CANADIANS HOLD THEIR OWN AT SAN ANTONIO FINALS
February 23, 2009

A new format at the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo saw 12 contestants competing in the bareback riding, steer wrestling, tie-down roping, team roping, saddle bronc riding, barrel racing and bull riding finals at the AT&T Center on Feb. 21. The top four in each event earned cheques and determined the overall champions.

Even though three of the four Canadian competitors that advanced to the finals at the $1 million rodeo this past weekend didn’t quite make their way into the top four, they still walked away with a sizeable amount of earnings.

Steer wrestler Tanner Milan from Cochrane, Alta. placed fourth in the finals. Milan tackled his steer in 4.1 seconds, for an additional $3,111 bringing his total winnings to $6,741.

DeWinton’s Davey Shields scored an 83 in the bareback riding on Calgary Stampede’s Knight Rocket. He finished sixth in the final round and overall in his event with a total of $6,223.

Deb Renger of Okotoks, Alta. placed tenth overall in the ladies barrel racing finals. With a run of 14.13 seconds, Renger’s time was one of the fastest at Saturday’s finals, but not fast enough for the top four. She goes home with $5,185.

Justin Berg of Marwayne, Alta. placed eighth overall in the saddle bronc riding. He was bucked off Kesler Championship Rodeo’s Royal Visit in the finals. Berg walked away with the $3803 he earned during the qualifying and semifinal rounds.

Meanwhile, Canadian stock strutted their stuff in the saddle bronc finals. Kesler Championship Rodeo’s Sandcastle took South Dakota saddle bronc rider J.J. Elshere to a first place with an 88-point ride. Kesler Rodeo Co.’s Believe Me teamed up with Stephenville, TX rider Isaac Diaz for a third place score of 87 points in the championship round for a fourth place finish.