The Canadian Professional Rodeo Association’s Finning Canada Pro Tour heads over the Rockies to Williams Lake, British Columbia for the Williams Lake Stampede this weekend. Beautiful scenery surrounds what promises to be tough competition during the five rodeo performances at the 2018 Williams Lake Stampede. 

Watch the Finning Pro Tour: Williams Lake Stampede LIVE on FloRodeo June 29-July 2.

Let’s take a look at some of the standout competitors on the draw for Williams Lake:

Finning Pro Tour Stop: No. 3

Committee Purse: $88,000

Format: straight one-head competition for both roughstock and timed events.

Bareback Riding: Canada’s No. 1 And No. 2, And A Truck Load Of Champions

Key Athletes: Ty Taypotat, Ky Marshall, Caleb Bennett, Jake Vold, Richmond Champion

Analysis: The No. 1 and 2 bareback riders in the Canadian Standings will compete in the first and second performances of Williams Lake. Both Ty Taypotat and Ky Marshall are trying to run away with the standings (which are updated to after the Innisfail Pro Rodeo at the moment) with both having more than $6,000 on the third place bareback rider. 

Performance No. 4 also looks to be a strong one with traveling partners Caleb Bennett, the world standings season leader, Jake Vold, the three-time Canadian champion, and Richmond Champion, multi-time WNFR qualifier and the first champion of The American.

Steer Wrestling: Competitors On A Roll From Ponoka On The Draw At Williams Lake

Key Athletes: Joe Guze, Cody Cassidy, Craig Weisgerber

Analysis: It’s hard to tell which of the performances at Williams Lake will be the strongest with the level of competition that has entered up. There are three competitors in particular though, that have been on a roll already this week at the Ponoka Stampede and could be feeling some extra confidence at Williams Lake. 

Both Joe Guze and Cody Cassidy made some fast runs that have put them in the No. 1 positions in rounds one and two respectively. 

Guze, who we saw make the round two winning run at Wainwright last weekend, was 5.6 in round one but had some trouble in round two so he won’t be coming back in the average. Guze competes on Sunday at Williams Lake. 

Cassidy has laid down the fastest run of the Ponoka Stampede so far with a time of 4.0 seconds to go to the lead in round two and sit third in the average with a time of 14.8 on two. He will compete in the opening performance this afternoon. 

Craig Weisgerber is 11.0 seconds on two at the Ponoka Stampede, his hometown rodeo, and sitting in the No. 1 spot in the average. It is important to note that Weisgerber has drawn the Monday performance at Williams Lake, so unless twelve steer wrestlers are able to best his performance in the next three performances at Ponoka, he will be turning out of his run at the British Columbia rodeo. 

Saddle Bronc Riding: Strong Opening Performance And The Reigning Canadian Champion

Key Athletes: Dustin Flundra, Chet Johnson, Cort Scheer, Tyler Corrington, Sam Kelts, Layton Green

Analysis: The entire opening performance looks like it will be a strong one in the saddle bronc riding at Williams Lake with competitors that all have long resumes on the draw. Dustin Flundra three-time Canadian Champion and three-time WNFR qualifier, Chet Johnson, the 2009 Canadian Champion and four-time WNFR qualifier, Cort Scheer, who has been to the WNFR five times and won a share of the million dollar bonus at The American this year, and Sam Kelts, 11-time CFR qualifier, will all ride this afternoon at Williams Lake. 

The reigning Canadian champion is also on the draw and will ride Saturday afternoon at Williams Lake. Meeting Creek, Alberta’s Layton Green has been having another great season this year and currently sits in the No. 1 spot in the Canadian standings once again as he heads to B.C.

Tie-Down Roping: Hanchey, Bird, Shiozawa, Bouchard Can All Take Your Money

Key Athletes: Shane Hanchey, Logan Bird, Matt Shiozawa, Al Bouchard

Analysis: Both Shane Hanchey and Logan Bird have drawn up in the first performance of the Williams Lake Stampede and when that happens it usually means one thing: their both riding TJ. Bird’s grey-wonder horse is one that cowboys across North American hope they can have the chance to ride and Hanchey no-doubt counts himself as one of those lucky ones. 

Fast-forward to the third performance at Williams Lake and two competitors look promising. 

The 2014 and 2016 Canadian champion tie-down roper, Matt Shiozawa, will rope in that Saturday afternoon performance. Shiozawa has also been knocking on the door of a world title for a couple years now and should never be counted out of the money at any rodeo he enters.

Another competitor you can never count out of the money is veteran tie-down roper Al Bouchard. The Scandia, Alberta cowboy hides a fierce competitiveness under his relaxed, easy-going attitude and has been to the pay window at practically every rodeo north of the border. 

Team Roping: Hot-Shots In Performance One, Johnson/Woolsey Continue Their Streak

Key Athletes: Cesar De La Cruz/JB James, Brady Minor/Riley Minor, Levi Simpson/Jeremy Buhler, Kolton Schmidt/Cole Davison, Dustin Bird/Rocky Dallyn, Denver Johnson/Tristin Woolsey

Analysis: It’s a star-studded line up in the team roping for the first performance with top names in the event jumping off of the page. JB James and Cesar De La Cruz, Brady Minor and Riley Minor, 2016 world champions Levi Simpson and Jeremy Buhler, as well as Kolton Schmidt and Cole Davison are all up in the first performance.

Dustin Bird and Rocky Dallyn are also up in that performance and are always an interesting team to watch. Bird has the extreme speed that he’s become to be known for, while Dallyn–who can handle that speed–is also a steadfast veteran that is going to catch 99% of the time as well. 

Denver Johnson and Tristin Woolsey have been a force to be reckoned with the last few weekends and don’t show any signs of stopping. Second at Innisfail, first at Wainwright, and now No. 1 in the average at the Ponoka and competing in Williams Lake on Saturday afternoon.

Barrel Racing: A Newbie, A Woman On A Mission In 2018, And A Canadian Champion

Key Athletes: Shelby Spielman, Shayna Weir, Carman Pozzobon, 

Analysis: Shelby Spielman crossed the Canadian border for the first time just in time for the Wainwright Stampede. The Texan is spending the summer in Canada and making good use of her time here by getting her name on the leaderboard at both of the rodeos she’s competed at since she came.

Spielman won the Wainwright Stampede and is now seated within the top 12 at the Ponoka Stampede and hoping to make it back for Monday. The youngster competes Friday night.

Shayna Weir showed a lot of promise in 2017. She finished 14th in Canada and after getting a taste of what it could be like to make the Canadian Finals Rodeo, she will no-doubt be on a mission in 2018 to climb up those extra two spots and qualify for the rodeo that all Canadian cowgirls aspire to get to. 

What needs to be said about Sovona, British Columbia’s Carman Pozzobon? She’s the reigning Canadian champion barrel racer, she’s No. 1 in the current Canadian standings, sitting second at the Ponoka Stampede, and you better watch her at the Friday evening performance of the Williams Lake Stampede.

Bull Riding: Schiffner + Parsonage + Finkbeiner = Stacked Performance Four

Key Athletes: Scott Schiffner, Jared Parsonage, Wacey Finkbeiner

Analysis: There may only be five bull riders on the draw for the Sunday performance of the Williams Lake Stampede, but it’s one of the best five of the weekend. Within that shorter list is the two-time Canadian Champion Scott Schiffner, Jared Parsonage, the No. 1 bull rider in the Canadian Standings, and Wacey Finkbeiner, who’s had success both in the CPRA and PBR. 

All three also covered their bulls at the Ponoka Stampede yesterday – Schiffner sits in fifth with a score of 83.75 and Parsonage is in second place with an 87.25 point ride. Finkbeiner enjoyed the cheers from his hometown crowd as he went to the lead with a score of 88 points aboard Vold Rodeo’s 174 Blow Me Away.

Watch the Williams Lake Stampede all weekend long on FloRodeo:

Performance One: Friday, June 29 - 2:45pm CST (12:45pm Pacific Time)

Performance Two: Friday, June 29 - 8:45pm CST (6:45pm Pacific Time)

Performance Three: Saturday, June 30 - 3:45pm CST (1:45pm Pacific Time)

Performance Four: Sunday, July 1 - 2:45pm CST (12:45pm Pacific Time)

Performance Five: Monday, July 2 - 2:45pm CST (12:45pm Pacific Time)