Young rodeo athletes from the district have been doing very well this season.
On the Central Alberta district junior high rodeo circuit, Jayce McKean of Cremona finished second in breakaway roping, fourth in boys goat tying, and 10th in ribbon roping with partner Hannah Sheehan.
At junior high school provincials in Nanton on May 25 and 26, he ended up sixth place in breakaway roping and goat tying as well as 22nd for ribbon roping.
McKean qualified for and will be attending the national high school rodeo in Merritt, B.C. July 27-29. He also qualified for Silver State finals in Nevada but chose not to attend.
He said he particularly enjoyed competing at the recent junior high provincial rodeo.
“It was tough competition,” said McKean. “I knew a lot of the people there. I had competed against many of them before. I just wanted to go out there and have fun. I think I did really well.”
For McKean, rodeo is all about family. In addition to mother Patricia being involved with the high school association, his father is a rodeo coach and his uncle Cliff Williamson competed in a record 29 Canadian Finals Rodeos as well as nine Wrangler National Finals Rodeos.
“I like that it's a family sport,” he said. “My uncles rodeo-ed a bunch. My uncle Cliff and my dad they both rodeo-ed. So when I was young I always had a rope in my hand. I like the competitive part of it too.”
McKean is looking forward to the Canadian finals in Merritt in July.
“I'm really excited,” he said. “My goal is to be in the top four.”
McKean's mother Patricia , who is the current Alberta High School Rodeo Association chair, said that her son has had a rope in his hand since he was three-years-old.
“Whether it was roping a dummy, sitting on the arm of the couch watching TV or hanging out with dad outside, the kid has always packed a rope,” she said.
Although only 11 years old, McKean has already had a great deal of success in rodeo, completing in local clubs such as Outwest Junior Rodeo and Mountain View Cowpokes Rodeo.
“He won the Joe Lucas Dummy Roping that the Lucas family had put on for years,” she said. “From that he received two nice buckles and two scholarships worth $200. He entered his first junior high rodeo in August 2017 and was competing against grades 6 to 8 and took home the average buckle at the Stettler Junior High Rodeo.”
Meanwhile, at the recent high school championships in Ponoka on June 1-3 Reagen Tebb of Sundre finished second in barrel racing; Amanda Harder of Cremona finished 11th in girls cutting and 15th in working cow horse; Jasey Barnett of Sundre finished 19th in team roping; and Court Nugent of Cremona placed 28th in team roping.
Central Alberta district year end results were as follows: Tebb - 2nd place barrel racing; Harder - fifth place girls cutting, 8th place working cow horse; Barnett - 20th breakaway roping and 10th place team roping header; and Nugent - 12th place team roping heeler, 26th tie down roping.
Also moving on to the junior high finals based on their Central District season results were the following young athletes:
- Hannah Sheehan of Carstairs - fourth in girls goat tying, 10th in ribbon roping, 24th in barrels and 17th in pole bending.
- Gordon Erickson of Sundre - first the bareback steer riding, fourth in bull riding, fourth in saddle bronc steer riding and 19th in chute dogging.
- Hayden McKean of Cremona - 10th place in the breakaway roping and 19th in the ribbon roping with Partner Quinn Rycroft from Cremona.
- Rees Wilson of Sundre - 9th in chute dogging.
- Briley Scott of Sundre - second in bareback steer riding, sixth in chute dogging, second in saddle bronc steer riding.
- Cayden Cyrankiewicz of Carstairs - 17th in barrels, 18th in pole bending, fifth in girls goat tying and 16th in ribbon roping with Partner Skyler Hymers from Carstairs.
The Junior high school provincial finals results were as follows: Sheehan - seventh in girls goat typing and 22nd in ribbon roping; Erickson - first bareback steer riding, eighth in bull riding and fourth in bareback steer riding; Hayden McKean - 21st in break away roping; Scott - second in bareback steer riding, 16th in cute dogging and second in bareback steer riding; Cyrankiewicz - 16th in girls goat tying and 29th in ribbon roping.
Tebb, Erickson and Scott also qualified for the Canadian High School Rodeo in Merritt. Tebb also qualified for the National High School Rodeo in Rock Springs, Wyoming in mid-July.
