STOVIN SETS NEW SEASON HIGH SCORE AT JASPER
August 23, 2010

Ted Stovin finished his season off with a smile, and an extra dose of confidence to take with him across the border, where he’ll be attending university for the next school year.

The 18-year-old bull rider scored a personal best aboard Northcott Rodeo’s 2009 CFR selection Moccasin Bead. But that’s not all. His 91.5-point ride at the Jasper Heritage Rodeo marked a new season-high score for 2010.

On Friday, Stovin, who competed during the Aug. 18 opening performance at the four-day rodeo, wasn’t sure if the score would hold up through the weekend. But it did, and he won $1,371 for first place, plus $280 in day money.

“I’m excited to get a new buckle. It’s been a while,” he beamed. “I’ll definitely wear the heck out of it.”

Stovin had heard stories about the six-year-old tan bull, “but I tried to pretend I didn’t hear anything and just ride him,” he stressed.

“He was pretty good; awesome, actually,” he grinned, then admitted he didn’t recall much of the experience.

“I don’t really want to say too much because I don’t really know. I didn’t wake up until halfway through the ride. It was happening and then I realized I was riding him and just kept on going. It happened so fast. I think my subconscious was doing the riding,” detailed the Drayton, Valley, Alta. cowboy.

“I was pretty happy with it. Except, I went to Pincher Creek, Alta. (two days later) and got bucked off in two jumps,” he chuckled.

He’s hoping his ride and score in Jasper is what people will remember when he returns to professional rodeo in 2011. But, most importantly, according to Stovin, it’s done wonders for his belief in himself.

“I know that I can do it now,” he smiled. “I can ride rank bulls (and score high). I can do it. It gives me more confidence, knowing that I can go anywhere and do well.”

Stovin did not compete at the Cranbrook Pro Rodeo, which ran concurrently with the Jasper Heritage Rodeo and the Pincher Creek Fair & Rodeo. Instead, he traveled to Nevada, where he will study construction management at the University of Las Vegas on a partial rodeo scholarship.