By Nowell Berg

The 30th Cranbrook Professional Rodeo (CPR) was a huge success, enjoyed by 3,000 fans.

Held August 19-21, the three action-packed days featured top cowboys and cowgirls from across North America. Cranbrook has become a popular stop on the Canadian Professional Rodeo Association circuit (CPRA).

The weather at Wycliffe Exhibition Grounds was blazing hot, blue sky sunshine throughout the three days. It could not have been better.

The final day, Sunday, was Children’s Day, it included seven thrilling rodeo events, trick rider Shelby Cummings and a chance for the little people to try barrel racing, with stick horses. The crowd in the stands enjoyed rodeo events including bareback riding, steer wrestling, team roping, saddle bronc riding, tie-down roping, ladies barrel racing and bull riding.

The stock contractor for the event was Vold Rodeo. The announcer was Wes Cummings along with CPRA officials Jim Dunn and Jim Turner.

The afternoon rodeo began with bareback riding, which was won by Kyle Bowers scoring 82.5 points. In second place, Caleb Bennett with an 82 point ride.

Bennett, 27-years-old from Tremonton, Utah, started in rodeo when he was a “little kid.” He’s been on the professional circuit for the past seven years and can’t see himself doing anything else. His goal is to “win the Worlds and the Calgary Stampede.”

The next event saw the big guys chasing down a steer and wrestling it to the ground. An event that is not for the faint of heart. Blasting out of the shoot, a 300-pound steer flies across the ground with cowboy and hazer in hot pursuit. The cowboy leaps from a galloping horse onto the horns of the steer. At the same time jamming his legs and feet into the dirt and twisting on the steers head forcing it to stop and flop on the ground. The fastest time, and event winner, was from Curtis Cassidy in a time of 3.5 seconds.

In team roping, Kyle Smith and Tyrell Gordon won in a time of 5.0 seconds flat. In this event, the two cowboys will lasso a steer around the head and the other on the back feet. The fastest to bring the steer to a stop takes the prize money. Three roping teams were unable to secure the steer, which resulted in ‘no time.’

Dustin Flundra won saddle bronc riding with a spectacular ride of 85.5 points. Flundra was way out in front of Call Marr and Jim Berry who tied for second with 80.5 points.

A lot of excitement arose in the audience when professional trick rider Shelby Cummings was introduced. From Water Valley, Alta., she and her two horses, Peppy (bay) and Boone (palomino), performed eight tricks that you should never try at home.

Cummings first trick was the hippodrome stand (standing up on the horse) and half way around she pulled one foot out of a strap and turned it into a one-foot stand.

Her next trick was a horn spins and half around she did a neck layover on Boone.

After four tricks, Cummings switch horses to ride Peppy and did a side back bend. Following that she did a shoulder stand and then a back breaker.

Her last trick was a Stroud layout where she’s hanging out perpendicular from the horse only feet from the ground.

Speaking with Cummings after her performance, she said “this is my first rodeo since the big wreck back in June when Boone went down.” The accident resulted in Cummings having a concussion, whiplash and soft tissue injuries. After 10 weeks of rehab, Cummings didn’t think twice about getting back in the saddle. Although she now wears a helmet. She’s been riding all her life and started seriously doing tricks when she was 17.

This event at Wycliffe gave her a chance to get Boone’s confidence back. And, too let the horse know Cummings trusted him to perform the tricks. Cummings rides to raise funds in support of Kids Cancer Care and Children’s Wish Foundation.

At the half way point of the afternoon, the rodeo took a short break to allow all children in the audience to try their hand at barrel racing, with a horse head on a stick. Each child was able to step into the in-field and run around three red or yellow barrels in a clover leaf. Each barrel was a five gallon pail. Close to 30 little people raced down to the in-field lining up to take their turn. Most participants ran around the barrels, but a few managed to simulate a horses gallop, much to the pleasure of their parents. A family moment for sure. Each barrel racer received an ice cold treat and prize furnished by McDonald’s.

During the kids barrel racing, I spoke with one of two CPRA judges at the event, Jim Turner.

From Cochrane, Alberta, Turner started judging when his children began rodeo 16 years ago in high school. He’s been a professional rodeo judge for the past three years. “Its a lot of fun and excitement,” he said. He receives assignments from CPRA for 10 events per year and enjoys the travel and rodeo community. As for judging, it’s all about being “fair, honest and enforcing the rule book.”

When the rodeo resumed, it was tie-down roping. On this Sunday, five cowboys missed the mark and weren’t able to get the lasso around the calf’s head resulting in no time. This event was won by Logan Bird with a time of 7.7 seconds.

Next it was time for the cowgirls to shine in barrel racing. Its full tilt boogie to make a clover leaf around three barrels in the fastest time. This years winner was Callahan Crossley with a time of 17.410 seconds.

While she finished out of the money, Gaylene Buff from Westfold was excited to participate.

In her words, its a “rush” to fly around the course. Its also about the connection with the horse and “working together as a team” to do the best they can. Buff practices with her horse at least “one hour per day” so both of them stay in shape and ready for the next rodeo.

The final event of the rodeo was the popular and dangerous bull riding.

While five bull riders started the rodeo, only three were available for the final round on Sunday. One of those was Lonnie West, 20-years-old from Cadogan, Alberta. Like most rodeo folks, West has been around the scene all his life. His father, Kevin West, won the 1989 bull riding championship at the Calgary Stampede. You could say climbing onto the back of a 1,500-pound bull with attitude runs in the family.

The younger West has proved his bull riding metal by winning the CPRA 2015 bull riding rookie of the year. He’s got the belt buckle to prove it.

This time around, West did not have a qualifying ride which means he was bucked off before eight seconds, and out of the money.

The other two of Sunday’s bull riders didn’t make it past the eight second mark needed for a qualifying ride. All three bull riders were definitely spitting out some dust after hitting the in-field ground before the 8 second horn.

The bull riding winner was Tim Lipsett. He scored 66 points on a bull named Y12 Cold Shot.

Dallas Mackie, Chair of the Rodeo Committee at the Wycliffe Exhibition Association, had this to say about the event. “We were very pleased with the rodeo. It went very well, we had exceptionally good weather, it was well attended. We are very thankful for our sponsors and volunteers.”

Mackie estimates close to 3000 people attended over the three days which was above normal compared to past years. The total rodeo purse, just over $37,000.

As the sun arched across the sky settling behind the towering Ponderosa pines in the NW, the 30th Anniversary edition of the Cranbrook Professional Rodeo came to a close.

See ya’ll next year, cowboys and cowgirls. Yippee-ki-yay.

Lead image: Lonnie West and bull break out of the shoot. Photos courtesy Nowell Berg

 

 

 

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