FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — Local cowboy Stephen Culling placed seventh overall in steer wrestling at the 2023 Calgary Stampede.
Culling’s fifth appearance at the Stampede began on July 13th and started off rough, he said, after not placing in his first round.
“I just went over inside the horn, and I didn’t catch [the steer],” said Culling.
Culling says he wasn’t discouraged by the round, although he had hoped to win something each day he competed.
“In Calgary, it’s all about who wins the most money, so if anything, it just fuelled the fire to go out and do better the next day,” said Culling.
The Fort St. John steer wrestler did just that in his second round on July 14th, placing second with a score of 3.7, earning himself $5,500 in winnings, and settling into fourth place overall in the Pool C Standings.
In his third round on July 15th, Culling tied for first place with Texas cowboy Hunter Cure, each scoring 3.9. Culling moved to second place in his pool standings and added another $6,250 to his winnings, bringing his total up to $11,750. This ranking helped him advance to the final round.
Culling’s Performance 10 Results saw him finish with a score of 4.6, moving him into seventh place overall. He added another $2,000 to his winnings and left the Stampede with a total of $13,750 earned.
Culling says although his first round didn’t go the way he wanted, he was pleased with his overall outcome at this year’s Stampede.
“You’re competing against the best 30 guys in the world, so anytime you can come out of there with some money, you’re happy with it,” said Culling.
“All in all, it was a good weekend, and the money this year counts towards the world standings.”
Up next, Culling will appear in a series of different rodeos throughout the United States before returning to Canada for the Dawson Creek Exhibition and Stampede, which takes place from August 9th to 13th.
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