Practice makes perfect, that was the lesson three local rodeo boys took away from their participation in the 2019 Calgary Stampede.
The Solid Earth Geotechnical Team, made-up of 11-year-old Griffin Purdy, 11-year-old Mason Tetreau, and 12-year-old Carter Shideler, wrestled into third place with a best time of 7.5-seconds in the wild pony race 14 and under category.
For Shideler and Purdy, this wasn’t their first rodeo, however, it was Tetreau’s introductory year into the sport.
“It was really fun participating in front of a big crowd,” expressed Tetreau, the team’s anchor.
“It’s one of the biggest rodeos in the world,” added team mugger, Purdy. “It gives you a little bit of confidence.”
Shideler, team rider, agreed that it was a fun experience.
From July 10 to 13, the trio gave it their all as they took on seven other teams.
Tetreau said, “There were a few tough teams there.”
Next year, they hope to take down the Black Top Paving Team from the Edmonton-area.
In wild pony racing, a team of three race against the clock to get their rider onto the horse’s back.
The anchor is in charge of holding the shank after the pony is released from the chute, while the mugger puts the horse in a headlock in order to give the rider a chance to climb on.
The team has had a busy summer participating in rodeos across the province, including St. Albert, Wetaskiwin, Bonnyville, Wainwright, and Ponoka.
“You have to practice a lot, and do the best you can all of the time. If you make one little mistake, you probably won’t get a time,” noted Tetreau.
For example, he added, “If I’m planting and I get jerked over, I could let go of the shank, or it could get ripped out of my hands.”
Purdy quipped, “I could miss the head.”
“I could miss the pony in general,” added Shideler.
They keep this in the back of their minds as they practice at Purdy’s grandfather’s.
According to Tetreau, their next big event is over the August long-weekend, when they head to St. Paul.
Their trick to getting ramped up for a competition is roughing each other up.
“Before we do it, we have to get pumped up so we can do well,” expressed Tetreau.
The three explained how they shake and push one another around a little bit in order to get their adrenaline running, but it’s all for fun.
When asked why they love the sport, the team agreed “it’s really fun to do.”
“It’s just fun to participate in,” noted Tetreau.
