High school rodeo takes over Strathmore Ag Society grounds

By John Watson Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The annual Strathmore High School Rodeo took place on the Strathmore and District Agricultural Society grounds, May 17 and 18, with students coming from across southern Alberta to participate.

Don Johansen, who spoke on behalf of the Strathmore Rodeo Committee, explained the event serves as an opportunity for young athletes to get a jumpstart into the rodeo scene and potentially set themselves up to launch careers in their respective sports. 

“This is good training for them to get going to become a professional athlete. It is a high school circuit, there are circuits in southern, central, and northern Alberta, and they compete at this, and then they will go on to the Alberta finals, and then the Canadian finals, and then to the finals down in the US,” said Johansen. “It is quite an achievement for these young kids to make it all the way to the US finals for all of North America. This is the last one of the year – the season starts quite early –

and it will end with this one. Now they are going to start having all their finals and qualifying for (nationals).”

Throughout the course of the high school rodeo, featured sports included bareback riding, saddle bronc, bull riding, barrel racing, tie down roping, breakaway roping, steer wrestling, goat tying, team roping, and pole bending.

In addition to the students from southern Alberta in attendance, Johansen explained there were some who had come from Saskatchewan to also participate. 

“You always want to win; you set your goals to make the Alberta finals, the Canadian finals, and then go on into the US for the big finals. There are prizes here but it is really about going forward to the next rodeo,” said Johansen. “This is where they all learn. Even myself, I started in high school, went on to the Canadian finals and NFR, and the world finals. This is where you start.”

Strathmore’s high school rodeo has been an annual event for the last 54 years. During that time, it has grown to now feature hundreds of students competing to advance their early rodeo careers. 

Among those students included is Rhys Desmet, 17, hailing from Strathmore, who competed in breakaway roping. 

“My sister and I, we have high school rodeoed since we were just in junior high. We have always done it. It is like one big family, we love it and this is what we live for,” she said. “Breakaway is always growing. I think it is the fastest growing sport and rodeo … I look up to a lot of these girls, they inspire me, and after a miss you go get the next one.”

Despite the competition, she added the students who attend are all rooting for each other and cheering for their peer’s success rather than being there simply to win for themselves.