Battling mud and bulls

Sharon McLeay
Times Contributor

 

At little rain didn’t stop bull riders from giving their best effort and pleasing crowds at Rockyford’s Bull-A-Rama held at the Rockyford rodeo grounds on June 30.
There were 32 contestants, but the bulls were the overall winners for the night. Four riders made time in the long round, but none stayed on for the eight-second horn in the final short round.
Cylas Bigchild from Rocky Mountain House scored 80 points, taking home top dollar of $1,653 and $1,800 for the long and short rounds.
Runners up were Landon Schmidt with a ride of 79 points, Jordan Carlier at 75.5 and Will Purcell at 74.
There were seven stock providers on site: Wilson Rodeo, Outlaw Buckers Rodeo Corp., Rafter G Cattle Company, Flying High Rodeo, Two Bit Bucking Bulls, Vold Rodeo Co./Prescott, and Wild Hoggs Bucking Bulls. According to organizers, stock providers seem to be breeding bulls that are tougher and smarter.
“This season across the board in Canada, the percentage of bulls getting rode is down,” said Russell Friend, judge at the rodeo and president of Bull Riders Canada (BRC).
Friend said stock providers sometimes use the early events to evaluate their bulls for competition, weeding them out and selecting ones used later in the season, which makes for some interesting shows. He noted that rainy conditions can present a challenging ride, and Thursday night proved a good learning experience for young riders.
“There was a puddle in front of the chutes; the bulls are so smart, they were trying to jump over the puddle straight out of the chute, which took some riders by surprise,” said Friend.
Bull-A-Rama competitors came from all over, including Strathmore, and international bull riders from Brazil, Australia and New Zealand also competed.
Friend said the international competitors come to Canada midwinter, train in the spring and compete in the summer. Then they are seasoned and ready to go home and compete in their own country’s events.
Friend said riders need to ride frequently and work through the tiers to develop skills and progress.
“We [BRC] are trying to position ourselves as the WHL of professional rodeo,” said Friend, adding that first-class rodeo can be seen at BRC events hosted in towns across Canada.
Many riders progress to competing in big money events like the Calgary Stampede.