BONNYVILLE - A big crowd stuck it out through the cold weather to catch some western action and cheer for the brave riders and drivers during this year’s pro rodeo and chuckwagon races held in Bonnyville, June 6-9.
Bonnyville Agricultural Society President Richard Procinski thanked everyone who attended the event. He expressed immense gratitude for the support of the many volunteers and sponsors who helped out.
“It’s all professionally run. Everything was on time and everything ran smoothly. Even some of our sponsors in the VIP tent said everything was professionally done. The meals were excellent, and we were really proud of it.”
The World Professional Chuckwagon Association reported that Luke Tournier took home the $22,000 dash for cash. “Luke Tournier, driving the SITE Resource Group outfit, and along with outriders Rory Gervais and Quaid Tournier, captured the championship and the George Normand Memorial Buckle. It’s the third time Luke Tournier has captured the Bonnyville Chuckwagon Championship.”
The fastest time went to Jamie Laboucane Chuckwagon team, followed by dash winner Luke Tournier, Chance Flad, Dustin Gorst and Chad Fike. Jamie Laboucane continues to lead the World Standings after the first two shows.
Members of the Royal Canadian Airforce marched into the arena to join the Lakeland Extreme Drill team during military appreciation day at the rodeo.
Drill team
Raelynn Nelson, coach for the Lakeland Extreme Drill Team, says her girls started practicing in March and hustled to be prepared for the June rodeo.
“We love being here. The crowd is awesome. They toughed out the cold weather for us. The sponsors have been amazing with supporting our girls to have tack and equipment for the weekend.”
Nelson says she is proud of the team, whose ages range from 12 to 26.
“It’s definitely long days. We get here around nine in the morning to get the horses ready – tack up and get them sparkly. I’m definitely proud... Seeing the girls come together and work as a team. There are always problems, but it's nice to see them communicate and work through it - take the hiccups as they come.”
Nelson had nothing but good things to say about the Bonnyville Ag society. “The ag society has worked really hard to make sure that all our needs are met, and the grounds are worked for the girls early in the year.”
The rodeo included an array of events from steer wrestling, roping, barrel racing, bull riding, saddle broncs, bareback, and steer and bull riding. But the chuckwagon races in particular drew a big, cheering crowd.
‘It keeps the sport alive’
Chuckwagon driver Cody Ridsdale raced alongside 40 drivers, giving audiences some entertainment at breakneck speed as teams of four thoroughbred horses ran flat out, pulling their drivers behind them in heats of four.
When asked about how it feels to participate in such a fast-paced event, Ridsdale says, “For myself I’m thinking of the game plan of going out to win the race – I don’t get worried. I’ve been driving for over 20 years now and I'm just so comfortable in the wagon box. It’s just second nature to me... My dad raced. I grew up since I was a little kid in the sport, and I’m just so used to all the horses.”
Ridsdale explains that chuckwagon season is quite long, with nine or 10 shows. Points are accumulated throughout the season to determine the world champion.
“You go out there, you obviously want to win the race, everyday that's the game plan, to try and get the front end and keep it clean. Consistency is the biggest thing – there's a lot of penalties that can happen out there, like hitting a barrel or even your outriders can mess up, so you just want to go out and have the best clean run you can have.”
Ridsdale speaks highly of his experience in Bonnyville.
“Bonnyville is a great show. The track was good this year. They’re good here for us, when we pull up they have straw, it's not hard to find hay, the committee is really good to us, and the crowd is always good here... I see all those kids there, there's so many wanting T-shirts or just screaming and cheering. It’s so good. It’s a great place to come and race for sure... Such a nice facility.”
Outrider Kaeden Molle had similar sentiments. “The crowds come out every night to support us. It keeps the sport alive, what they do for us is unbelievable. When the stands are full it gets everybody pumped up, it gets the horses pumped up, the horses run better. We perform better as athletes.”
Similar to Ridsdale, chuckwagon racing is a family legacy for Molle.
“A lot of the outriders have dads in the sport, so personally I follow my dad, Kris Molle, around all summer. Same with Weston Sutherland, he follows his dad, Mitch. Trey MacGillivary follows Layne MacGillivray, Hayden and Ethan Motowylo follow Obrey Motowylo – it’s a big family sport.”
When asked about the purpose of an outrider, Molle responded, “It’s a heritage thing. Cause back in the day, the settlers would come, and they would have their families riding the horses behind them and protecting the wagon. So now our job is to make sure the wagons are safe out there. We’re for the drivers and horses' safety. If something happens out there, we’re the first ones on site.”
Molle expressed his gratitude to the ag society.
“Bonnyville has beautiful rodeo grounds. The ag society is amazing for having us, it’s awesome.”
Wrapping up the weekend
The rodeo dances held over two nights were also a major success, says Procinski.
“It was sold out. Everybody behaved and we had no problems.”
The dance had live music from the Mainstreet Band on Friday night, and Morgan Kleiber on Saturday night.
Procinski says that for those who enjoyed the rodeo, “The Fall Fair is the second weekend in September with the pony chucks and the Indian Relay. It’s going to be a wild time.”
