Big Moves As Season Winds Down
It’s that time of the year when every ride and every run is critical for cowboys and cowgirls vying for coveted trips to CFR 50.
The weekend that just wrapped up saw several CPRA rodeo athletes step up to the plate to keep their Canadian Finals aspirations alive. None was more exceptional in that regard than the crafty veteran, Curtis Cassidy. The stats sheet for the Donalda, Alberta cowboy is remarkable. 12 titles, 22 trips to the CFR in the steer wrestling, 16 in tie-down roping, 8 trips to the NFR.
Even with all those accolades, there’s been some doubt this year whether the future Hall of Famer would get to Rogers Place in Edmonton for CFR 50. He entered the past weekend in 19th place overall with a lot of ground to make it to yet another Finals.
And while It’s not a lock that the veteran will get to Edmonton in the highly competitive steer wrestling, there’s a whole lot more optimism after this weekend’s successes. Cassidy turned in an electric 3.7 second run at the SMS Equipment Pro Tour stop in Lethbridge, AB for $3113, then added a second place 3.5 effort at the Pro Rodeo for another $2199.
“I’m in a lot better shape than I was a month ago, I’ll tell you that much,” the second-generation bulldogger chuckled. “This was definitely a substantial move. I’ve placed here and there but to make the CFR, you need one or two big hits. A couple of those five-thousand-dollar weekends makes it a lot easier on a guy.”
When asked about what another CFR appearance would mean, Cassidy was philosophical. “I’ve noticed they’re starting to mean more to me now than they did at one point. I took it for granted when I was young. I expected to make the CFR. I was in the prime of my career; I was young and I had great horses, and I had my dad showing me the ropes so I didn’t have to go through all the growing pains like some of the other guys.”
One thing that hasn’t changed for Cassidy—he’s still riding an outstanding horse as his current mount. Tyson has once again been named Canada’s Steer Wrestling Horse of the Year. The $5300 haul will jump the two-time Canadian champion very much into the CFR conversation and further complicates the already crowded group of doggers battling it out for a berth in the top twelve. With Cassidy now in the mix, the final weekend of the 2024 season (rodeos after this weekend count for 2025) will be tense and filled with drama. Some of the guys Cassidy will have to pass in order to catch a CFR spot also made moves on the past weekend including #12 man, Jesse Brown, #14 Ty Miller and #17 Evan Spady.
Among the others who helped their CFR chances are bareback rider Jacob Stemo, bull rider, Ashton Sahli and breakaway roper Jenna Dallyn. Stemo, who returned to competition after a year’s hiatus in 2023, placed at all three rodeos to add $1907 to his CPRA bank account and will head to BC with a mind to doing that again with B.C. events, Merritt, Armstrong and Langley, on the docket. Dallyn put together a $2772 payday with a 2-3 split at the first ever Clark Schlosser Memorial Pro Rodeo in Nanton, AB and 2-4 split at Lethbridge, but like Cassidy and Stemo, she will have work to do to lock up a fourth consecutive CFR berth. Sahli entered the weekend in 14th spot but added a 4-5 split for $1036 to jump into the race for a trip to Edmonton. The wild card for Sahli (and others) could be the finale of the SMS Equipment Pro Rodeo Tour – part of the Armstrong action and will play a significant role in determining who will spend October 2-5 in the provincial capitol.
The upcoming critical final weekend will see CPRA rodeo athletes heading west to B.C. for the final SMS Equipment Pro Tour Rodeo and Tour Finale at Armstrong’s Inter-Provincial Exhibition August 28-31 and two Maple Leaf Circuit stops: Merritt’s Nicola Valley Pro Rodeo Aug 31-Sept 1 and the Valley West Stampede in Langley August 31 and September 1-2.
For all unofficial results head over to rodeocanada.com. Look for updated Canadian, Pro Tour and Maple Leaf standings later this week.
