A Longview rodeo athlete lassoed a maple leaf buckle in the tour finale.
Bradi Whiteside capped off a strong 2022 campaign with the year-end championship in breakaway roping following the Maple Leaf Circuit Finals held Dec. 1-3 in Regina.
Nanton’s Jenna Dallyn was the finals champion in the event, but Whiteside’s season totals and finals performance combined gave her the nod for the year-end championship. Whiteside topped the earning totals amongst the competitors with $10,604.14 entering the competition.
At the finals, Whiteside was the top finisher in the third-round with a 2.6 second performance to cap it off. Bradi’s sister Kylie Whiteside won the first round of the competition.
The siblings both had a strong showing in the barrel racing event.
In the first round, Kylie finished first and Bradi second, with the latter also adding a first place finish in the third and final round.
Grande Prairie’s Jennifer Neudorf finished as both the finals and year-end champion.
The success comes on the heels of a sterling showing at the Canadian Finals Rodeo last month in Red Deer for both Whiteside sisters.
Kylie won the All-Around title in recognition of her consistency in the breakaway roping and barrel racing events all season and at the final rodeo. Bradi, meanwhile, finished second at the CFR in the breakaway roping competition and won day money on the first of three rounds in the event.
From the performances at the Maple Leaf Circuit Finals, the top-two in each event from the season standings qualifies for the National Finals Rodeo Open, which is set to be held in July at the Pikes Peak or Bust Rodeo in Colorado Springs.
Other finals and year end champions included Cole Goodine in bareback riding, Stephen Culling in steer wrestling, Clayton Smith in tie-down roping and Coy Robbins in bull riding.
In saddle bronc, Ben Anderson was the finals champion with Hunter Sawley taking the season title, in team roping Tristen Woolsey and Trey Galais won the finals and Dillon and Dawson Graham won the season title.
For more information, visit rodeocanada.com.
