Pearl Lorentzen
For South Peace News
The Spruce Point Park Junior Rodeo finals were held July 23 at Spruce Point Park rodeo grounds, west of Kinuso.
The rodeo had four regular dates this season: May 28, June 11, June 25, and July 16 and finals on July 23. Each provided a test of rodeo skills for competitors.
Age groups were five to 10 years, 11-13, 14-16, and 17-18. Categories included barrels, pole bending, breakaway roping, team roping, and goat tying.
The finals had 13 categories:
Mary Grace Simpkins came away with three first place finishes. She was first in 5-10-year-old barrel racing, goat untying, and 5-10-year-old poles.
Stacey Churchill with the rodeo group says, “Untying is the little cowgirls ride up to the goat, jump off their horse, run up to the goat and pull a ribbon off the tail.”
Poles is a gymkhana event where riders weave their horse between upright poles.
Bentlee Sloan, Taylor Saitz, Kirsten Bruder, and Owen Pratt all won first place in two categories. Sloan and Saitz won their age groups in barrel racing and poles – Sloan for 11-13-year-olds and Saitz for 14-18-year-olds.
Meanwhile, Bruder was first in girls break-away roping and team roping heeler.
Pratt was first in boy’s break-away and team roping header.
In team roping, the header ropes the head of the steer. Then, the heeler ropes the hind legs.
In calf roping, the rider lassos a calf, jumps off their horse, flips the calf to the ground, and ties his legs.
Break-away roping is similar to calf roping, but after the calf is roped the rider lets go of the rope and rides away.
Hudson Williams won calf roping.
Goat tying was the final event. Like goat untying, it is for 5-10-year-olds. In goat tying, a child rides in on a horse. They stop before the goat and get off their horse. They grab the goat and ties the two front legs and one back leg. The goat must stay down for six seconds to count.
Gracie Churchill won goat tying.