For tie-down roper, Kobe Kmita, the final stop in the Massey Ferguson Pro Tour prior to the Tour Finale in Armstrong, British Columbia in a few weeks was special. His 8.5 second run at the Dawson Creek Stampede early in the event held up and resulted in the third year pro’s first professional win and a sizeable $3159 payday. Perhaps even more importantly the 100 tour points that came with the win vaulted the talented Weyburn, Sask. roper into a spot among the 20 ropers who will do battle for Tour glory at Armstrong on the Labour Day weekend.
“It was exciting, kind of a different feeling day,” the 24-year-old related. “I woke up (that day) and it just felt different. It had an eerie feeling to it. And then at the rodeo when I nodded my head, I hit the barrier and I heard the guys yelling I was out and the calf was right there in front of me, it just all came together. I looked up and it said 8.5. It didn’t feel that way; it felt like it was forever.”
It wasn’t easy pickings for the lanky hand’s first win. The calf he’d drawn posed a challenge. “Walker Warkentin had that calf at La Crete,” Kmita related, “and I didn’t really think it was the best calf but I thought he could be good if I handled him right. I got lucky that he stayed down for the six seconds; he’d got up on everybody else that had him so far.
“I had a game plan to put two wraps on him, but when I caught him that fast, that kind of went out the window. But as soon as I threw my hands up, I was pretty nervous.” Kmita hustled back to his waiting mount, to tough out the all-important six seconds.”
Kmita credited his horse with bigtime help in getting the job done. “I bought Patron in Texas when I was going to college in Ranger. We weren’t a real good fit right away but I really liked him and I knew it was just me that would take some time to get him figured out. Once that happened he’s been really good.”
It was a good trip north for a couple of southern Saskatchewan ropers. When Kmita and traveling partner Shay Stewart pulled out of Dawson Creek Friday morning, they were one and two on the leaderboard. “It was stressful,” Kmita chuckled. “I looked at the two perfs and they were star-studded. I wasn’t sure it would hold.”
But hold it did while Stewart hung on to split 2-3 with Steele DePaoli (who was named Dawson Creek High Point winner). The win will ensure that Kmita, a third-year pro, will be headed for his first Massey Ferguson Tour Finale in Armstrong, British Columbia in a few weeks. And it augers well for the young cowboy’s 2027 season.
“It’s a big boost for the confidence part going into next year, that’s for sure.”
Six time (consecutively) Canadian Champion Zeke Thurston assumed his customary spot at the top of the Canadian standings courtesy of a huge 89 point ride on Duane Kesler Championship Rodeo’s 75 Boss Feeds Miscreant. The win netted the four-time world titleist $3056 and coupled with a second place $2399 at La Crete’s Field of Dreams Pro Rodeo, eased Thurston past Q Taylor who had held the number one perch for a number of weeks.
This week’s CPRA schedule has CPRA athletes rolling into three Maple Leaf Circuit stops at the Pincher Creek Pro Rodeo, Cranbrook Pro Rodeo – both August 14-16 – and the Medicine Lodge Stampede Aug 15.
See rodeocanada.com for complete unofficial results and standings