The top competitors from a long season of Lakeland Rodeo Association action gathered in St. Paul this past weekend for Showdown 2015, with packed crowds caught up in the excitement of five go-rounds of fast paced action.
The top competitors from a long season of Lakeland Rodeo Association action gathered in St. Paul this past weekend for Showdown 2015, with packed crowds caught up in the excitement of five go-rounds of fast paced action.
Each of the five performances had a special theme. Thursday night's opening ceremonies saw the cowboys take off their hats to the Canadian Armed Forces, with Royal Canadian Legion representatives and members of Mallaig Army Cadet Corps saluting as an honour guard of flag bearers escorted an Afghanistan veteran into the arena. Friday night, with rodeo staff, contestants and many in the audience wearing pink, was dedicated to breast cancer survivors and those suffering from the disease, with season leaders presenting pink carnations to cancer victims in the audience.
Saturday afternoon was Family Day, with many of the finalists bringing their children into the arena during introductions, and all the children in the audience invited down to the arena floor to meet the cowboys and cowgirls, many of them wearing purple in a tribute to the Stollery Children's Hospital. Saturday evening saw three scarlet-coated RCMP on hand to receive the accolades from contestants and audience alike.
Sunday, when everyone was invited to wear orange, the show was dedicated to a former St. Paul Agricultural Society member and valued Showdown volunteer, Leif ‘Punky' Pederson, on the fourth anniversary of his death in a vehicle crash. His father, who has worked behind the chutes at Showdown for over 20 years told the crowd that “Punky was opening and closing gates back there as soon as he was big enough&” and continued to do so at both Showdown and the high school rodeos St. Paul hosted, for the rest of his life. “It was the last thing we did together.&” He said a loss such as his family has experienced “takes a network of support to get you through. You'll never know how good this tribute makes us feel.&”
In recognition of Leif's work with the high school rodeos, rodeo clown “Ricky Ticky&” Wanchuk presented a trophy buckle to the dedicated volunteer's baby nephew, who is named after his late uncle.
A special attraction at Friday's and both of Saturday's performances was the Wild Pony Race, with five teams of fearless youngsters doing their best to subdue some extremely wild ponies to the extent that one member of the team could hop aboard and ride for at least a jump or two, before the cute little “Pickup Chick&” and her miniature horse came into the arena to herd the wild ponies out the gate.
Of course, the LRA finals would not be the same without “Ricky Ticky&” Wanchuk and his crew of helpers, who kept the crowd laughing at every performance with their antics and occasionally made them jump with his pyrotechnics, in stunts ranging from firefighting and beaver-catching to well witching and his old standby, a totally disastrous version of hat cleaning.
Four performances saw leaders emerge in each event, but neither the leads nor their season's standings could guarantee a championship until after Sunday's final go-round.
Ryley Gilbertson of Lloydminster came into the finals sitting fifth and got off to a great start with a 70.75 point top score on Thursday night, adding three thirds on Friday and Saturday to edge ahead of season leader Jessey Lanin of Shannon, Quebec, who picked up a third and two first place scores. Lanin didn't make it to the buzzer on Sunday, and while Gilbertson placed third, scoring 70.25, behind Australian Nathan Garlick with 74.75 and Colton Ouellette of Meadow Lake, Sask., with 70.75, it was enough to win him the LRA trophy saddle. Lanin took home the MPI Oilfield season leader buckle.
Steer Wrestling was one of several events to come down to a tiebreaker. Jerry Stojan of Sexsmith, who came into the finals in third spot, and Colton Crawford, Drayton Valley, who came in tenth, were tied after Sunday's go-round, with Stojan's 3.6-second tiebreaking run not only the fastest run of the finals, but enough to put him ahead of Crawford's 3.7, even before the latter was assessed a 10-second barrier penalty. Stojan accepted the Jones Boys Western Wear saddle, while the Trach Rodeo Ltd. season leader buckle went to Kale Peterson of Buck Lake.
Dawson Hay of Wildwood, with two first place runs and Dawson Dahm, who came into the finals as a last minute replacement and had three seconds in the Novice Horse Riding, arrived at Sunday's performance tied for the lead, and it was the total of the scores from Dahm's three successful rides that gave him the win and the LRA saddle when both he and Hay hit the dirt before the eight second horn in the final go. Season leader Trent Kure of Spruce View also had two firsts on the weekend, and received the Signs and Graphics by Foss buckle.
Two seconds and three firsts, including a tremendous 83-point ride on Sunday, gave season leader Coy Robbins of Whitecourt the win in the Junior Bull Riding, giving him the Compass Animal Health Inc. saddle and a season leader buckle from Mike Eaves.
Another tiebreaker was required in the Junior Steer Riding, where season leader Couy Lawes of Wainwright and sixth place finisher Jesse Havell of Sunset House came into the final performance with an equal number of championship points, and both bucked off their final steers. Havell bit the dust once again in the tiebreaker, while Lawes marked a 77.5 to take home the LRA trophy and the X6 Ranch buckle. Lawes is the son of Marty Lawes, who won the Junior Bull Riding at the very first LRA finals in 1979.
The fastest run in the final performance, a rapid 13.268 seconds, and a win in the average earned Ladies' Barrel Racer Stacey Ruzika of Red Deer, who came into the finals fourth for the season, the Welch's Saddlery and Western Wear saddle, with season leader Candice Weder of Ardrossan accepting a trophy buckle donated by Mike Eaves.
It took a tiebreaking run to do it, but season leader and lone male contender Blayde Melaney of Rocky Mountain House won the Junior Barrel Racing title over Madyson Hagen of Alsike when Hagen knocked a barrel. Melaney won the Vision Credit Union saddle and the season leader buckle from Troy Fischer Silverworks.
Taylor Manning of Edson had Sunday's fastest run in the Peewee Barrels, but that was just the icing on the cake, since she came into the final performance with four other firsts to take home the Lincoln County Oilfield Services saddle and LRA season leader buckle.
Coming into Showdown in 10th place didn't stop Tie Down Roper Jimmy Gunsch of Thorsby from taking home the LRA championship saddle and one of two buckles from the St. Paul Journal, after two wins and two thirds were added to his five-round average. Steve Horricks of Tofield won the St. Paul Journal's season leader buckle.
A tremendous 79.5-point ride on Sunday and a win in the average gave season leader Lane Cust of Ardmore the Saddle Bronc championship saddle from CFCW to carry home along with his season leader buckle from John Duffy Rodeo.
Dawson Graham of Wainwright and Corey Dunlop of St. Paul won Sunday's final round in the Team Roping, but while that gave them the top average of the weekend, it couldn't edge the duo past Troy Fischer and Tyler Batchelor of Mayerthorpe for the Vantage Trailer Sales and B & R Eckels trophy saddles. The father-son duo of Daryn and Dylan Knapp took home season leader buckles from Bearing Oilfield Services.
Sunday's Bull Riding saw one lone qualified ride, as Dace Chisan of Two Hills collected a 71-point score and the only day money at the end of a weekend that saw only 11 riders still aboard at the eight second horn. Season leader Jordan Wasiecko of Fawcett collected two wins and 80 championship points to take home the St. Paul Dodge saddle and Combined Insurance season leader buckle.
