Trailers and horses could be seen lined all the way down the sides of the Ag Corral this weekend as St. Paul hosted over 400 high school rodeo stars from all across Alberta in the 14th Annual St. Paul High School Rodeo.
The rodeo was put on The St. Paul Agricultural Society with stock supplied by Les Trach Rodeo Co. and featured both boys and girls competing in a total of 18 events that spanned the weekend. Both days were treated as separate rodeos, so riders were given an immediate opportunity to better their previous scores from Saturday’s competition.
A number-one draw amongst rodeo fans, the bull-riding competition was won on Saturday by 18-year old Lane Hehr from Lamont. Hehr has grown up around the rodeo his whole life and said he’s competed well over a hundred times.
“It’s been a part of my life, my dad did when he was younger, so I’ve been around it all my life,” said Hehr.
As an 18-year-old riding a bull, things can get understandably hectic, but Hehr’s demeanour is relatively calm and when asked if he gets scared before a ride, Hehr shrugs off the suggestion.
“You don’t really get scared, you just get a little nervous. You just want to make a good ride, you don’t want to fall off and look stupid but you never really get scared. If you get scared you shouldn't be doing it,” said Hehr.
Hehr hopes to make the Canadian finals some day. He competed in last year’s high school rodeo but got bucked off both his bulls. This was his first bull ride since last fall and it is safe to say this season is looking pretty good so far.
“It feels really good and it is good to get confidence back up,” said Hehr.
The weekend’s bull riding title went to both Zeke Thurston from Big Valley and Todd Chotowetz from Major, tying with 140 points on two head. Thurston also took the men’s hi point champions title, with Mackenzie Braithwaite from Bluffton taking the title for the ladies side.
In girls action, Rimbey-born Taylor Smith led the way in District 2 season points in the Poles event with 73 points on Saturday, a full 10 points ahead of second place Rachel Madsen. However, Fort Saskatchewan’s Madsen competed strong and came in second overall after Braithwaite.
Smith, 17, has competed in the high school rodeo circuit for the past four seasons.
Smith has just been accepted to university in New Mexico on a four-year rodeo scholarship. While she remains unsure of what subject to study, Smith has no intentions of quitting the sport she loves as she hopes to compete in the college rodeo finals.
Smith competed in five different events this weekend: poles, barrels, breakaway, goat tying and team roping. Her favourite event to compete in is the breakaway rope and admits that her least favourite event is the barrels. As a fan of the sport Smith’s favourite event to watch is the saddle bronc, calling it a “classic rodeo event.”
Riders competed for various prizes donated by the events numerous sponsors. For fans, they got a great glimpse of the best up and coming rodeo stars in the area.
