The youthful team roping duo of Kolton Schmidt and Tyrell Flewelling showed no sign of adolescent nerves as they won their second consecutive go round at the 40th annual Canadian Finals Rodeo Thursday night.

The pair from Barrhead and Lacombe respectively, put together a blistering 4.4 second run to be even faster than their opening round 4.7.

“We got together a couple of days before the CFR for some practice, and we drew really well again tonight.” Flewelling explained. “We had a slower steer last night, but it worked out really well. Tonight, we had a sharper steer which was to our benefit too.”

“We’ve won two buckles,” Schmidt added, “It doesn’t get much better than that.”

The back to back go round wins have carried the two cowboys to the lead in the aggregate and first overall in the race for the championship buckles.

“We just hope we can keep catching,” Schmidt said. “The challenge is to find the quickest, easiest way to rope well.”

At the other end of the experience scale, the reigning bull riding champion of Canada and 2012 Cowboy of the Year, Scott Schiffner of Strathmore, Alberta, turned in a flawless 85.25 point ride on the Big Stone bull Kish This to top a night of bull riding that saw a single point separate first place through fifth. The six year old brindle had previously carried Chad Besplug to the 2012 $100,000 payoff at the Calgary Stampede.

“I was the first guy to get on that bull when Bruce (Sunstrum) brought him to Canada,” Schiffner explained. “He was a little bitty bull but he bucked me off. He’s still little but he has big horns,” the affable bull rider grinned.

The Schiffner - Kish This confrontation wasn’t the only re-match in Thursday night’s draw. Cochrane, Alberta steer wrestler, Straws Milan, was matched up against the same steer he competed on earlier this season at Sundre. “I met up with this steer at Sundre where he stomped my hand,” Milan explained. “So it was payback time.”

The payback came in the form of a 3.3 second run to earn the youngest of three Milan brothers a first place cheque of $11,467. “This was my first ever CFR go-round win… and it was overdue,” Milan added.

He hopes to use a successful Canadian Finals Rodeo to propel him onto the Wrangler NFR in Las Vegas on a competitive high. Excited about his NFR qualification, Milan is looking forward to carrying the Canadian flag into the Thomas and Mack arena.

Other Thursday night highlights included Hinton, Alberta cowgirl, Tara Muldoon’s winning barrel racing run of 14.710; Aubrey, Texas roper Timber Moore’s dramatic 7.7 tie-down roping run as the last competitor in the event and Cayley, Alberta’s Matt Lait who spurred the seven year old Kesler Rodeo gelding, Western Star, to an 86 point go-round victory.
           

Detailed results in all events included:

BAREBACK 1. Matt Lait, Cayley, AB, 87.00 on 227 K 664 Western Star, $11,467.84; 2. Logan Hodson, Telkwa, BC, 84.50, $8,527.37; 3. Dusty LaValley, Bezanson, AB, 82.75, $5,586.90; 4. Caleb Bennett, Margan, UT, 82.25, $2,646.42; 5. Luke Creasy, Brownfield, AB, 82.00, $1,176.19.

Total Season Earnings 1. Matt Lait, $37,277.26; 2. Jake Vold, $36,639.87; 3. Kyle Bowers, $30,220.62; 4. Caleb Bennett, $23,866.79; 5. Dusty LaValley, $21,679.70.

STEER WRESTLING 1. Straws Milan, Cochrane, AB, 3.3, $11,467.84; 2. Harley Cole, Cochrane, AB, 3.8, $8,527.37; 3. Morgan Grant, Granton, ON, 4.0, $5,586.90; 4. Cody Cassidy, Donalda, AB, 4.1 $2,646.42; 5/5. Todd Woodward, Lethbridge, AB, 4.3, $588.09; 5/5 Hunter Cure, Halliday TX, 4.3, $588.09.

Total Season Earnings 1. Harley Cole, $27,746.67; 2. Cody Cassidy $27,484.24; 3. Clayton Moore, $26,809.57; 4. Straws Milan, $26,782.14; 5. Hunter Cure, $26,664.22

NOVICE Bareback 1/2 Kody Lamb, Sherwood Park, AB, 78.0, $1,000; 1/2. Philippe Harvey, Cochrane, AB, 78.0, $1,000.

Total Season Earnings 1. Kody Lamb, $6,335.65 2. Philippe Harvey, $7,130.98 3. Jacob Stemco, $5,128.24

NOVICE Saddlebronc 1.Zeke Thurston, Big Valley, AB, 80.0, $1,200; 2 Kale McKenzie, Rocky Mountain House, AB, 73.0, $800.

Total Season Earnings 1. Zeke Thurston, $6,867.43; 2 Kale McKenzie, $6,354.59 3. Jake Watson, $3,923.65

Boys STEER RIDING 1. Kagen Schmidt, Barrhead, AB, 78.50, $750.01; 2/3 Dawson Hay, Wildwood, AB, 73.50, $375; 2/3 Griffin Smeltzer, Claresholm, AB, 73.50, $375

Total Season Earnings 1. Dawson Hay, $6,296.61, 2. Kagen Schmidt, $5,369.88 3. Cameron Brown, $4,143.28 4. Connor Faucher, $4,041.74; 5. Griffin Smeltzer, $3,721.04

TEAM ROPING 1. Kolton Schmidt, Barrhead, AB, $5,660.01 & Tyrel Flewelling, Lacombe, AB, $5,660.01, 4.4; 2. Brett Buss, Ponoka, AB, $4,208.73 & Chad Johnson, Del Bonita, AB, $4,208.73, 4.8; 3. Jesse Sheffield, Delta, CO, $2,757.44 & Rhen Richard, Roosevelt, UT, $2,757.44, 9.9 4/5 Roland Mc Fadden, Vulcan, AB, $943.34 & Trent Tunke, Medicine Hat, AB, $943.34, 10.1; 4/5 Jackson Louis, Vernon, BC, $943.34 & Riley Wilson, Cardston, AB $943.34, 10.1.

Total Season Earnings Header 1. Kolton Schmidt, $20,987.00; 2. Clint Buhler, $20,563.08; 3. Levi Simpson, $18,125.71; 4. Jesse Sheffield $15,549.01; 5. Braidy Davies $15,336.20

Total Season Earnings Heeler 1. Tyrel Flewelling $23,159.33; 2. Brett McCarroll, $18,014.52; 3. John Robertson, $17,348.75; 4. Rhen Richard, $15,549.03; 5. Chase Simpson, $15,336.23

SADDLE BRONC 1. Taos Muncy, Corona, NM, 83.75 on 113 CS R-19 Roll Over, $11,467.84; 2. Cort Scheer, Elsmere, NE, 83.25, $8,527.37; 3. Sam Kelts, Millarville, AB, 82.50, $5,586.90; 4. Rylan Geiger, Bracken, SK, 81.75, $2,646.42; 5. Chet Johnson, Douglas, WY, 81.00, $1,176.19.

Total Season Earnings 1. Cort Scheer, $39,612.65; 2. Chet Johnson, $36,196.99; 3. Sam Kelts, $26,841.53; 4. Tyrel Larsen, $26,441.71 5. Tyler Corrington, $22,805.95.

TIE-DOWN ROPING 1. Timber Moore, Aubrey, TX, 7.7, $11,467.84; 2. Morgan Grant, Granton, ON, 8.0, $8,527.37; 3. Nate Baldwin, Blackfoot, ID, 8.7, $5,586.90; 4. Kyle Lucas, Carstairs, AB, 8.9, $2,646.42; 5/5 Logan Bird, Nanton, AB,9.2, $588.09; 5/5 Chad Johnson, Del Bonita, AB, 9.2, $588.09.

Total Season Earnings 1. Timber Moore, $38,127,40; 2. Morgan Grant, $29,893.26; 3. Curtis Cassidy, 27,425.87; 4. Chad Johnson, $22,558.33; 5. Logan Bird, $20,638.52

LADIES BARREL RACING 1. Tara Muldoon, Hinton, AB, 14.710, $11,467.84; 2. Nancy Csabay, Taber, AB, 14.750, $8,527.37; 3. Britney Diaz, Mandan, ND, 14.769, $5,586.90; 4. Deb Guelly, Okotoks, AB, 14.775, $2,646.42; 5. Cranna Roberts, Lacombe, AB, 14.829, $1,176.19.
Total Season Earnings 1.Lisa Lockhart, $35,721.28; 2. Britney Diaz, $28,900.01; 3. Kim Schulze, $25,255.42; 4. Brenda Mays, $24,696.58; 5. Tara Muldoon, $21,779.51

BULL RIDING 1. Scott Schiffner, Strathmore, AB, 85.25 on 302 B749 Kish This, $11,467.84; 2. Zane Lambert, Westbourne, MB, 84.75, $8,527.37; 3/4. Garrett Green, Meeting Creek, AB, 84.50, $4,116.66; 3/4. Jordan Hansen, Okotoks, AB, 84.50, $4,116.66; 5/5. Devon Mezei, Big Valley, AB, 84.25, $588.09; 5/5. Tanner Byrne, Prince Albert, SK, 84.25, $588.09.

Total Season Earnings 1. Scott Schiffner, $37,367.52; 2. Tanner Girletz, $33,665.24; 3. Dakota Buttar, $32,199.70; 4. Devon Mezei, $30,939.73; 5. Zane Lambert, $30,200.71

ALL AROUND: 1. Travis Reay, $20,022.43; 2. Ky Marshall, $19,945.96

HIGH POINT: 1.Morgan Grant, $53,241.92; 2. Curtis Cassidy, $39,150.74; 3. Chad Johnson, $31,507.96; 4. Rhen Richard, $29,060.52;

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Other Information:

Attendance for Thursday, November 7, 2013 evening performance was 13,542.

For more information and full results on Canadian Finals Rodeo, visit cfr.ca.

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