NEWS PHOTO SEAN ROONEY
Curtis Cassidy takes his run in tie-down roping Friday, April 5, 2019 at the Broncs and Honky Tonks Indoor Spring Rodeo at the Cypress Centre.
The first big rodeo of the Canadian season is in the books.
Medicine Hat’s annual Broncs and Honky Tonks Indoor Pro Rodeo wrapped up with performances Saturday night and Sunday afternoon at the Cypress Centre, with lots of high scores and low times earning money.
Garrett Green (Meeting Creek, Alta.) closed out the Sunday show with a thrilling bull ride aboard Xcessive Force, needing better than 87 points to knock off two leaders from Saturday night. Green wound up with 86.5 points, still good for a thousand-dollar cheque and a dramatic change in the cowboys’ luck after all but one bull rider was bucked off Friday night. Four of the eight best rides of the weekend came in the final go-round.
New Zealand’s Wade Marshall (aboard Late Night Host) and Dawson Creek, B.C.’s Jacob Gardner (on All Fired Up) split top spot for their 87-point rides, each banking $1,435.
British Columbia cowboy Clayton Moore laid down a 3.5-second steer wrestling run Saturday, leaving the final 11 competitors Sunday to go after it. Two more went under four seconds – Scott Guenthner of Provost and Craig Weisgerber of Ponoka each got their steer on its back in 3.9 – but Moore kept top prize worth $1,940.
There were two other sub-4.0 runs in the timed events. Logan Spady and Wyatt Ericksen split $3,102 in team roping with a 3.6-second run Sunday. Tristin Woolsey and Denver Johnson had a 3.9 in team roping Saturday to take second.
Only one winner came out of Friday’s early slack draw. Wimborne’s Blair Smith clocked an 8.2 that stood up for $2,021, a tenth better than both Lee Rombough Friday night and Virgil Poffenroth Sunday.
The best two bareback rides of the weekend took place Friday night, as Clint Laye of Cadogan spurred 86.5 points aboard Double Dippin, while Regina’s Ty Taypotat scored 85.5 on Garden Party. Laye took home $1,447 for the victory.
Gavin Rerose of Kamloops came close Sunday with an 84-point ride on Mile Away.
In saddle bronc, Nanton’s Clay Elliott put up a huge 88-point score Friday on Gone Country that nobody else came close to. His $1,613 payday wasn’t threatened until Kolby Wanchuk of Sherwood Park scored 81.5 Sunday to take second place.
The biggest individual cheque? That went to Kylie Whiteside of Longview, who pocketed $2,312 for an impressive 12.782-second barrel racing run Saturday. She and younger sister Bradi both had great showings Saturday night, was Bradi’s time of 12.908 seconds wound up third.
Cochrane’s Bailey Schellenberg won boys steer riding with a 77-point score Saturday ($343).
