TORKELSON CLEANS UP AT DAWSON CREEK'S SPRING BREAK UP PARTY
April 27 , 2010

Jesse Torkelson dominated both the long and short gos at the 11th annual Dawson Creek Spring Break Up Party this past weekend in northern British Columbia. The Winfield, Alta. cowboy also finished the event first in the aggregate, with fellow Alberta bull riders Tyler Thompson and Ty Elliott in hot pursuit of the win.

Torkelson scored an 88.5, worth $1,740, in the long go.

“His name was George,” Torkelson chuckled when referring to the bull he drew in the first round. “Kind of a goofy name (for a bull), but he’s a young bull of (Outlawbuckers Rodeo Corp.) and he was real good. He just spun into my hand out of there and was good enough for a high-80s score.”

Thompson and Elliott split second and third with matching scores of 85.5, worth $1,088 a piece.

In the short go, it was Thompson who earned the 88.5, worth $300, but Torkelson rode to a 90 for $400, inching past the competition with the help of C+ Rodeo Company’s Nicnac.

“I saw that bull earlier this spring at a bull riding out in B.C., and he looked really good,” Torkelson recalls, before reflecting on his match with the animal athlete on April 23. “He did the exact same thing as my first bull, so it worked out pretty much the same.”

Torkelson knew heading into the short go that he didn’t need an 88.5 to win the aggregate, so when he put his all into conquering Nicnac and made the whistle, “I pretty much knew that I had it wrapped up.”

That didn’t take much of the pressure off for the 26-year-old cowboy. Aside from “the long drive” to get to the one-day event, “There’s a lot of money on the line and there’s pressure every time you ride for big money,” he says.

“But I try not to think about it too much.”

At the end of it all, Torkleson’s two scores added up to 178.5 for a grand total earnings of $3,553. Thompson placed second overall with 174, adding a total $2,538 to his seasons earnings, while Elliott came in third. His scores totaled to 172, worth $1,523.

In addition to the bull riding, the up-and-coming rodeo athletes in the steer riding also had their time in the arena when not watching their pro mentors. Kole Ashbacher of Arrowwood, Alta. scored a 77 for $962.

The 28th annual Kananaskis Indoor Pro Rodeo in Coleman, Alta. was also kicking up dust this past weekend.

The Kananaskis Rodeo Association (KRA) brought three days of professional rodeo to the Coleman Sports Complex in southwest Alberta, where two-time Novice Saddle Bronc Champion Rylan Geiger took the top honours in the saddle bronc riding. He scored an 81.5 on Kesler Rodeo Co.’s Smiling Cat. The nod earned the Duchess, Alta. cowboy $1,158.

Kyle Bowers placed first in the bareback riding after a 79.5-point two-step with Kesler’s Steppin’ Country earned him $1,023. The 2009 Canadian Bareback Champion from Brooks, Alta. was severely injured at last November’s Canadian Finals Rodeo, but has been riding strong in 2010, placing second in Camrose, Alta. in March and fifth in Medicine Hat earlier this month.

In the bull riding, Beau Brooks probably wasn’t crying any after scoring an 85 on Kesler Championship Rodeo’s Crocodile Tears. The Nanton, Alta. athlete placed first for $1,136.

Opposite the chutes, tie-down roper Baillie Milan, of Cochrane, Alta., earned $1,254 for his winning time of 9.1-seconds, and Clayton Moore’s event winning 4.0 in the steer wrestling earned the Pouce Coupe, B.C. bulldogger $1,449.

Reigning Canadian Barrel Racing champion Gaylene Buff (Westwold, B.C.) raced her way to first with a 13.17, worth $1,431 in the bank.

For Jordan Dodds and Scott Auclair, both from Ponoka, Alta., a 4.3-second run in the team roping snared $2,235 for the two to split.

Steer rider Bailey Hlus (Innisfree, Alta.) won in his event with a 78, worth $466 to the budding athlete.

Please visit RodeoCanada.com for the latest results and standings.

In the novice saddle bronc, featured at Medicine Hat for the first time, Jake Brown from Eckville, Alta. won first with a 67, worth $349. Austin Nash of Sangudo, Alta. won in the steer riding with an 80.5, worth $359.