Local youths win at CFR

By Tyler Lowey, Times Reporter

Scott Schiffner and Riley Roy weren’t the only local winners last week at the 44th Canadian Finals Rodeo.
While they might not have competed under the bright lights on hallowed grounds of the Northlands Coliseum, three local kids shone across the street at the Edmonton Expo Centre during Farmfair International.
Dexter, Jayna and Brody Hale, all fairly new to the sport of mini bronc riding, competed in their first big rodeo.
It was a brotherly competition in the final, as Brody and Dexter finished as the top two riders in the mini pony saddle bronc after the long go. Dexter (14) edged his younger brother Brody (11) in the short go, winning a belt buckle, and he was named the Canadian Classic Champion. Brody was named as the reserve champion.
The long and short gos took place Nov. 8, hours before the adult rodeo got underway.
In the mini pony bareback, Jayna (12) was the only female competitor and wound up winning the junior competition.
The results are proof the Hales are naturals in the rodeo. Brody is the only one out of the three who has been competing for longer than a couple of months. Brody has been riding for a year, while Dexter and Jayna decided it would be a fun sport to try last June.
Life moves fast as a teenager, as all three siblings and Wheatland Crossing students will be travelling to Las Vegas, Nev. for the Junior Nationals Finals Rodeo Dec. 7-11 at the Convention Centre.
“It’s been a fun couple of months having all three of them ride. Now we get to go down to Vegas and see how that goes,” said RoxAnne Hale, mother of the three champions.
The Hales will be competing with 145 kids, aged 14 and younger for the world championship title.