2016 Pincher Creek High School Rodeo

Christian Davis, with notes from Catherine Mitchell and Toni Lucas - The 2016 Pincher Creek High School Rodeo was supposed to be a two-day event, but an overabundance of rain overnight and into the second day forced the cancellation of most of that day's events. The first day, Saturday September 10, was blessed with better weather, despite being overcast with fairly continuous high winds that created challenges for participants, organizers, and onlookers. Local results are near the end of this article.

Pincher Creek Rodeo Club members were kept hopping throughout, helping wherever needed when it wasn't their turn to queue up for an event.

The Pincher Creek High School Rodeo is part of the Alberta High School Rodeo Association's Division 1 circuit.  It's very early in the 2016/17 season.  Junior High and Senior High students competed within their age groups in 12 different events (some exclusive to age or gender categories): Barrels, Boys Cutting, Girls Cutting, Breakaway, Bull Riding, Goat Tying, Poles, Saddle Bronc, Steer Wrestling, Tie Down Roping, Team Roping, and Working Cow Horse.

Pincher Creek Rodeo Club's Waci Thomson

The Junction food bank concession volunteer Doug Waterson

Admission was free.  Proceeds from concession sales went to The Junction, for Pincher Creek's food bank.

Saturday ended on a goofy high note, with a very irregular game of polo (see video near the top)  using an oversized ball and various brooms and implements more commonly used for mucking out the barn.  It was a disaster, but a fun disaster.  Dick Hardy was the ref, an unenviable role in a game that appeared to have no rules until he made them up.

One of the horses decided to play it as a soccer game, with some success, inspiring some of his peers to do likewise.  At other times it played out like a slow-moving alternate-universe hockey game.  The implements intended to motivate the ball down the "field" were still in beta mode, and proved to be less than ideal for the task.  The sun went down as they carried on under the bright lights.  People joined and departed the game at will.  Great fun.

Pincher Creek Rodeo Club's Sarah Kirby

The next morning some brave cowboys and cowgirls faced the rain and completed the Cutting and Working Cow Horse event before the rest of the event was cut short.

Pincher Creek Rodeo Club's Jack Mitchell

As rodeo fans know, the first day of a two day rodeo is to some degree a warmup for the second day.  Participants and livestock acclimatize to the arena, and most often perform better the second time around.  There were no second tries this time, unfortunately.  However, the season has just begun.

Pincher Creek Rodeo Club's Hailey Grove

Upcoming Alberta High School Rodeo Association (AHSRA) Division 1 events will be held in Magrath, Taber, Cardston, Claresholm, and again in Cardston (click here for more information) before Provincial Finals in Olds in May 26, 27 and 28, 2017. According to the AHSRA the junior districts will bring 30 contestants into provincial finals in each event based on percentages by districts and they will compete for provincial titles. The high school districts will bring 30 contestants into provincial finals in each event based on percentages by districts.

Some of the participants:

Ally Bodkin

Colt Cornet 

Alex Keras

Alice Tanner

Austin Broderson

Courtenay Lang

Hayze Stevens

Bailey Drader

Callie Biddle

Clay McNichol

Drayton Broderson

Dylan Osborne and Ben Bamford

Emma Tanner

Jaymie Conrad

Jewel Brister

Jace McPeak Young

Jill Nunn

Kalyn Gosling

Kamryn Gervais

Katie Bews

Kole Neilson

Rorie Perrott

Khiana Bowerman

Mykenzie Price

Payton Watt

Shelby Weltz

Talia Powelson

Tory Turcatto

Sayge Turcato

Rylin Scheller

Sayge Turcato

2016/17 Pincher Creek Rodeo Club

left to right: Jack Mitchell, Martyna Lively, Jackson Braithwaite, K's Thomson, Waci Thomson, Alisha Stevenson, Ben Mitchell, Hailey Grove, Chaz Vance, Nelz Vance, Sarah Kirby

Local Results:

Saddle Bronc

THOMSON, K'S 1st

Barrel Racing

LIVELY, MARTYNA 4th

Team Roping

NEILSON, KOLE and MITCHELL, BEN 7th

Cutting Boys Day 1

MITCHELL, BEN 4th

MITCHELL, JACK 5th

Cutting Girls Day 1

LIVELY, MARTYNA 1st

Working Cow Horse Day 1

MITCHELL, BEN 1st

MITCHELL, JACK 2nd

Cutting Boys Day 2

MITCHELL, JACK 2nd

MITCHELL, BEN 5th

Cutting Girls Day 2

LIVELY, MARTYNA 4th

Working Cow Horse Day 2

MITCHELL, BEN 2nd

MITCHELL, JACK 3rd

The Altie Rutledge Award went to K's Thomson.  Click here for that story.

Thank-you Sponsors 

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Pincher Creek Junior and High School Rodeo would like to say thank you to the many people and partners who contribute to this event. Your time, sponsorship, and donations help this to be a smooth-running and successful event.

Grassy Butte Ranch
DJ Equipment Rentals
Big Chief Bucking Bulls

2M2 Land & Cattle Co.

MD & Town of Pincher Creek

Sinnott Farm Services

McRae Holdings

Southern Alberta Livestock Auction

Canada Live

Lively Realty

Dewald Livestock

Back Country Butchering

Jenkins Lazy U Ranch

Stauffer Ranches

Bar Nine 0 Ranch

Pickard Performance Horses

Cross L Ranch