An Okotoks athlete nearly came away with a title in her hometown rodeo, but had her crown stolen away by a newcomer on the Canadian circuit.
Thousands of fans packed the seats at Murray Arena from Sept. 2-4 for the 20th annual Okotoks Pro Rodeo, in an event featuring several past world and Canadian champions and an Olympic medalist.
In the barrel racing competition, an Okotokian finished with the top score after day one. Debbie Renger, a five-time Canadian champion, steered her horse across the line in a swift time of 13.02 seconds and looked poised for the win.
But Christine Ross beat Renger’s time with an astonishing run of 12.86 on Sunday and Renger had to settle for second place. It was a staggering win for Ross, whose name was conspicuously absent from the top 20 in the Canadian standings prior to the Okotoks Pro Rodeo.
Mellisa Hollingsworth, an Olympic bronze medalist in Skeleton at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, had a rough ride in barrel racing. She and her horse fell after making a sharp turn around the last barrel and couldn’t complete the race. The crowd managed to lift her spirits after the fall, as Hollingsworth was given one of the loudest ovations of the weekend as she exited the arena.
The highlight of the weekend came on the last ride of the rodeo on Sunday when Denton Edge made the most of a re-ride, beating Dustin Tompkins’ previous high score of 84, to win the bull riding competition.
“I’d seen that bull a couple weeks ago in Cranbrook, Cole Collins rode him and he made a really good ride for him when I’d seen him and I was really happy to have him on the re-ride,” said Edge, who calls Marwayne home.
“My first bull just fouled me on the chute, he was supposed to be a really good bull, but that stuff happens. I’m just happy with the result of the re-ride.”
“I think it will probably bump me back into first place (in the Canadian standings),” he said.
“There’s only one weekend left for the year, I’ve had a great year and I’m just very blessed.”
Tyler Thomson, from Black Diamond, finished with the third highest score after Day 1 in bull riding.
“I thought it went well,” Thomson said of his run. “I wanted to win this one, but I was on a bull (Big Time Blues) I’ve never ridden on before and it was a little wild and there’s not much you can do when you get a bull like that.”
“I usually don’t do well in Okotoks, I’ve been here many times so I was happy to perform well tonight.”
Thomson competed in Brazil recently for the second time. He called it a completely unique experience from what he’s used to on the North American circuit.
“I performed in front of 100,000 people, half of them were cheering for me and the other half were cheering against me.”
Thomson entered competition in Okotoks in 10th place and said he’s all but assured a spot at the Canadian Finals Rodeo in Edmonton.
In the saddle bronc, Millarville’s Sam Kelts failed to deliver a top score after being bucked off on a re-ride. Kelts entered the competition in sixth place in the Canadian Finals standings. World champion Taos Muncy, who hails from Corona, New Mexico, was the first rider to saddle up on Friday and his score held up through the three-day rodeo. Muncy holds a healthy lead in the Canadian Finals standings.
Okotokian Dustin Thompson finished with a score of 66 in saddle bronc and said he was happy with his run and with the chance to perform in front of his adopted hometown fans.
“That horse just turned back and it’s head came up,” Thompson said. “I just wished I’d have stayed on.”
“It’s great. I’m marrying a beautiful girl from here, I love all the people here,” said Thompson who moved to Okotoks from Brooks, Alberta.
Donalda, Alberta’s Cody Cassidy took home the Okotoks rodeo title in steer wrestling after completing an impressive 3.3 second run on Friday. Cassidy is a Canadian two-time steer wrestling champion, but had struggled this season before winning in both Okotoks and the Armstrong Rodeo on the weekend.
In bareback riding, Dusty Lavalley’s score of 83 held up through three days and the Bezanson, Alberta native won the competition to reinforce his lead atop the Canadian Finals Standings.
In team roping action, the Albertan duo of Matt Fawcett and Brett Buss finished their Friday run with a tournament best time of 4.5 seconds. Both athletes sit comfortably at the apex of the team roping header and heeler categories, respectively, in the Canadian Finals standings.
The Okotoks Pro Rodeo was far from an adult’s only affair, the kids were given a chance to compete too. The mutton bustin’ competition featured 15 lucky youngsters trying their hand at sheep riding. Five teams of three competed in the wild pony race with the Ashbacher Team, comprised of Kole and Codi Ashbacher and Colin Bexte, winning the title.
