Local cowboys make their mark at Calgary Stampede

CALGARY, ALTA. – Three cowboys from the Fort St. John area made themselves known in multiple appearances at this year’s Calgary Stampede.

Fort St. John Steer Wrestler Stephen Culling’s first day at the Stampede was on July 8th. He placed second, earning him $4,500 with a finish of 4.4 seconds.

Culling broke the barrier on his second day and was penalized for 10 seconds, causing him to not place.

His July 10th showing that resulted in 6th place put him one spot out of the money. A 5th place win the following day brought his pool up to $6,000 but wasn’t enough to bring him through to Sunday without making it through Saturday’s wildcard round.

Culling says he wasn’t excited when he saw the steer he had drawn Saturday, and despite his efforts, did not advance to Sunday.

“I just ran him too far down the pen to advance to Sunday, so that was the end of Calgary for me,” said Culling. “Didn’t end up the way I would have liked or planned, but that’s how rodeo goes.”

Jake Gardner was called up into an alternate spot for his first time in the Calgary Stampede. He placed first in one round, scoring 84.5-points which earned him $5500.

Gardener advanced to Saturday’s wildcard round, but unfortunately, his Stampede journey ended there as well.

Although his run in Calgary was brief, Gardner knows what to work on moving forward.

“The Calgary Stampede is one of the hardest rodeos to get into in the world, so to be able to compete there…I’m pretty grateful for that,” said Gardener.

“There were a few bulls I could have rode better, but I think next time I’ll just try to be a little more relaxed, keep having fun, and try hard.”

Charlie Lake’s Tyrel Roberts placed second overall in the Novice Saddle Bronc event, which took place July 11th and 12th. Roberts earned $64.00 on the 11th and $68.00 on the 12th, bringing his total earnings to $132.00.

This year’s Stampede was Roberts’ second after his debut in 2019.

Gardener and Culling will take the bull by the horns again August 9th through 14th, during the Dawson Creek Exhibition and Stampede.