CARSTAIRS - After finishing second in tie down roping at the Canadian Finals Rodeo (CFR) in Red Deer last week, Carstairs cowboy Kyle Lucas is off to the southern United States to prepare for the winter rodeo circuit.
Lucas was pleased with his effort at the CFR despite losing out by a short margin to Shane Hanchey of Lousiana for gold in tie down roping.
"It was really close," said Lucas. "It came down to the final day. The guy from Louisiana, Shane Hanchey, is the 2013 world champion. He's been up to Canada quite a bit. He's won the Canadian finals twice before. This was his third win. Coming up to the last day it was either him or I."
Lucas said he didn't do as well on the final day as he had hoped.
"I ended up having a calf that was a little bit stronger," he said. "He took me down the pen a little bit farther than I needed to go and I ended up being, I think, a half second out of winning it. But I still hung in for second so it's hard to be too mad about my performance."
The 2018 CFR was the fifth one for Lucas. He had competed previously in 2013, 2015, 2016 and 2017. The second-place finish in Red Deer matches Lucas's best result from 2015, when he also finished second to Hanchey.
"He's actually going into the National Finals Rodeo (NFR) as the number 1 contender," he said. "He's been on quite a tear this year. It's kind of fun to get to rope against someone of that calibre and stack up close to him."
Lucas didn't qualify for the NFR as he didn't compete in enough events over the year. Making nationals is definitely one of his top goals moving forward.
"I only went to my circuit rodeos," he said. "When you buy your card in the States to go to the rodeos you have to designate a home base. I picked the Oregon-Washington area. This coming year they're going to have a circuit in Canada, but years before we always had to designate one in the States. So that's what worked best for me."
Lucas qualified for the CFR after finishing in the top 12 in Canada after the regular season rodeo circuit. Lucas ended up second in Canada in earnings with more than $63,000.
Just after the CFR, Lucas flew down to near the Louisiana-Texas border to train.
"I've got all my horses and truck and trailer at a friend's place there," he said. "We're splitting some cattle down there. We have a big roping arena. We'll go get after it and start practising for the start of the winter rodeos, which usually kick off in the middle of January. We don't have a lot of time. There's not really an off-season for rodeo."
Lucas's parents, Joe and Sheona, live on a ranch just south of Carstairs.
His father is "Smokin" Joe Lucas, a legendary calf roper who qualified for the Canadian Finals Rodeo 22 times and the National Finals Rodeo six times.
"My first rodeos were the junior high rodeos," he said. "I might've done some amateur rodeos before. I then went to all the high school rodeos from grade 9-12. I went to the high school nationals in the States. I bought my professional card in 2013. That was my first year going pro."
Lucas made the CFR his first year as a 19-year-old in 2013.
He enjoys the competitiveness of rodeo as well as the camaraderie among riders.
"I like the lifestyle," he said. "When you're out there, you're on your own. In the NBA you have your teammates, of course, and all the trainers. Out there it's just us. You have to experience things, and they're not all good. You have to make new friendships."
Lucas said his first couple of years competing in the United States wasn't much fun since he didn't know many people.
"I didn't really know how to get to rodeos or where to stay in between," he said. "There were some rough all-nighters and not much comfort. But it seems the more you rodeo the better friendships you gain. You become good buddies with people around rodeos. You stay with them and have dinner and visit them, and then they come up and visit with you. It's cool and unique that way."
Didsbury's Morgan Grant finished ninth at the CFR in tie down roping and fifth in Canada with earnings of more than $39,000.
