By: Dingi Berglund

The 2008 regular rodeo season wound down for another year with competitors giving it their all in the last couple of weeks in order to finish up in the top ten, thus securing a berth at the finals. For tie down roper Jarid Berglund, the last two weeks paid off. He won Kamsack with an 8.9, was second at Wapella with a 9.5 and fourth at St. Rose, MB with a 9.5. He finished in first place in both the Canadian Cowboys Association (CCA) and the Manitoba Rodeo Cowboys Association (MRCA). He will win Year End Champion buckes from both associations, but more importantly he earns the chance to compete for saddles at both finals. The MRCA finals start October 24 at the Keystone Centre in Brandon, while the CCA finals go during Agribition in Regina. This is the second time Jarid has won the season leader title in the CCA. He was also season leader in 2006. Berglund and his partner Graham Stewart also made the team roping finals at Brandon, with Jarid finishing ninth and Graham finishing eleventh. They just slipped out of the top ten in the CCA standings the past couple of weeks.

Bull rider Jesse Lawrence also made the MRCA finals in fourth place. He was fourth at Kamsack with a 72. Then he drew the bull of the year, Revolution, at Wapella. As Revolution belongs to the Lawrence family, Jesse probably gave him his supper on numerous occasions. This did not matter to the big bull; he slammed Jesse down and to add insult, stepped on him. Jesse walked off, but was obviously in a lot of pain. Lawrence was also in the top ten in the CCA for a few weeks, but the race was close and he ended up in twelfth spot.

Teagan Hodgson from Carlyle also made the MRCA Finals in ninth. He bucked off at Wapella, but his third place bull ride at St. Rose gave him needed points. Teagan finished up nineteenth in the CCA.

Cody Floyd from Kipling had a super one handed ride at Wapella, on a very agile little bull in the junior bull riding. I thought they gave his score as 79 which was good enough to win. However, when the standings came out he was second with a 73. Either I misheard or they added the points wrong. This often happens, but not by six points. Cody finished eleventh in the CCA standings. In juniors they only take the top six in the finals.

At Wapella I was thrilled by the seven- and eight-year-old little trick riders, Jewel Brister and Tory Akens. Using their pony they did things like the hippodrome stand and the suicide drag, just like the big girls do, plus a few double inventions of their own. They are billed as Duce’s Dolls and are trained by Canada’s premiere trick rider Jerri Duce out of Calgary. Jewel’s grandfather is Trent Brister from Langbank. Personally, I’d like to see them at Kennedy next year.

Another young man that impressed me at Wapella was bull fighter Mony Phillips. Although still in his teens he made some amazing rescues and was also right in place to get the bull to turn back, so the cowboy could squeeze out a few more points.

This is a bit away from rodeo, but figure skater, Paige Lawrence rode right along with Jarid Berglund, her brother, Jesse and Teagan Hodgson when they all belonged to the Kennedy 4-H horse club. In fact in her profile Paige lists horseback riding as one of her favorite activities. Paige and her partner Rudi Swiegers are now competing at the world level in junior pairs, after finishing second in Canada at the Canadian finals. In September they were slated to compete in Mexico City, but Rudi broke his thumb while practising. The first week in October the pair competed in Belarus (Russia). No doubt his thumb was still a bit touchy. Paige’s grandmother, Marge Toppings, of Kipling, tells me their timing was a bit off and they crashed. According to Skate Canada they still got eighth. Recently they skated in Sheffield, England, and finished fifth, beaten by a couple of Russian pairs, a Japanese pair and one from the States.