There’s no margin for error when you are competing against the best rodeo athletes in the country.
The four foothills area athletes who competed at the Canadian Finals Rodeo (CFR) in Edmonton on Nov. 7-11 were all able to cash cheques, but they weren’t able to bring home a national title.
A Millarville saddle bronc rider found out the hard way why some horses are considered eliminators at the CFR.
Sam Kelts was able to earn a cheque in three of his six rides at the CFR, but wound up eating some of the Rexall Place infield dirt when he got on board the stock from the eliminator pen.
“I placed on all three that I stayed on, so I can’t complain too much,” Kelts said. “On Thursday and Saturday night I was on (horses) from the eliminator pen. Those are the horses you can get a lot of points on, but they all have a trick to them somewhere — they are strong, they have a move — they are the ones that throw a lot of guys off.
“They just flat threw me off.”
The Oilfields High School graduate opened the CFR by splitting third and fourth place money on Nov. 7 with a ride of 81.25. However, he got bucked off the next two rides. He would finish tied for second on Saturday afternoon.
Kelts was bucked off on the Saturday night performance, which eliminated his chance of winning his first Canadian championship. However, he ended his CFR by cleaning up on Big Muddy with a first place ride of 84.75. on Sunday’s final performance of the championship.
“That was the third time I have been on the horse and he had a good day and things went right for a change,” Kelts said. He picked up just over $11,000 for the first-place ride.
Kelts won $22,504 at the CFR, nearly matching his $27,828 he won over the Canadian Professional Rodeo season. His total of $50,332 placed him fourth in Canada.
“I wasn’t real happy going down for three of them, but when I stayed on, it counted,” Kelts said. “I can’t complain.”
His fourth-place finish qualifies Kelts for the Calgary Stampede in July.
Former Black Diamond resident Kyle Thomson, who now lives in Lundbreck, finished ninth in the season. The saddle bronc Canadian championship was won by Luke Butterfield with $64,940.
Steer wrestler Coleman Kohorst from Okotoks re-injured his knee in Edmonton, however, it didn’t seem to slow him down too much.
He had the fastest time of the 12 bulldoggers at the finals on Day 2 Nov. 8 when he pinned his steer in 3.9 seconds.
“It was kind of unexpected that I would win on that steer because when they picked him, nobody knew what he was like,” Kohorst said. “He stopped pretty good for me, but no one else was able to get him for the rest of the week.”
Kohorst was a bit like that guy who has the bank door shut on him at closing time. He was close, but never got a cheque.
“I steer wrestled pretty good all week,” Kohorst said. “I just couldn’t scratch a cheque. I had three sixth-place finishes. They only pay the top five, so I was right there every night. It just wasn’t my turn.
“Guys were making good runs all week. At the start of the week, a 4.4 (seconds) would have gotten you a cheque, but they just started getting faster.”
He picked up an $11,398 cheque for winning on Nov. 8. That combined with his season earnings of $14,897 in the Canadian Professional Rodeo Association season gave him a grand total of $26,295 good for eighth place in Canada.
That’s more than good, but not great as in the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth. The top five are invited to the Calgary Stampede in July.
He plans to have surgery on the knee he reinjured as soon as possible.
“I will be lucky if I run a steer by Innisfail (rodeo) in June,” he said.
Tanner Milan of Cochrane was the Canadian champion in steer wrestling earning $67,565 on the year. He was riding the world champion horse Jesse owned by Black Diamond’s Lee Graves at the finals.
In other Foothills athletes results Okotoks’ Adel Hansen was 11th in the final standings in ladies barrel racing. In tie-down roping Steele DePaoli of Longview was ninth. He and roping partner Chad Johnson finished 11th in team roping. Clint Buhler of Okotoks teamed up with Riley Wilson to finish eighth.
Former Canadian champion Tyler Thomson from Black Diamond did not compete at he CFR, however, 2012 Canadian bull riding champion Scott Schiffner clinched the title on a bull, Pop Evil, raised by Thomson.
The other Canadian champions were Lisa Lockhart in barrel racing; Shane Hanchey in tie-down roping; and Dustin Bird and Paul Eaves in team roping.
