Cowboys jostle for CFR spots at Strathmore Stampede
By Tyler Lowey, Times Reporter
Miriam Ostermann Photo
Last fall, Strathmore team roper Riley Roy and his partner Brady Chappel of Moose Jaw made their inaugural journey to the CFR.
They entered this weekend ranked 20th in the country and needed a strong run to get them closer to the elusive top-12 ranking.
The team roping was the most wide-open event as the weekend came to a close.
Action started Aug. 3 with the a 6.3-second run by Riley Wilson of Cardston and Jackson Louis of Vernon, B.C. On the second day, none of the five teams recorded a time.
Strathmore’s Denver Johnson and his partner Tristin Woolsey of Nanton entered the weekend as the No. 1 ranked team in the country, but Johnson couldn’t land his shot and recorded no time.
Arrowwood’s Doug Wilkinson did his job as a header Aug. 3, but Cochrane’s Tanner Milan couldn’t secure the heels.
Picking up the slack for his hometown was Roy’s team. They were the fifth team to go and pulled off a then-weekend high of 5.8 seconds.
Their benchmark eventually fell, but they still landed in the money and each took home $2,035.69.
“I think some ropers had some tougher conditions earlier in the week, but it was beautiful today, we had a great steer and it worked out,” said Roy, who was competing in his fifth Strathmore Stampede. “We’ve had our ups and downs this season, but hopefully we can carry this momentum into September and back to the CFR.”
A cheque from Strathmore will certainly help, as they entered the weekend just over $3,000 back of 12th and the last invite to the CFR.
Not feeling the crunch of a CPRA season is legend Scott Schiffner.
Schiffner already has his 18th bull riding trip to the CFR sewn up, but that didn’t stop him from bringing the crowd to their feet on the final day with an 86-point run on Compton Bound in his last performance in front of his hometown fans.
“I’ve always loved this rodeo since I was in Stettler and then when I moved down here. It’s one of the greatest rodeos in Canada. I didn’t win, but it darn sure felt good to stay on the bull one last time,” said Schiffner, a three-time winner at Strathmore.
One of the few rodeo contestants older than Schiffner was Alwin Bouchard of Scandia, Alta. He set the bar that withstood three rounds, when he recorded a 7.8-second run in the tie-down Aug. 3.
The No. 2 tie-down roper in the Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association (PRCA), Tuf Cooper, matched Bouchard with another 7.8 Aug. 5, but the tie wouldn’t get broken until Aug. 6, when the No. 1 roper in the world, Tyson Durfey, shattered it with a 7.4-second run.
“I know Tuf well enough and we have been friends long enough to know that he’s not watching what I’m doing. We’re just trying to do our jobs the best we can and it’s been a pretty fun race,” said Durfey, who set the mark while borrowing Curtis Cassidy’s horse Stick.
In the old format, Strathmore’s Dawson Johnson would have taken home some money in the tie-down. He won the round Aug. 4 with an 8.8, but missed the money by four-tenths of a second.
That was followed up by Dalemead’s Shawn Miller who recorded an 11.1-second run Aug. 4.
Local cowboy Tate Hartell-Macdonald was the second rider to run in this year’s Stampede, aside from all the slack competitors. In the bareback, Hartell-Macdonald rode Saturn Rocket to an 80.75 to finish outside of the money.
“This is a rodeo I’ve always looked forward to and still get a little nervous about,” said Hartell-Macdonald, who rode in his third Stampede. “I had a good horse, could have gotten a big score but I didn’t do as good of a job as I wanted. I tried my best but he beat me in a few jumps.”
Hartell-Macdonald wasn’t around to see the clinic that Inglis, Man. product Orin Larsen put on Aug. 4, when he rode Trail Dust to 89.5 points. The two-time defending Calgary Stampede champion Richmond Champion made a solid run at Larsen’s score, but came up just shy with an 89.25 run Aug. 6 on True Grit.
Breen Norman of Princeton, B.C. set the bar high with a 4.6-second run in the steer wrestling during the slack run Aug. 3. Brock Butterfield eclipsed the mark Aug. 4 with a 4.1.
Butterfield hung on as the Frank brothers, Dallas and Derek, closed out the round when they each recorded a 4.4-second run Aug. 5.
On the steamy finale of the Stampede, Tanner Milan – the No. 4 CPRA steer wrestler – smashed those scores with a 3.8-second run.
Arrowwood’s Kole Ashbacher lost his ride in the final few seconds on Xecutive News in the Saddle Bronc Aug. 3.
Two days later, Clay Elliot worked through a horse that wouldn’t start and a horse that ran out of the chute backwards, and eventually found a proper bucking bronc on his third run, as he ended up capturing the Strathmore title with an 87-point run on OLS Tubs Little Muffin.
In the ladies’ barrels, the No. 1 racer in the world, Texas’ Hailey Kinsel, pulled out of the slack, leaving the door open for all the racers.
Rebecca Miller of Dalemead saw her horse get spooked Aug. 4 and not record a time. Strathmore’s Kirsten Gjerde put the fastest time of any local down that same day with a 17.938-second run. Gleichen’s Marci Wilson nearly laid down a solid score, but crunched the final barrel and finished in 23.763 seconds.
The 14-year-old Taylor Manning nearly stole the show Aug. 4 with a run of 17.244, but the No. 1 rider in Canada, Carman Pozzobon, continued her smoking hot season with a 17.19-second run to take home $6,509.50.
“I worked my butt off to get this horse feeling great. She went through a lot in the past few weeks, but she made it work today and I just made sure the barrels were standing,” said B.C.’s Pozzobon.
In the steer riding, Tristen Manning won $1,606.32 Aug. 4. Chestermere’s Zach Gladu and Arrowwood’s Beau Gardner both got bucked off.
Ben Andersen of Eckville took the novice saddle bronc title with an 82.5-point run Aug. 5. Mason Helmeczi of Sundre won the novice bareback with a 75-point run Aug. 4.