Bucking broncos, barrel racing, and steer wrestling were on display at the Bonnyville Pro Rodeo.
While the rain proved to be a bit of an issue for the arena, that didn’t stop the competitors from impressing onlookers during their events at the Bonnyville Rodeo Grounds on June 14 and 15.
Corey Styba, president of the Bonnyville Ag Society, noted this year had an impressive group of participants aiming for the top spot.
”As far as the number of Canadian Finals Rodeo (CFR) qualified cowboys that are entered, who showed up, and those that aren’t qualified and competing, it’s right up there with the best as far as level of cowboys that were competing this year.”
Shane Franklin, rough stock provider and owner of Franklin Rodeo Co., said the ground conditions improved over the two nights.
”We had a little bit of ground conditions the first day because of the rain, but overall, the grounds weren’t by any means hazardous to anything. Saturday was picture perfect.”
Although attendance on the first night was lower than expected, people came out to watch their favourite events, such as bull riding and saddle bronc, and watched country music star Drew Gregory hit the stage following the rodeo on Saturday.
Attendee Brooke Morrison enjoyed the chance to watch the rodeo close to home.
”We don’t get a lot of things in Bonnyville and Cold Lake, and we only get four weeks of summer. It’s nice to have something to look forward to,” she said.
In bareback riding, it was Wyatt Maines who came in first with a score of 79.5, followed by Travis Heeb, and Luke Creasy, who tied for second with 79 points.
Clayton Moore came out on top for steer wrestling at 4.4-seconds. Matt Mailer was right behind him with 4.5-seconds, and Josh Harden in third with 5.3-seconds.
The winning group for the team roping was Steele DePaoli and Riley Wilson with five-seconds flat.
”They were really quick, and that was actually during slack when the ground wasn’t in as good as condition as it could have been,” noted Styba.
Not far behind first place with 5.2-seconds was Brett and Justin McCarroll. Third place was a two-way tie between Brett Buss and Klay Whyte, and Levi Simpson and Cole Davison, who roped in 5.3-seconds.
Kolby Wanchuk was the top cowboy in saddle bronc riding with 84 points. Second place went to Dusty Hausauer with 78.5 points and 77.5 points put Jake Burwash in third.
A popular draw during both evenings was the kids’ wild pony rides, which was a timed event that had teams attempting to get their rider onto a horse as quickly as possible.
The winning team featured Griffin Purdy, Mason Tetreau, and Carter Shideler, who were all excited to claim first place in front of their hometown crowd.
”It felt really good,” Purdy exclaimed.
Even though the team will be heading to Calgary for the stampede this year, they noted the local rodeo is their favourite because it allows them the chance to compete in front of friends and family.
Morrison said the wild pony races was a highlight for her because she likes to see the “little guys out and having fun.”
Caddo Lewallen and Tyler Milligan tied for first place in tie-down roping with 7.9-seconds, while Logan Spady claimed second at 8.2-seconds.
With 8.3-seconds on the clock, Cade Swor and Logan Bird tied for third.
The winning time for ladies’ barrel racing was Jimmie Smith with 18.15-seconds, followed by Jennifer Sharp who took the second place spot with 18.20-seconds.
Taking home the third place title was Callahan Crossley with 18.36-seconds.
With 69.5 points, Lachlan Sheppard won first in the novice saddle bronc. Right behind him with a score of 57 was K’s Thomson.
Kyle Brown walked away with first place in the bull riding event. He ended the weekend with 72 points.
Ty Ellis scored 70 points, wrapping up the rodeo in second.
With another successful rodeo in the books, the ag society now turns their focus to the Spirit of Bonnyville Chuckwagon Races from Friday, June 28 to Sunday, June 30.
