 9 Delemont Layne (20) 10 Thomas Jason (17)

Address Donalda, AB Donalda, AB Ramona, KS Provost, AB Fort St. John, BC Holliday, TX Pouce Coupe, BC Cochrane, AB Chauvin, AB Benton, AR

LADIES BARREL RACING

26,548.31 24,992.38 13,124.69 12,137.18 11,688.99 10,778.62 10,117.51 9,841.86 8,201.41 6,192.57

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Ennis, TX Cotulla, TX Lacombe, AB Yellowhead County, AB Weatherford, OK Millarville, AB Kamloops, BC Bluffton, AB Hudson Bay, SK Abilene, TX

TR HEELER

27,246.51 24,435.73 23,528.35 19,105.62 16,903.46 14,906.60 13,967.16 13,230.45 12,997.22 12,448.10

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Stettler, AB Kamloops, BC Cardston, AB Arrowwood, AB Mossleigh, AB Waldeck, SK Ponoka, AB Vernon, TX Camrose, AB Brooks, AB

TR HEADER

15,088.88 14,987.26 12,419.91 10,959.12 10,510.09 10,492.34 10,223.85 9,980.32 9,976.79 9,020.31

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Two Hills, AB Pritchard, BC Barrhead, AB Waldeck, SK Ponoka, AB Longview, AB Pima, AZ Camrose AB Vulcan, AB Jay, OK

Walker Mary (12) Kinsel Hailey (3) Elliott Justine (18) Manning Taylor (20) Miller Emily (5) O’reilly Jenna (13) Wills Brooke (16) Ruzicka Stacey (17) Olafson Bertina (17) Ganter Angela (18)

Warren Riley (20) Beers Mike (5) Wilson Riley (19) Buhler Jeremy (14) Roy Kasper (20) Mcleod Tyce (20) Bonnett Keely (20) Koch Hunter (14) Mccarroll Brett (19) Wigemyr Devin (18)

Ullery Clay (20) Evenson Chad (5) Schmidt Kolton (19) Mcleod Tuftin (20) Bonnett Logan (20) Depaoli Steele (19) Sherwood Matt (12) Mccarroll Justin (19) Mcfadden Roland (18) Hall Brenten (16)

Earnings 17,072.52 14,784.59 14,439.98 14,198.13 13,119.58 12,648.29 11,757.14 10,943.71 10,881.21 9,388.47

25,067.35 23,543.82 19,069.94 16,398.56 16,186.88 14,381.17 11,255.97 10,326.01 9,629.96 9,322.37

13,020.34 10,905.85 10,404.43 10,107.12 9,988.25 9,059.29 8,918.45 8,637.78 7,800.90 7,761.17

13,020.30 10,905.84 10,262.19 9,059.27 8,918.45 8,900.95 8,524.98 7,800.86 7,761.22 7,744.14

Canadian Cowboy Country August/September 2019

C.P.R.A.

FIVE-TIME WORLD CHAMP EYES CFR BERTH

Sage Kimzey of Strongcity, Okla., rode Calgary Stampede’s 11 Big Red for a 90-point ride. It wasn’t quite enough to catch the champion, Edgar Durazo of Mexico, who won the event with a 92 on Calgary’s 557 Master Splinter.

Photo by Billie Jean Duff.

By DAVID A. POULSEN

I

T WAS THE QUESTION CANADIAN RODEO FANS HAD BEEN ASKING: IS SAGE KIMZEY PURSUING A CANADIAN FINALS RODEO QUALIFICATION? AFTER A SUCCESSFUL JUNE WEEKEND AT CANADIAN RODEOS THAT INCLUDED STOPS IN THE ALBERTA MUNICIPALITIES OF ROCKY MOUNTAIN

HOUSE, BROOKS AND MARWAYNE, THE FIVE-TIME WORLD CHAMPION BULL RIDER PROVIDED THE ANSWER.

“Definitely,” Kimzey responded. “That is absolutely one of my goals for this year. The CFR has been in the back of my mind since I was in college with (Canadian cowboys) Layton Green and Jacob Stemo. They were both in the novice events back then and talked a lot about the CFR. This year my schedule worked out so that I could get my 15 rodeo count, so I’m excited about trying to get to Red Deer.”

“It was all good up here until the cold this weekend,” Kimzey added. “It was 91 degrees (Fahrenheit) when I left the house and I was awful cold in Brooks and cowboycountrymagazine.com

Rocky. But the people are super nice and super accommodating. It’s been great being up here.”

Kimzey continued his CFR push a couple of weeks later with another three-rodeo stopover that included the Wainwright Stampede, the 40th Sundre Pro Rodeo and High River’s Guy Weadick Days Rodeo.

And to no one’s surprise, he was the runaway leader of competitors lining their pockets during that lucrative Canadian rodeo weekend.

The world’s number-one-ranked bull rider rode four bulls and recorded scores

of 90, 89, 87 and 84.5 points en route to a $7,791 haul. Kimzey’s first 10 stops on this side of the 49th parallel in 2019 netted him almost $22,000, powering him to the top of the Canadian standings.

“Canada’s been good to me for sure,” Kimzey acknowledged. “I’m even getting used to the cold weather. Actually, I’ve been really fortunate when it comes to the weather up here. We were warming up our ropes and getting ready for the short go at Wainwright and there was a big cloud coming our way. I told the guys it would be fine, it doesn’t rain on me up here and sure enough, that cloud went on by us.”

Between time off after last year’s NFR and a currently reduced schedule, Kimzey is optimistic about his chances: “(It’s) the best I’ve ever felt at this time of the season. I’m healthy, feeling good, mentally focused and craving bulls. I couldn’t be in a better place right now.” c 53

Pro Rodeo Canada Insider

Tyson Pietsch, 2018 Williams Lake Stampede, Williams Lake Photo by Liz Twan.

WHAT DOES IT TAKE? PRO RODEO ANNOUNCER

“K

BY TIM ELLIS

NOWING WHAT THE AUDIENCE NEEDS — AND WHEN THEY NEED IT.” THAT LINE IS WHAT EIGHT-TIME CANADIAN PROFESSIONAL RODEO ASSOCIATION ANNOUNCER OF THE YEAR, BRETT GARDINER, WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER.

“Winston Bruce once said Hadley Barrett was the greatest rodeo announcer because he knew what the audience needed and when they needed it,” recalls Gardiner, who coincidentally has a seven-year-old daughter named Hadley. “The fans dictate how much they need to be educated or entertained.”

Veteran announcer, Dave Poulsen, was also given this piece of advice that has stayed with him in the booth: “I remember working with Russ Peake doing Calgary Stampede highlights for CFCN Television,” begins Poulsen, who is celebrating his 40th year on the rodeo trail. “He would always say, ‘If you and I are having fun, the people watching us are having fun.’”

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Both Gardiner and Poulsen had similar starts to their announcing careers. Neither had much time to prepare for their debut behind the mic.

“I got a phone call one night from Doug Miller saying he needed an announcer for bull riding,” remembers Gardiner.

“But he needed me for the next night in Whitecourt.”

“I think he had already called everybody who knew how to talk on a microphone, and I was his last resort. After it was done, he said he had eight to ten rodeos booked for the next year, and he wanted me for all of them.”

Poulsen was given a bit more notice for his initial gig.

“I was working for the Saskatoon Exhibition at the time,” recollects Poulsen.

“I was phoning in results of the spring pro rodeo when Reg Kesler told me he’d maybe have me do a rodeo sometime. I thought it was one of those ‘let’s do lunch’ deals, and I’d never hear from him again.

But about three days before the Medicine Hat Stampede that year, I got a call from Reg saying he needed me there if I could make it.”

Tyson Pietsch began his announcing career at the urging of his stock contracting father-in-law.

“I came home to the farm after taking broadcasting at Mount Royal College (in Calgary),” says Pietsch, who first settled behind a mic in a rodeo announcer’s booth back in 1991. “My future father-in-law, John Duffy, who at that time was the guy who was buying hay from me who had a daughter, said ‘hey, you should announce rodeos.’”

All three bring different perspectives with them to the booth. Pietsch has the broadcasting background, Gardiner competed at the high school level and Poulsen was a rodeo clown and bullfighter.

“In my last year of high school rodeo, I’d help Lorne Schmidt announce,” says Gardiner. “It seemed he always needed help during the goat tying. After that, I’d announce Little Britches and junior rodeos around Drayton Valley just for fun to help out. Announcing was never my plan. I wanted to be a competitor. I was in the bareback, steer wrestling, team-roping and roped some calves, but I was never very good at it.”

Pietsch can relate.

“I went to a Steve Dunham Bareback School and tried bull riding. Turns out I was better talking about it than doing it.”

While Poulsen spent time in the arena, he quickly realized he hadn’t really listened enough to the rodeo announcers to know what worked and what didn’t work for the audience.

“I jumped in with some of my buddies like Brian Claypool and Dale Trottier and travelled with them for a time. Because they were going to a bunch of rodeos on both sides of the line, I was able to pay attention to a lot of announcers to see what was working.”

Gardiner and Poulsen, who was named 2008 CPRA Announcer of the Year, have

Canadian Cowboy Country August/September 2019

C.P.R.A.

gotten to the biggest stages in Canadian pro rodeo — the CFR and Calgary Stampede.

Pietsch, from Buck Lake, Alta., keeps his finger on the pulse of the smaller Alberta communities.

“You need to treat every rodeo as if it’s the biggest event in the community. When I was a kid growing up, I remember the Buck Lake Stampede was a big event and still is.

That’s their marquee event of the year.”

All three agree on one thing: the announcer should not be the star of the show.

“I’ve never heard anybody say, ‘I want to go to that rodeo to hear Dave Poulsen,’” quips Poulsen. “I’m just a small part of the overall package.”

“You need to be authentic,” believes Gardiner, who has been a voice at the Canadian Finals Rodeo for six years.

“You have to realize these competitors have been driving all night to get to the rodeo and are paying their own way,” offers Pietsch. “The last thing you want to do is try to entertain the fans with a bad joke at their expense if they miss a steer, or don’t catch a calf or screw up a ride.”

With close to 75 combined years of rodeo announcing experience, you’d have to expect each has had some moments they would rather forget.

“Too many, too many to recall,” laughs Pietsch. “I remember one time critiquing a bronc ride only to have that rider critique my work.”

“I used to introduce the barrel racing often times with ‘Pretty Girls and Fast Horses,’” says Poulsen. But this one time at Medicine Hat, I opened with ‘Pretty Horses and Fast Women.’

“It probably would have been OK, except that Reg Kesler wouldn’t let it die. He kept riding by and yelling in that high-pitched voice, ‘why don’t you tell ’em about those pretty horses and fast women!’”

For Gardiner, his memory of a gaffe comes from early on in his career.

“I was announcing a rodeo that was supposed to start at 1 o’clock,” relays Gardiner.

“But production wasn’t necessarily a priority. I was a couple of minutes into my opening when I realized no one else was ready to go. I didn’t even think to check if the chutes were loaded or if the grand entry was ready.”

Lessons learned. c cowboycountrymagazine.com

Brett Gardiner, 2019 Wainwright Stampede, Wainwright, Alta.

Photo by Billie Jean Duff.

Dave Poulsen, 2019 Innisfail Pro Rodeo, Innisfail, Alta.

Photo by Zachary Cormier.

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Pro Rodeo Canada Insider

MAPLE LEAF CIRCUIT STANDINGS AS OF JUNE 24, 2019 (Including: Sundre Pro Rodeo and High River/Guy Weadick Days) The Maple Leaf Circuit includes rodeos with less than $7,999-added purse, that do not have ‘qualifications’ and that accept permits. Canadian residents are automatically assigned to the Maple Leaf Circuit. The Maple Leaf Circuit Finals will be held in Regina, SK, on November 20–23, 2019.

SADDLE BRONC Rank Name 1 Zeke Thurston (9) 2 Jake Watson (10) 3 Ben Andersen (12) 4 Dustin Flundra (8) 5 Layton Green (7) 6 Kolby Wanchuk (12) 7 Chase Zweifel (13) 8 Jake Brown (12) 9 Justin Berg (11) 10 Dawson Hay (5)

STEER WRESTLING Address Big Valley, AB Hudson’s Hope, BC Eckville, AB Pincher Creek, AB Meeting Creek, AB Sherwood Park, AB Paradise Hill, SK Eckville, AB Camrose, AB Wildwood, AB

Earnings 10,065.89 9,271.22 4,937.31 3,923.74 3,825.98 3,746.84 2,925.47 2,742.17 2,258.80 2,057.84

Rank Name 1 Clayton Moore (9) 2 Layne Delemont (14) 3 Brendan Laye (11) 4 Ty Mason (14) 5 Matt Mailer (14) 6 Tyson Willick (13) 7 Evan Spady (14) 8 Joe Guze (14) 9 Coleman Kohorst (11) 10 Cody Cassidy (14)

Bowden, AB Cadogan, AB Regina, SK Inglis, MB Calgary, AB Eastend, SK Okotoks, AB Deloraine, MB High River, AB Red Deer County, AB

6,794.14 5,973.33 4,712.69 4,687.83 4,281.71 4,235.32 2,686.05 2,604.79 2,432.76 2,112.18

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Didsbury, AB Maple Creek, SK Sonningdale, SK Major, SK Ponoka, AB Elrose, SK Claresholm, AB Medicine Hat, AB Dawson Creek, BC Delburne, AB

12,300.27 6,020.03 5,801.42 5,516.75 4,236.39 4,232.94 4,083.78 3,017.57 2,994.80 2,841.41

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Wimborne, AB Red Deer County, AB Sexsmith, AB Stettler, AB Strathmore, AB Nanton, AB Wimborne, AB Carstairs, AB Didsbury, AB Eckville, AB

8,518.99 5,798.16 5,181.88 4,982.91 4,561.00 4,377.46 4,141.99 3,923.92 3,385.77 3,351.10

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

BAREBACK 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Ky Marshall (13) Clint Laye (7) Ty Taypotat (11) Orin Larsen (6) Connor Hamilton (7) Dantan Bertsch (10) Pascal Isabelle (12) Colin Adams (8) Linden Woods (12) Dylan Bilton (13)

Kyle Brown (14) Jared Parsonage (7) Ty Ellis (11) Todd Chotowetz (7) Jordan Hansen (9) JB Moen (8) Logan Biever (8) Wacey Finkbeiner (12) Jacob Gardner (8) Shane Peters (8)

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Blair Smith (12) Virgil Poffenroth (14) Lee Rombough (14) Riley Warren (14) Dawson Johnson (14) Logan Bird (14) Shane Smith (14) Kyle Lucas (10) Morgan Grant (12) Clayton Smith (9)

Stacey Ruzicka (13) Bradi Whiteside (14) Justine Elliott (12) Brooke Wills (11) Bertina Olafson (12) Kim Gerwatoski (13) Taylor Manning (14) Rylee Trenholm (12) Shaylee McMann (14) Casey Dacyk (11)

Bluffton, AB Longview, AB Lacombe, AB Kamloops, BC Hudson Bay, SK Ponoka, AB Yellowhead County, AB Chetwynd, BC Donalda, AB Ponoka, AB

8,389.02 6,178.62 5,818.13 5,139.21 4,566.04 4,002.76 3,901.94 3,434.75 3,268.38 3,080.85

Camrose, AB Cardston, AB Stettler, AB Ponoka, AB Ponoka, AB Mossleigh, AB Wainwright, AB Waldeck, SK Lacombe, AB Waldeck, SK

6,566.38 6,016.47 5,544.13 4,957.55 4,464.54 3,558.70 3,501.16 3,211.75 2,651.00 2,607.89

Camrose, AB Longview, AB Two Hills, AB Ponoka, AB Ponoka, AB Wainwright, AB Waldeck, SK Crossfield, AB Sundre, AB Kamloops, BC

6,566.36 6,016.47 5,544.11 4,957.57 4,464.52 3,501.18 3,211.74 3,197.12 2,607.89 2,564.78

TR HEELER

TIE-DOWN ROPING 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Earnings 6,863.26 6,711.79 3,920.85 3,727.80 3,649.16 3,493.86 3,204.46 3,036.44 3,031.95 2,913.76

LADIES BARREL RACING

BULL RIDING 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Address Pouce Coupe, BC Chauvin, AB Consort, AB Spruce Grove, AB Botha, AB Blaine Lake, SK Alliance, AB Drayton Valley, AB Okotoks, AB Donalda, AB

Brett McCarroll (13) Riley Wilson (13) Riley Warren (14) Klay White (10) Keely Bonnett (14) Kasper Roy (14) Dillon Graham (13) Mcleod Tyce (14) Tyrel Flewelling (12) Tee McLeod (10)

TR HEADER Justin McCarroll (13) Steele DePaoli (13) Clay Ullery (13) Brett Buss (10) Logan Bonnett (14) Dawson Graham (13) Tuftin McLeod (14) Grady Quam (11) Trey Gallais (14) Nick Teixeira (14)

Canadian Cowboy Country August/September 2019

C.P.R.A.

Spur Lacasse on John Duffy’s 231 Blue Bananas. The Quebec cowboy won the second round and $1,250 with 85 pts, the highest scored ride of the 2018 Grass Roots Finals held in the fall in Calgary.

Photo by Billie Jean Duff.

ROAD TO THE CFR

SPUR LACASSE STRONGER THAN EVER

By TIM ELLIS

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HAVE BIG GOALS AND WILL DO EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO ACHIEVE THEM,” STATES SPUR LACASSE.

NOW, IF ONLY HE COULD STAY HEALTHY ENOUGH IN HIS PURSUIT OF ACCOMPLISHING THOSE GOALS. “I haven’t been able to do a full season yet,” offers the 26-year-old bareback rider. “It’s been a hard few years, but I’m stronger now and ready to go. I feel better than ever. Tore my bicep off in 2016; that was major surgery, and I was out for over six months. Two years ago, I broke my hand at LaCrete and missed the rest of the season. Then last year, I had a small tear in my bicep and missed most of June and July.”

That laundry list of injuries has kept the talented 2014 Canadian Novice Bareback Champion from making his mark at the professional level. Lacasse finished 22nd in the CPRA standings in 2016, 30th in 2017 cowboycountrymagazine.com

and 19th last season, his best finish with over $5,700 in earnings.

“It’s one of my goals to get there,” says Lacasse of his quest for a berth at the Canadian Finals Rodeo in Red Deer. “But I don’t just want to go there, I want to win it.”

That type of desire can be traced directly back to his Hall of Fame father, Roger.

“My dad’s my best friend,” contends the 2015 College National Finals Rodeo qualifier. “He’s my everyday coach.”

Roger Lacasse, who now owns a roofing company in Mirabel, Que., won two Canadian Bareback Championships in 1998 and 2004 before being inducted into the Canadian Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame in 2012.

“After every ride, I send him the video, and he tells me what he thinks,” offers Lacasse who, like his dad did several times, qualified for the International Finals Rodeo in 2015. “He’s pretty mellow about it, let’s me do my own thing. If I have a question, I’ll ask him. We talk every day. It’s a great relationship.”

And it’s a relationship Lacasse is constantly reminded of.

“Most of the time, they still announce me as Roger’s son,” laughs the 2014 Calgary Stampede and Ponoka Stampede Novice Bareback Champion. “It doesn’t affect me.

I try to do my own thing and just rodeo because I love it. It’s big shoes to fill, but time will help with that.”

It was actually at his dad’s bareback riding school in St. Tite, Que., where the younger Lacasse got his start in the chutes.

But it was long before that when he received his initiation into the rodeo world.

“I was about two weeks old when he took me on the road with him for a couple of weeks,” reveals Lacasse. “My mom wasn’t a big fan of that.”

“We lived in Alberta until I was about eight. When we moved back East, I got away from rodeo and played soccer and hockey.

I came back to it when I was about 16 or 17, and I’ve been on the trail ever since.” c

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