By Tyrone Sitting Eagle
On August 22, the Rockin’ The Rez Bullarama took place at the Siksika Rodeo Grounds. This event was filled with a lot of excitement and anticipation as the organizers of the event had planned a lot for it to take place. This also helped put Siksika on the map for big rodeos, as there were a lot of participants that came out and travelled from all over North America and around the world.
This event was hosted by the Doore Bucking Bulls and sanctioned by Bull Riders Canada. The main organizers responsible for putting this together are Wyatt Fairbrother, Cale Pribyl, and Colemyn Doore.
The event brought a lot of bull riders from all over the world, welcoming 22 riders on a national and international level who came from locations such as Fort Vermilion AB, Quesnel BC, Sweet Grass SK, Mexico, Brazil, Australia, and the United States. For the first round, each rider had to compete that featured 8 qualified rides. Gilmar Santana, who is from Ouro Preto, RO, Brazil, was in the lead during this first round with 85 points, and Wyle Wells from Browning, Montana (Blackfeet), who was just one point behind trailing with 84 points. With that moving on into the championship round, only ten riders moved on.
In the championship round, it became very intense and exciting as everyone waited in anticipation to see who would win. This brought out the best in each bull rider. Ultimately, Wyle Wells emerged as the champion; this was his first time competing and his first event win. The points he gained helped him gain valuable points, getting him closer to qualifying for the Bull Riders Canada Finals, which will be taking place November 15th and 16th in Sylvan Lake.
In turn, Doore Bucking Bulls is attempting to make their second Bull Riders Canada Finals this year. Rockin’ The Rez Bullarama was also an official event that helped put Siksika on the Bull Riding Trail, meaning that this was sanctioned by Bull Riders Canada, and riders that took place could compete to qualify for the Bull Rider Canada Finals. This is good for the community because there was a lot of young aspiring cowboys from the Nation who went out to watch this exciting event. Bringing an official event such as the Rockin’ The Rez Bullarama to Siksika could motivate youth to strive towards big goals when it comes to rodeo.
