After a cool and windy Sunday rodeo presentation, the Ponoka Stampede has wrapped for another year.
The Sunday Showdown began at 6:30 p.m., the first order of business being the All Pro Canadian Chuckwagon championship heat. Kolten Thiel, Cole Adamson, Keith Wood and Phil Arcand took to the track. Adamson managed a quick start from the second barrel, a lead he kept for the entire run managing to win the heat with a time of 1:13.24.
Thiel came in second with a run of 1:14.27; Wood came in third with a run of 1:14.72; and Arcand came in fourth posting a time of 1:17.98.
After the All Pros concluded, the World Professional Chuckwagon series got down to business. Nine heats were run, with the payouts escalating until heat nine’s Tommy Dorchester $75,000 Dash for Cash. Evan Salmond, Layne MacGillivray, Kris Molle and Chanse Vigen, who had run five nights straight, took to the starting line. Vigen set records during the Sunday night run, winning his sixth night straight at the Ponoka Stampede with a time of 1:15.05.
Once racing concluded, there was an intermission before the start of the rodeo Showdown. With there being a good split between American and Canadian competitors, the rodeo was opened with the singing of both nations’ national anthems.
Ty Breuer, Kody Lamb, Orin Larsen and Kade Sonnier were the final four in bareback after a week’s worth of competition; all four riders scored on their rides but there could only be one winner. Manitoba cowboy Orin Larsen won the round with a score of 90.75.
Heading to the timed event end of the infield, Haven Meged, Bo Pickett, Beau Cooper and Ty Lucas got down to business to determine the overall winner of the tie-down roping. Pickett ended up with no time on his run, and Meged and Cooper tied for second with a time of 9.1 seconds. Lucas won the round, and the buckle, with a time of 9 seconds.
Back at the chutes, Kolby Wanchuk, Sage Newman, Chase Brooks and Zeke Thurston got down to business in the tightly-contested saddle bronc finals. Big Valley, Alta., cowboy Zeke Thurston won the event with a 92.75-point ride, 2.75 points ahead of second-place Chase Brooks.
The next three events were in the timed event end.
In Steer Wrestling, Riley Wakefield, Dalton Massey, Riley Reiss, and J.D. Struxness went up against some unruly animals. Reiss and Wakefield both ended up scoring no time on their rides while Struxness met his match with a steer causing him to slip and extend his time to 10.8 seconds. Massey had the quick time with 4.6 seconds.
Ladies Barrels were next; the all-American crew consisted of Carlee Rae Ottero, Emily Beisel, Paige Jones and Dona Kay Rule. Beisel’s run of 17.28 was the fastest of the four, winning her the buckle.
Team Roping was next to last. The teams of Tyce McLeod and Tuftin Mcleod, Keely and Logan Bonnett, Paul Eaves and Erich Rogers, and Dawson and Dillon Graham were the final four to compete with Eaves and Rogers winning with a run of 6.9 seconds.
To finish things off, things moved back to the bull riding. Jordan Hansen, Lonnie Phillips, Coy Robbins, and Nick Tetz were the final four. Hansen, Phillips and Robbins were all bucked off while Tetz showed his mettle and earned 88.75 points in his ride on a bull known as “Armed and Dangerous” earning him the buckle.
