Team roper heads to high school nationals
By Adelle Ellis, Times Reporter
Photo courtesy of Reid Regehr
Sixteen-year-old Regehr who is the heeler, and his roping partner Landon Warren from Big Valley, Alta. who is the header, were on a hot streak, team roping in 11 stops this past year in the Alberta high school rodeo circuit before earning a spot in provincials.
“It is awesome, it’s just so fun… I’ve got a better partner this year so we’re just doing it and going to see how it goes,” said Regehr who has always been one with the rodeo crowd since childhood as his father is also a team roper.
“I’ve always been around it… my dad did it when I was young and he would always have his friends over roping and now it’s my friends over roping,” he said adding that his grandfather on his mom’s side was a teamster who used to break teams of horses.
Regehr and Warren had a good fall run in the high school circuit, ending last year in third place before entering the spring rodeo run where they received some lower scores, dropping their standings to sixth in their district before heading into provincials.
They never let that score drop slow them or their horses down, however, as they roped quick in provincials from May 31 to June 2 in Ponoka, Alta., earning the young team third in the province out of 30 competing teams, after scoring some round points and earning a 30-point average. The third-place win ensured the team a spot in both the nationals competition and in Canadians – which they opted out of attending this year.
“I know in Alberta we probably could have done better; I roped one leg on two steers instead of two feet, so if we can rope clean we’ll do fine,” said Regehr. “You always want to place as high as you can in Alberta because even if you place first in Alberta that’s a pretty good feat, but to win first in Nationals is even better. (We would) definitely like to make it to the short round because if you can make it to the short round then you’re in the top 20, and to be top 20 in North America would be pretty cool.”
At the national competition, Regehr and Warren will be guaranteed to rope two steers; if they make it to the short round, they will get a chance to rope again. They will be up against some strong competition, including Warren’s two other brothers who rope together and who placed fourth in the Alberta provincials just behind Regehr and Warren.
The duo will spend many of their spare moments practicing their roping skills. They have also entered a couple of smaller rodeos prior to the national event.
Regehr believes their drive to want to do well may be part of the key to their success, along with working on their timing and roping clean.
“You’ve got to want it. Anybody can rope but the people who want it the most will do the best,” he said.
Regardless of how the national competition goes, Regehr is looking forward to a summer filled with working for his dad and spending any extra moments he can rodeoing and roping, and maybe one day entering more amateur circuit rodeos; and if he’s good enough, maybe even going pro.
“Rodeo is pretty much my entire summer… definitely once I’m done high school rodeo I will go harder at amateur rodeos but that will have to be with my own money – if you’re not winning you’re losing; I hope I can win,” said Regehr.