The 2018 Canadian Finals Rodeo will play host to 10 rookies who will not only be making their debut at Canada’s pinnacle rodeo event, but they also made their professional debut this year. Now, they may be making their first appearance at this top rodeo, but their skills make them look like anything but rookies. 

Watch the rookies make their first appearance at the Canadian Finals Rodeo LIVE on FloRodeo October 30 to November 4.

He may only be 20, but rookie bronc rider Dawson Hay is one cool cat who looks like he’s been in the game for years. We won’t name any names because this story is all about the “rooks,” but we’d even venture to say this youngster looks a lot like his dear-old-dad both in the arena and out these days (minus the haircut of course). 

He bought both his PRCA and CPRA full cards in 2018, and while he didn’t start off with a bang, it didn’t take long for him to get his feet under him.

“I went down to the states for Fort Worth and Denver, that’s kind of when I started my year,” said Hay. “Pretty well all winter I had tough luck. I was crying hole or just out of the money for most of those rodeos and then I kind of started getting my stuff together and come Austin I got a pretty good check out of there and that kind of started me season off.”

He may have had a little bit of a slow start to his rookie season in the PRCA, but when Rodeo Austin rolled around in March and he won a $5,250 check, we couldn’t help but keep an eye on this youngster. That big win in Texas got him rolling just in time for the snow to melt and the CPRA to kick off their season and let him show us what he could really do.

The rest was history for Hay this season. He continued to make impressive rides and finished out his season with $23,641.42 in CPRA earnings and $39,604.55 in the PRCA – checking off his season goals along the way.

“Obviously my goal was to the PRCA rookie of the year and in Canada as well but mainly before the year started,” said Hay. “But my main goal was to make the Canadian Finals.”

Hay has some experience at the finals as the reigning Canadian novice saddle bronc riding champion, but this isn’t the novice anymore and the Wildwood, Alberta, cowboy knows it.

“Being there in the last couple years in the novice, it kind of won’t be as much of a shock,” said Hay. “It’s going to be really crazy this year with all of the really good saddle bronc rider — I mean, Isaac Diaz, Cort Scheer, Zeke Thurston, Clay Elliott, Layton Green, Jake Watson — half of the guys have been to the national finals.”

“It can be intimidating but at the same time, I think if I draw up on the right horse I think I can compete with them.”

Other rookies set to nod their heads and run down the alley for the first time at the CFR include:

Two rookie barrel racers made the cut this year. 

Bertina Olafson burst onto the scene after an amateur rodeo career and ended her season with $20,064.56 in earnings and the No. 8 spot heading into CFR. The talent hails from Hudson Bay, Saskatchewan, and is the highest placing rookie in her event.

The second rookie barrel racer is Justine Elliott. This run at Armstrong, British Columbia, was a big part of getting her to the finals after she placed second in the IPE & Stampede’s regular-season rodeo and collected over $3,000 to bring her eventual season total to $14,167.30. 

Two headers and a heeler will make their first appearances at the Canadian Finals Rodeo in their rookie season this year. Brenten Hall got his card in the CPRA for the first time this year to rope with non-rookie partner Chase Tryan and the pair qualified for their first Canadian Finals Rodeo.

There are three brother combinations in the team roping this year – the Minors, the McCarrolls, and the rookie duo of Tuftin and Tyce McLeod. These two broke a season earnings record in the Canadian Cowboys Associations (known in Canada as a semi-pro association) before proving they had what it took to be a professional rodeo team to look out for. 

Four bull riders round out the list of rookies at the Canadian Finals Rodeo this year. With a quarter of the riders in this event making their first trip, we have high hopes for the future and bull riding and can’t wait to see what Cody Coverchuk (also won overall Rookie of the year), JB Moen, Austin Nash, and Nick Tetz can accomplish at CFR45.

Good luck to all 10 rookies as they hope to cap off their amazing debut seasons with a strong finals!