(Photo by Covy Moore)

By rdnewsNOW Staff

2023

Sundre Pro Rodeo joins SMS Equipment Pro Tour

Oct 4, 2022 | 4:31 PM

Though the Canadian Professional Rodeo season is just coming to an end, plans are already underway for an outstanding 2023.

That according to officials with the CPRA who have announced that the 43rd Annual Sundre Pro Rodeo will be part of the SMS Equipment Pro Tour.

“The Sundre Rodeo and Race Association is beyond excited to be joining the SMS Equipment Pro Tour in 2023,” said Shane Crouch, Chairman of the long-standing Alberta event. “Sundre gets a great entry of contestants every year; and by increasing our prize money to Tour level, we are able to help our athletes. This is one of the reasons we felt we should make the step to the next level with Pro Rodeo here in Canada.”

CPRA General Manager, Denny Phipps, is also happy about the news.

“We enjoyed a great 2022 season – one that saw a return to a full slate of rodeos for the first time since 2019 and strong attendance through the season,” Phipps noted. “To be part of the SMS Equipment Pro Tour, a rodeo must have $8,000 added prize money in each of our major events. It is exciting to have Sundre increase their added money and provide greater opportunity to our contestants.”

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“The Sundre Pro Rodeo, having invested significant resources to improve their facilities to enhance guest and contestant experiences in recent years, and now a Tour level purse, will not only impact the races for Canadian and World Championships, but also the Pro Tour Championship which concludes at the Tour Finale in Armstrong, B.C. on Labour Day Weekend,” added Phipps.

The Sundre Pro Rodeo has long been a staple on the CPRA schedule. Dating back to the 1920’s, the Sundre Stampede, as it was known then, was held in a variety of locations until organizers settled on the current location just north of the community at the bottom of Snake Hill. In the Stampede’s early years, officials say local ranchers and farmers helped provide rodeo stock and the Morley First Nations band assisted in the construction of the grounds and competed at the event.

After going on hiatus during the war, the rodeo returned as an amateur event and carried on successfully for many years. The Sundre Rodeo and Race Association was eventually formed and in 1979, the first Sundre Pro Rodeo was held. Named the Gary Logan Memorial Rodeo in 1980, as a tribute to local bareback rider, Gary Logan, who was one of four CPRA cowboys who lost their lives in a tragic plane crash in 1979, the event reverted to the name Sundre Pro Rodeo in 1994.

Today, the popular venue, which enjoys the tagline “Go Wild, Go West”, attracts athletes from all over North America and continues to rely on a group of dedicated volunteers and a very supportive community, say CPRA officials.

Shane Crouch (who is the second generation of his family to chair the event) adds, “We believe that our rodeo is deeply rooted in our western heritage and we truly love bringing the event to our community. Sundre Pro Rodeo gets an unbelievable amount of support from the area – both from sponsors and fans alike – and we can’t thank them enough for their continued loyalty. We are very proud to be joining the other great events on the tour and calling ourselves one of the stops on the SMS Equipment Pro Rodeo Tour.”