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By rdnewsNOW Staff

Justine Elliott

Ladies barrel racer from Lacombe maintains top spot in total winnings at Maple Leaf Circuit Finals

Nov 30, 2021 | 10:04 AM

Central Alberta had strong representation at Pro Rodeo Canada’s Maple Leaf Circuit Finals at Canadian Western Agribition in Regina last week.

The event, celebrating 50 years in 2021, brought the 2021 rodeo calendar year to a close and kicked off the 2022 Canadian Professional Rodeo season.

2021 Ladies Barrel Racing Canadian Champion Justine Elliott added to her outstanding season; the Lacombe cowgirl held onto top spot with $13,191 in total winnings at Agribition. Fellow barrel racer Shelby Spielman, a Texas native now residing in Ponoka, turned in four consistent runs with a first, a second and two thirds, to pick up the Finals win.

Meantime, Ponoka’s Logan and Keely Bonnett were one of three teams to rope all four of their stock to capture the aggregate award in the Team Roping event. The duo was one of two sets of brothers in the Team Roping event. Dawson and Dillon Graham of Wainwright, AB also maintained their spot on top of the leaderboard to earn the season championship with $12,848 each.

Elsewhere, newly crowned Canadian Bull Riding Champion, Jared Parsonage of Maple Creek, SK, continued to have the hot hand – following up the Canadian title he won three weeks ago at CFR in Red Deer – with a four-for-four performance in Regina to add the Maple Leaf Circuit Finals crown to his growing resume.

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For bull rider Griffin Smeltzer, the four-day event was a welcome finale to an up and down season. The 21 year old who had elbow surgery in late October just nine days before the CFR, rode three of his four bulls garnering a go-round win on day three and a ½ split on Saturday’s final round en route to a circuit season total of $13,115 and the Maple Leaf Circuit Championship.

“I knew I had a good shot on the bull I’d drawn and I was really happy with the way it turned out,” Smeltzer commented after his 86 point ride on Cody Strandquist’s 410 Western Wine.

“The bull riders rode exceptional as you’d expect at a Finals. The crowd was loud and having fun… and they really pumped us up. It was an awesome event; the stock contractors and committee did a great job and all of us really appreciate having a Circuit and a Circuit Finals here in Canada.”

Smeltzer will be heading south to compete at both PRCA events and PBRs in the U.S. right away. The second generation Claresholm, AB cowboy went on to say, “ This win showed me I have the ability to succeed, but to tell the truth, bull riding is secondary. I’m just really happy with the direction my life is going right now.”

Two Agribition competitors emerged as both Maple Leaf Circuit Finals and Season Champions. Carbon, AB’s Cole Goodine laid claim to both titles in the Bareback Riding, capturing the aggregate honours in Regina and maintaining his comfortable lead in the MLC season standings of $15,101, tops among Maple Leaf Circuit winners.

2021 Canadian Breakaway Roping Champion, Kendal Pierson from Wardlow, AB, is the second competitor who earned both titles in Regina. Pierson was successful in three of the four rounds on her way to the dual wins – earning $8366 over the course of the season.

Breakaway Roping burst on the scene this year as an official optional CPRA event. Top ropers competed at both the Canadian Finals Rodeo and Agribition Rodeo for the first time in history.

Second generation cowboy Kole Ashbacher, took home the Finals saddle bronc buckle with two wins, a second and a fourth to round out a year that included runner-up honours at the CFR while CPRA rookie Lucas Macza from High River, AB capped off an outstanding 2021 season with the Maple Leaf Circuit Saddle Bronc title and $10,204 in season earnings.

In the tie-down roping, Glentworth, SK hand, Jesse Popescul, put together a consistent four runs to win the aggregate and 2017 Canadian Champion Logan Bird emerged as the Maple Leaf Circuit Champion for 2021 with $12,343 overall.

And in the Steer Wrestling, Fort St John, B.C.’s Stephen Culling bulldogged four head in 18.4 seconds to be the aggregate winner while Matt Richardson held onto his season lead, finishing with $10,196.

The Maple Leaf Circuit Champion and Circuit Season Leader in each event qualify for the NFR Open (formerly RAM National Circuit Finals Rodeo) slated for July 13-16 at Pikes Peak or Bust Rodeo in Colorado Springs, CO. Two contestants in each event from each of the 12 U.S. circuits, plus Canada are eligible for the five-round event.

For complete unofficial results, go to rodeocanada.com. Look for updated official results and Canadian standings this week.