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Future champs take to the rodeo floor

From horse sales to bucking and barrels, there is a little of everything rodeo this week
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Rocky Squair gets a re-ride on Monty’s Revenge in the bareback pony bucking, earning himself 39 points on Sunday, Oct. 27, during the Future Champs Youth Rodeo. Photo by Emily Jaycox

The 2019 Future Champions Challenge kicked off last week with a lot of activity happening at the Calnash Ag Event Centre.

This included one of the feature events of the eight-day schedule, the Future Champs of Rodeo on Oct. 26 and 27.

After the initial round on the Saturday, the short-go final round went Sunday with only one event, the 9 to 11 years girls breakaway, where the top four finalists failed to earn a score.

The rest of the winners were: Ashlee Keith winning the girls 12-14 years breakaway in 2.7 seconds; Caleb Fawcett taking the boys 9 to 10 years breakaway with a 3.6; the 12 to 14 boys breakaway going to Justin Keith with a 2.3; Caleb Fawcett and Kade Strandquist taking the 6 to 11 years team roping in 9.9 seconds; Levi Schmidt and Denim Ross winning the 12 to 14 years team roping with a 4.9 run; Garrett Zieffe winning the saddle bronc with a score of 62; Macey Burns winning the 9 to 11 years goat tying with a 9.6 while Tess Thurston earning the 12 to 14 years title with a 7.2; Cayden Nickel winning the chute dogging with a 1.9; Levi Schmidt taking the tie down roping with a 12.1; Sydney Turcotte captured the 9 to 11 years barrel racing with a 16. 991; and Colton Stark won the bareback with a 67.

That same day, the Future Champions tie down roping futurity wound up being split by Bengough, Sk. roper Cody Rood on his horse Sugar and Stettler’s Beau Cooper on Cedar, both hitting 285 points on three runs and each earning $1,606 for their efforts.

Also on Oct. 27, there was the Leonard Schmidt Memorial team roping futurity. Dawson Graham from Wainwright and his horse Ollie took the top header and the $2,652 payout by just 2.5 points over Tuffin Mcleod from Waldeck, Sk.

The heeling championship was split by Hunter Koch from Texas, riding on Little Buck that was owned by Ron Schmidt, and Okotok’s Spencer Rutherford on Jinx. Both ropers earned $3,213.

There was also a Cloverleaf Sale futurity and derby held on Oct. 25 and 26 with Kim Gerwatoski and her horse Famous In Paradise capturing top spot in the derby after also winning the long go. Helen Nowosad from Dewberry, Ab. and her horse Sweet Timber Nickers was the overall and long go winner of the derby.

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Colt Van Stratten did his best to wrangle his calf but he timed out on Oct. 27. Photo by Emily Jaycox
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Lot. No. 11, “He’s on Special” (Cooper), consigned by Loree Fleck, went for $11,000 during the 2019 Cloverleaf Sale and Futurity Derby on Oct. 26. Photo by Emily Jaycox