Even though the snow seems to have settled in for the winter and most rodeo athletes have either headed south or hunkered down, the Canadian Western Agribition offers a chance for competitors to kick-start their 2018 season. With one of the top 10 largest payouts in the Canadian Professional Rodeo Association (CPRA) Season, Agribition in Regina, Saskatchewan, is a great opportunity for the competitors to get ahead of the game before they pack it in for the winter.

The top 16 CPRA competitors from the 2017 regular season are split into two pools, each competing in two go-rounds of action during the November 22-25 event, which will be streamed live right here on FloRodeo. The added prize money of $12,300 in each event is divvied out between the two go-rounds and an average.

After over a 10-year hiatus, the popular rodeo returned last year and dual-event cowboy Riley Warren says earning a big check there really gave a boost to his 2017 CPRA season.

“It’s huge, it actually takes a lot of the pressure off for the next year,” said Warren, who started his season off with a $5,001 check in the tie down roping from Agribition. “When you’re already close to a third of the way to the finals, it makes a big difference.”

With some rodeo competitors qualifying for the Canadian Finals Rodeo with as little as $12,000 in their event, a win at Agribition means they could be well on their way to a qualification next year if the standings follow that same trend.

Watch for Warren in the tie down roping and team roping with his partner Stacy Cornet as this cowboy once again sets his sights on being a contender for a single event and hi-point Canadian title, something Warren has been in the running for many times in the past but has yet to make a reality.

“I’d definitely like to be an event champion as well as a hi-point champion,” he said. “It’s just tough to do; there are a lot of really tough competitors in all the events at the pro level. I’d really like to have a Canadian championship buckle for sure, but I guess it just hasn’t been my turn yet.”

At the conclusion of the 2017 CFR, Warren was named the average champion and was less than $1,000 shy of realizing the dream of winning a Canadian tie down roping title. Not only does he look forward to a chance at the money up for grabs at this year’s Agribition, but he also looks forward to it being a way to kick off the 2018 season with a bang.

“That rodeo has an awesome atmosphere,” said the Stettler, Alberta, cowboy. “There’s tons of people and lots going on. Everyone is into the rodeo. I thought it was pretty electric.”

Watch the 2017 Canadian Western Agribition LIVE on FloRodeo November 22-25!

By Katy Lucas