Millarville cowboy won’t be scrambling for a spot in the Canadian finals when the Okotoks rodeo hits town the Labour Day weekend.
Saddle bronc rider Sam Kelts is a safe bet to make the top 12 to qualify for the Canadian Finals Rodeo (CFR) as he was in fourth place in the Canadian Professional Rodeo Association standings as of Aug. 16. However, Kelts knows getting to the Canadian Finals Rodeo isn’t a done deal until you are in the chutes in Edmonton come November.
Kelts qualified for the CFR last year, but wasn’t able to compete after suffering a head injury in Iowa in September.
“I had a head injury, something called brain shearing,” Kelts said in an interview on Thursday from just outside of Pendleton, Ore. “They told me I was gonna be okay but it would take some time. It was really disappointing not to compete in the CFR, because I thought I would do pretty well because I was riding well.”
Brain shearing is the stressing or tearing of tiny cells that make up the brain. Kelts’ injury came after the whistle, but the fact he had a good ride was small consolation. Although Kelts has endured the typical rodeo injuries, such as shoulder separations, but rehabbing a brain injury was particularly frustrating.
“There was no real rehab I could do — it was just kind of a time deal,” Kelts said. “When I started this season I was winning some, but I wasn’t consistent. I was getting thrown off more than usual.”
Kelts got the hang of hanging on quickly. He has earned $23,560 in Canada this year thanks in large part to a Heritage Day weekend, which was more like Christmas. He won $4,000 in Strathmore and $1,450 by winning in Abbotsford that same weekend.
As a result, he is in good shape coming into Okotoks.
“I have the CFR made, but I want to win as much as I can in Okotoks and the other rodeos because you carry that money with you to the finals,” Kelts said.
He admitted he’s never had a particularly good showing in Okotoks.
“I have placed once or twice, but I have been thrown off a few times too,” Kelts said with a laugh. “I don’t know why.”
He won’t have time to visit family while in Okotoks, however. A rodeo athlete in the summer sees more small towns in Western Canada than April Wine and Trooper combined.
“I won’t spend much time at home, it will be more of drive by,” said Kelts, who will be also attending rodeos in Walla Walla and Armstrong, B.C. that weekend.
Kelts is also vying for a spot in the National Finals Rodeo (NFR) in Las Vegas. He is currently in 19th place and the top 20 cowboys advance to the NFR.
Kelts, who has qualified for six Canadian finals, has never made the NFR.
“I am doing pretty well down there (the U.S.),” Kelts said.
“But I still need to do some winning. I will be hitting the United States pretty hard after Okotoks.”
The Okotoks Pro Rodeo is Aug. 31 and Sept. 1 at 7 p.m. The final day is a matinee at 2 p.m. All the events are at the Murray Arena in the Okotoks Recreation Centre.
Tickets are available by phoning the rodeo hotline at 403-938-1518. For more information go to www.okotoksprorodeo.com
