Top CPRA contestants will head to beautiful Dawson Creek, British Columbia, for the Dawson Creek Exhibition and Stampede August 10-12. Nestled next to the Rocky Mountains, competitors from around Canada and the United States will face off in Dawson Creek to earn dollars for the standings and points for the Finning Pro Tour.

This is the second-last event of the Tour for contestants to earn posts for the finals in Armstrong, British Columbia, so a win here will be key for many that are trying to make sure they have a shot at making the finals and earning extra money towards the Canadian Finals Rodeo as well. 

Watch the Finning Pro Tour: Dawson Creek Exhibition & Stampede LIVE on FloRodeo August 10 to 12.

It's crunch time, so let’s take a look at some of the standout competitors on the draw, and those that are on the bubble and hoping to do well at Dawson Creek:

Finning Pro Tour Stop: No. 8

Committee Purse: $58,008 (major events)

Format: straight one-head competition for both roughstock and timed events.

Bareback Riding: Marshall Draws 2013 Horse Of CFR, Vold, Bennett, And Champion Also On The Draw

Key Athletes: Ky Marshall, Jake Vold, Caleb Bennett, Richmond Champion

Analysis: Ky Marshall should have his hands full with his draw at Dawson Creek, but if all goes well, could be seeing some big points on the board. Marshall has drawn Kesler’s 664 Western Star, who was awarded the Horse of the Canadian Finals Rodeo award back in 2013 and hasn’t slowed down much since. 

PRCA Stock Stats show the horse anywhere from 21 to 23 points on three of its trips this year and has either bucked off outscored its rider each time. The two-time all-around champion of Canada–who also sits at No. 2 in the Canadian Standings and No. 4 in the Finning Pro Tour Standings before the Strathmore Update–should have a good chance on Sunday with this draw. 

Wolves travel in packs, and that’s certainly the case with three other bareback riders that are on the draw at Dawson. The traveling partners of Jake Vold, Caleb Bennett, and Richmond Champion are all on the draw for Sunday and all currently within the top 12 in the Canadian standings.

Champion is the No. 1 man in Canada and has drawn Kesler Championship’s 189 After All, Vold sits in the No. 5 position in Canada and will ride Kesler’s 245 Wicked Ways, and Bennett sits just below at No. 6 and has Kesler’s 241 Alberta Premium.

Steer Wrestling: The Tan-Man Has A Chance At Tour Finals, Grass Roots Finals, CFR and WNFR

Key Athletes: Tanner Milan, Dallas Frank, Derek Frank

Analysis: Steer wrestler Tanner Milan is having a great year that could result in him qualifying for four finals this year, but there’s still a little hustling to be done. At No. 4 in the Canadian standings, Milan should be safe there and be at the CFR’s debut in Red Deer.

Milan also sits in the No. 4 spot in the Grass Roots Series and has a strong chance at being safe for that final. His win at the seventh stop on the Finning Pro Tour last weekend—the Strathmore Stampede—should see his position improve from the current No. 9 stop in those standings and give him a solid shot at those finals. 

But the one that is truly in the balance right now is the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. Before the weekend, Milan sat in the 19th spot in the world standings with a bit of a gap to make up, making each of every Finning Pro Tour rodeo—Canada’s premier rodeo tour with the most money added—all the more important to earn checks at. 

In his interview at Strathmore, Milan says he is one of the few cowboys who does look at the standings so he knows exactly what he needs to do. Look for him to be hunting down a check at Dawson Creek to help him secure a spot in the Finning Pro Tour Finals in Armstrong as well as the WNFR.

Going from one steer wrestling family to another, the Frank Brothers will both be competing at Dawson Creek in the hopes of improving their positions on the standings. Dallas and Derek tied for sixth, seventh, and eighth place with Joe Guze at Strathmore to add $2,119.70 to their standings.

With Dallas in 18th and Derek at 22nd before that win, their positions will improve but they will want to win more at Dawson Creek to keep their CFR dreams alive.

Saddle Bronc Riding: Round Three For Sam Kelts And Sparks Fly, Watt And Dahm With Solid Draws

Key Athletes: Sam Kelts, Lane Watt, Dawson Dahm

Analysis: For three weekends in a row Sam Kelts has drawn Kesler’s 732 Sparks Fly—he drew the horse two weekends ago at the Medicine Hat Exhibition and Stampede, again in Grimshaw, Alberta, for the North Peace Stampede, and will ride the horse once again this weekend in Dawson Creek. The Stavely, Alberta, cowboy was sitting in the 11th spot in the Canadian Standings before the Strathmore weekend and will be looking to improve that position at the second-last tour event of the year.

Also hoping to move up the standings are young bronc riders Lane Watt and Dawson Dahm who sit in the No. 18 and 19 spots, respectively. Both have drawn some solid Kesler horses that should give them a shot to get some money out of their time spent in the Rocky Mountains. 

Watt has drawn Kesler Championship’s 633 Brahma Boots Summer Trip, while Dahm will ride Kesler’s 514 Centre Stage. PRCA Stock Stats indicate that both horses can range from 18-21 points (with Centre Stage scoring just slightly higher than Brahma Boots Summer Trip) so they should be rideable, but still able to help the first-time CFR hopefuls earn a paycheck.

Tie-Down Roping: Bird Making A Late-Season Surge, Lucas Leads Finning Pro Tour Standings

Key Athletes:  Logan Bird, Kyle Lucas

Analysis: Logan Bird hasn’t been having the best season in 2018, but a late-season surge could see the 2017 Canadian tie-down roping champion back in business in both the Canadian Standings and could be within reach for the Finning Pro Tour Standings as well. Bird was in the No. 16 spot in Canada before the last weekend of rodeo competition where he picked up three checks worth a total of $3,373.66.

One of those checks was also at the Strathmore Stampede, which earned Bird 60 tour points to bring his total up to 250 unofficially. 

While Kyle Lucas didn’t have any luck in Strathmore, he should still unofficially hang on to the No. 1 spot in the Finning Pro Tour standings after the Strathmore points are added in. He should be safe to make the tour finals, but the three-time CFR qualifier will look to keep adding to his $14,000 total in the standings so he can guarantee himself a spot at the Canadian Finals Rodeo.

With both at 24 years old, Bird and Lucas grew up competing together all the way through junior and high school rodeos and have now started to become staple names in the Canadian pro rodeo world. Bird will compete in the first performance on Friday, while Lucas is on the draw for Sunday.

Team Roping: Johnson/Woolsey Out Front, Gallais/Tunke With Outside Chance

Key Athletes:  Denver Johnson/Tristin Woolsey, Trey Gallais/Trent Tunke

Analysis: It’s no surprise that we’re still talking about the partnership of Denver Johnson and Tristin Woolsey this year. The team is leading virtually every standings in the CPRA—the Canadian standings, Finning Pro Tour standings, Grass Roots Series, and even the Alberta Circuit standings. 

Even though the pair have had a slow couple weekends, they have still practically guaranteed a position at the Canadian Finals Rodeo, Grass Roots Final, and the Finning Pro Tour Final, and shouldn’t be counted out of winning more money again in Dawson Creek. 

A team in a totally different situation right now is Trey Gallais and Trent Tunke. They were a brand-new partnership at Medicine Hat and say they were just waiting for “the right steer” to come along. 

That steer came along at the Strathmore Stampede, the third-richest rodeo of the Canadian professional rodeo season and results in a $3,489.75 check and 125 Finning Pro Tour points. Both of these numbers go a long way in giving the pair a chance to compete at both the Finning Pro Tour Finals in Armstrong, and an outside shot at making the Canadian Finals Rodeo.

Another win at the Dawson Creek Exhibition & Stampede would keep that dream alive.

Barrel Racing: Pozzobon & Manning Continue To Battle, Would-Be CFR Rookies Look To Hold Their Positions

Key Athletes: Carman Pozzobon, Taylor Manning, Shayna Weir, Bertina Olafson, Kylie Whiteside, Shelby Spielman

Analysis: Carman Pozzobon and Taylor Manning continue to make things exciting in the barrel racing at CPRA events these past couple weeks. Pozzobon is the reigning Canadian champion, while Manning qualified for her first CFR last year at the age of 13, and together they’ve been lighting up the leaderboards at the Finning Pro Tour events.

Two weekends ago, the pair was within a couple thousandths of each other at the top of the leaderboard at the Medicine Hat Exhibition and Stampede, with Manning edging out Pozzobon. Fast-forward to the Strathmore Stampede last weekend and the two took home first and second once again, this time with Pozzobon in first place over Manning by 0.045.

There are also four barrel racers that have the potential to qualify for their first CFR is everything keeps going their way. Shayna Weir, Bertina Olafson, Kylie Whiteside, and Shelby Spielman were all within the top 12 in the Canadian standings before the Strathmore weekend update and will be looking to hang on to those positions in the hopes of qualifying for their first Canadian Finals Rodeos. 

Bull Riding: No. 1 Man In Canada, Rookie Of The Year Contender, And Schiffner Continuing Retirement Tour At Dawson Creek

Key Athletes:  Brock Radford, Cody Coverchuk, Scott Schiffner

Analysis: Brock Radford will head to the Dawson Creek Exhibition and Stampede as the No. 1 man in the Canadian Standings with $29,071.61 in earnings so far this season. Radford has drawn Kesler’s 311 Tippin’ Point and will ride on Sunday. 

A new name in the CPRA this year is Cody Coverchuk—a rookie who has definitely turned some heads and impressed Canadian rodeo fans. Not only is Coverchuk the No. 1 man in the Rookie of the Year standings, but he’s also climbed to No. 1 in the tour standings with 645 points (after his 25 points for competing in Strathmore are added).

His success on the Finning Pro Tour started all the way back at the Wainwright Stampede when he was the only bull rider to make the eight-second whistle in the short round. 

Coverchuk is also the sitting in the No. 4 spot in Canada with $22,094.81 in earnings and should be looking at his first CFR qualification come October. The young bull rider has drawn Kesler Championship’s 216 Lets Play and rides on Sunday.

As our final standout for the Dawson Creek Exhibition and Stampede, how could we not mention the two-time Canadian champion Scott Schiffner? Schiffner will ride in the opening performance of Dawson Creek on the Kesler bull 375 Late Night Host. 

The winningest bull rider in Canadian pro rodeo continues to give rodeo fans a reason to cheer for in his retirement season after he started a winning streak at K-Days Rodeo that has continued through Medicine Hat and Strathmore to now put the cowboy in contention for one final Canadian Finals Rodeo qualification.