Sports

The Ponoka Panthers Fastball club will be hosting the 2008 midget ‘C’ Girls provincials July 18 to 20 in Ponoka. They will be hosting 10 teams of girls ages 16 to 19 from all across Alberta. In 2007 the Panthers won silver and in 2006 they finished fourth at provincials. They compete in the Red Deer Ladies Fastball league and are currently in sixth place with a 7-10 record. They have three games left and are aiming to finish with a .500 record.

The Ponoka Stampede Showdown finals were held on July 1 in front of a packed crowd during the 72nd annual Ponoka Stampede. The stampede drew 66,465 people to watch the many great events going on during the largest professional rodeo in all of Canada. PSA president Blake Butterfield was very pleased with the rodeo.

The WPCA wagons race towards the finish line on June 29 at the Ponoka Stampede.

The Ponoka Stampede is the largest and best professional rodeo in all of Canada and it has continued to prove that this week. The stampede kicked off on June 26 and as of June 29 there has been 39,718 people to see all of the action including rodeo, pony chariots and World Professional Chuckwagon action.

BJ Zieffle, top, from Consort, Alberta tackles a steer and received a time of 6.3. Ty Gilchrist vaults over the bucking bronc as he is thrown off its back and didn’t hold on for the eight second ride.

The Old Timers Team Roping event started the 72nd annual Ponoka Stampede on June 24 at the stampede grounds. The event saw 187 teams compete in three different categories: 40 plus, 50 plus and 60 plus. The roping started at noon and they were finished by 3:15 p.m. and that evening they had a supper provided by the Ponoka Stampede Association.

Wally Pugh and Gary Hart work to rope their steer during the Old Timers team roping event at the Ponoka Stampede Grounds on June 24.

Sunny 94 and Toyota City Wetaskiwin competed in bull soccer during the intermission of the Jace Harty Memorial Bull Riding Event on June 23.

Ponoka cowboy Wacey Finkbeiner tries to ride a bull during the Alberta High School rodeo finals on June 15 at the Ponoka Stampede grounds

The sixth annual Jace Harty Memorial Bull Riding event saw some cowboys get bucked off their bulls even before they got out of their chutes and others have some of their best rides ever to make the event a great success.