Champions are headed home with shiny buckles and a win at the first rodeo of the Canadian Professional Rodeo Association (CPRA) season! Those that win big at the Canadian Western Agribition’s professional rodeo can sleep easy this winter knowing they are starting off the spring 2018 season in the driver’s seat. 

Agribition is one of the top-10 paying rodeos in the CPRA. The money paid out to competitors may knock off up to a third of the earnings they’ll need to qualify for the 2018 Canadian Finals Rodeo, and it’s only November!

For the second year in a row, Ky Marshall takes home the championship in the bareback riding at Agribition. His combined score on two horses of 166 points couldn’t be touched—the Bowden, Alberta, cowboy will combine his aggregate cheque with a first-place cheque in round one, and a second-place cheque in round two, to take home $5,440.32 unofficially. 

Michael Solberg was the highest-marked ride of the night with 81 points—he also placed fourth in both rounds and the aggregate.

Morgan Grant topped the steer wrestling with two solid runs—his times of 3.9 in round one and 4.2 in round two each took home first place and the aggregate title. The reigning Canadian Hi-Point Champion took the maximum payday at Agribition with $6,014.00 unofficially. 

The kings of consistency in the team roping, Brett and Justin McCarroll, posted their combined time of 10.1 seconds on two steers in Pool A and had to sweat it out as spectators to Pool B. They took third place in the first round with a time of 5.4, fourth in the second round with a 4.7, and ultimately took the aggregate and a total of $3,866.14 each, unofficially.

Brett Buss and Tyrel Flewelling also treated Saturday night fans to the fastest run of the week, stopping the clock in a time of 4.3 seconds and not only capturing the round win, but fourth in the average as well. 

After a string of bad luck that saw the bronc rider sustain a broken ankle, blown out knee, and four broken saddles, Tyrel Larsen’s luck seems to be turning around for the 2018 rodeo season. Larsen split second and third place in round one with his 82 point ride, then came back tonight to win round two with 83.5 points. Larsen starts off his 2018 season with $5,300.35 on the board unofficially. 

The 2017 Rookie of the Year in the ladies barrel racing is showing no signs of slowing down for the 2018 season. Diane Skocdopole conquered the aggregate with a total time of 28.682. She placed second in round one with a 14.174, and while her time of 14.508 in the second round didn’t yield a round cheque, it did give her the aggregate win. 

Diane won her very first buckle just over two weeks ago at the Canadian Finals Rodeo when she was presented with her Rookie of the Year buckle, now she can add her Agribition buckle to the trophy cabinet! She also takes home $3,861.15, unofficially. 

Tie-down roper Rhen Richard had his work cut out for him tonight when he drew “the runner” of the pen, but he got the job done to the tune of 9.9 seconds. After his round one winning time of 7.5 seconds gave him a huge lead, and some breathing room, his nine-second run was enough to keep him in the No. 1 spot in the aggregate with a total time of 17.4 seconds on two. 

Richard takes a cheque worth $4,295.72 home to start off his Canadian Professional Rodeo Association season and says he’ll now spend some time competing in the United States, before returning to Canada to make a run for the CFR. 

The home-province cowboy Jared Parsonage just couldn’t be beat in the bull riding aggregate. He scored 169 points in Pool A, earning him the aggregate, with his scores of 83.5 and 85.5 in the first and second rounds, respectively, also earning two second-place round cheques. Parsonage will start off the spring season with $4,955.31, unofficially. 

Two competitors came close to matching Parsonage’s score in the aggregate: Lonnie West and Zane Lambert both scored a total of 168 points to split second and third in the aggregate. 

With the completion of the Canadian Western Agribition, CPRA competitors will now either be hunkering down for the winter, or heading south to try their hand at the rodeos the United States has to offer over the winter months!

By Katy Lucas