Spring Success Stories
As the 2024 calendar year CPRA rodeo season kicked off, there were several rodeo athletes getting off on the right foot and a few who built on what they had done at the Maple Leaf Circuit Finals at the tail end of 2023 (which counts for the 2024 campaign).
Bronc rider Dawson Dahm who had been enjoying a productive winter rodeo season on the south side of the 49th parallel built on that firm foundation with an impressive win at Medicine Hat, AB Broncs and Honky Tonks Spring Rodeo. The Tomahawk, Alberta cowboy rode Duane Kesler Championship Rodeo’s 522 Daisy Duke to 86 points for the win and $1690. Despite a less successful result at Dawson Creek, British Columbia’s Spring Break-Up, the three -time CFR qualifier moved into top spot in the early season Canadian standings.
The 29 year-old had been excited about his Medicine Hat draw.
“I knew Ben (Andersen) had won Lethbridge on her. And Zeke (Thurston) had her at the CFR and he was 87.5 so I was pretty excited. I actually turned out a pretty good one at Red Bluff to get on her up here. And she was fun to ride; she’s one you can enjoy and she makes you feel like a bronc rider.”
The win is part of a start to the season that’s a little uncharacteristic. “I usually don’t really get going until Wildwood weekend for some momentum so it’s really nice to have a little won and be going full steam ahead and feeling healthy.”
Dahm’s credits his success at the winter rodeos with fostering a positive feeling about the coming season. “Shoot when you feel you can ride good down in the States, you come home and see your friends, you kind of want to show off a little bit against those guys,” he chuckled.
The bonus this weekend was being able to go to Dawson Creek with his wife, CFR breakaway roper, Caitlyn. “We see each other as much as we can but it’s tough—she’s just as competitive as I am and she wants to get the best run on the cattle and I want to enter to get the best horse I can, but it was nice to be together this weekend for sure.”
And the cherry on top of the sundae was Caitlyn’s splitting 3/4 at Dawson to collect $1202 in prize money.
As for the 2024 season Dahm is clear about where he wants to be. “I want to rodeo as hard as I can talk myself into, hopefully make it to the yellow chutes of Vegas and get another trip back to the CFR.”
Another athlete who enjoyed the first week of the 2024 season was steer wrestler Pacean Deleeuw who turned in a blistering 3.1 second run (just two tenths of a second off the Canadian record) en route to a $2288 Dawson Creek Spring Breakup payday. The Athabasca cowboy who will turn 23 in May acknowledged that “It was my fastest time ever; I never had anything like that before.”
The steer was an unknown to the young dogger. “I didn’t know it, didn’t even ask; I just hoped I had a good one.”
Deleeuw learned the craft by chute dogging as a teenager. “To be honest I was kind of afraid to jump one off a horse, but I was at Schmidts (Ronald and family) and they convinced me to try it.”
And the rest, as they say, is history. The win, Deleeuw noted, especially this early in the year, is huge. “It gets me excited for the rest of the season, that’s for sure, it’s a good way to start.”
The Cisco College (Texas) grad was quick to point to his college rodeo coach and NFR bulldogger Chad Beisemeyer, as playing a major role in the early stages of his career. “He taught me so much and it’s been really helpful especially in these first years as a pro.”
Calving cows—Deleeuw has his own herd of 100 cows—kept the third year pro from going to Medicine Hat but he’ll be hard on the trail from this point on as he strives to attain a couple of goals—the final four at Ponoka—“I was so close last year.” and, of course, a trip to his first CFR. And he’ll pursue those goals with an added boost of confidence. A 3.1 second run will do that for you.
For complete unofficial results and a 2024 event schedule, see rodeocanada.com
Next action on the CPRA calendar is at the Taber Spring Classic Rodeo April 26 and 27 and at Kananaskis Pro Rodeo (Coleman) April 26-28.
