More than ever, the Ponoka Stampede can be a game changer for pro rodeo athletes. Added prize money in the riding events this year make the stakes even higher. Whether you’re from Brazil, Oklahoma, or even central Alberta, the desire to excel at this rodeo is high.
For Nicholas Patterson, the pressure amped up a bit when he found out the horse he’d drawn in the saddle bronc riding. A friend asked if he was excited or scared about Ponoka, and that’s when he learned he’d meet The Big Grey. One of Canada’s most decorated and famous bucking horses, C5’s Virgil has twice been named best Bareback Horse of the World, and twice in Canada as well. But he dabbles in the saddle bronc pen, and brings his same superstar bucking talents to that event.
“I was super excited when I saw my name beside him, but a little nervous,” admits Patterson, who lives at Rocky Mountain House. “I watched Zeke (Thurston) at his bronc match in Stettler win it on him, and he was one of the first guys I messaged to see what I needed to do.”
Armed with the rein insight from the four-time World Champion, and a dose of encouragement, Patterson took his own shot at the powerful steed for an action-packed eight seconds. The two-time CFR qualifier rose to the task and set his spurs rolling for an aggressive 89.5 point performance.
“It was a blast!”
“He felt pretty good today. I think I was ahead of him enough his power didn’t get to me too bad.”
That kind of score virtually guarantees Patterson a spot back for the Ponoka Finals on July 1st. And after a winter run which included getting knocked out at a Florida rodeo and a rough spring, it’s just the confidence builder Patterson needs heading into the busiest time of the rodeo year.
“It’s huge. This is the first time I’ve had any sort of luck here in Ponoka. I’m excited to get on the road and get to a bunch more.”
One of the hottest cowboys in the world of pro rodeo made his first trip to Ponoka count. Wacey Schalla is number one in bull riding, and number two in the World All Around race, as he also rides bareback horses.
“Weston Timberman won the bareback riding here last year. I went to college with him and he’s one of my good friends so when I saw he won it, I had to try and get right up there with him,” says Schalla.
It was the 19-year-old Oklahoma resident’s first trip to Canada. Traveling with a fellow bull rider, both were too young to rent a car, so they took an uber from the airport. They actually were lost in Ponoka, until they asked folks ordering at a drive-thru how to find the Stampede grounds!
But Schalla was far from lost in the arena, where he stayed firmly in the middle of a bull called Captain Hook for eight seconds and 86.25 points, to top the leaderboard. He was also 83.75 points in the bareback riding on C5’s Devils Girl, to sit third in that event.
“I was excited coming here, and my goal was just to capitalize on what I had.”
Even though his address is Montana, Richmond Champion is one of the top bareback riders in the Canadian standings right now, having placed at all eleven of the Canadian rodeos he’s entered so far. Plus he’s the high man so far at Ponoka, after marking on 86.75 on the horse he was hoping to draw in the pen – Pretty Woman.
“Every now and then it lines up,” chuckles Champion. “Every trip I’ve seen her, she goes out and hits, and goes right. She went left today, so that was new, and that’s OK – it worked.”
Champion has won Ponoka twice in the past, and can’t believe all the growth of the Stampede ground facilities, including the addition this year of a contestant’s dressing room.
“This rodeo is so special. It should be bigger than it is, in my opinion. I don’t know why it doesn’t get as much recognition as some of the ones down south. This is THE best rodeo over the fourth of July – no question. All you have to do is come up here once, and you’ll never miss it again.”
Bareback is one of the riding events now boasting a $75,000 purse and getting a big piece of that could do a lot for Champion’s goals of the Canadian and National Finals Rodeos.
“It’s amazing. You win this – slingshot engaged. You’re moving up.”
History was made at the Ponoka Stampede with the addition of a new event –breakaway roping. The ladies were up for the challenge of the famous Ponoka long score, but were grateful to the Pugh family for putting on a jackpot the week before the Stampede so they could get a taste of what it’s like.
Lacombe roper Taylor Flewelling was fastest of the performance with a 4.7 second run.
“It was super exciting,” says Flewelling. “I was pumped to just hear they were having breakaway, and I know there’s a lot of people that are behind it, and in helping us get here. I’m just super grateful for all those people who put a lot of work into getting us here. I’ve watched this rodeo lots and it’s pretty cool to actually be here. I’ve always thought about running one down the lane and now I’ve done it.”
“I was the first girl to ever run one at the CFR when they had it in Red Deer, so it was pretty cool to be one of the first girls here too.”
Like the other timed events, the breakaway ropers get two runs to determine the finalists. Flewelling missed her first calf, so she’s out of that hunt. But Kashley Seitz of High River got both her calves roped and she’s best on two with a 10.4 second total.
“I actually made a last-minute horse switch based on that jackpot, and it worked really well for me,” says Seitz. “The calves are running across the line and they’re running hard so it’s something like we don’t usually have up here, and it’s fun.”
In the tie-down roping, Cooper Resch of High River was fast man in both the morning run as well as the performance, so his combined total of 19.8 seconds on the pair of runs is the trend setter so far. Both Colter Taylor of Saskatchewan and Tanner Milan, now of Three Hills, wrestled their steers in 5.5 seconds in Wednesday’s opening performance, but Milan has the leading time in the event on two runs at 13.1 seconds. The best team roping time of the night came from some experienced American ropers. Arizona’s Erich Rogers and Kollin Vonahn of Oklahoma got the job done in 6.7 seconds. However, they’re second overall (14.8 seconds) to Ponoka’s own Jackson Braithwaite and Derek Hadland (14.1). Jennifer Neudorf from Bluffton turned in the speediest barrel racing run at 17.57 seconds.
Rodeo performances now go at 1:00 pm each afternoon through June 30th, with the top twelve in each event advancing to the Ponoka Stampede Finals round July first.