Quesnel competitors had a great weekend at the Williams Lake Indoor Rodeo on April 21-23, as they put in good performances and many made the stroll to the pay window.
The white-knuckle action of Bull Riding is the fan favourite at every British Columbia Rodeo Association (BCRA) event, and two Quesnel riders made the eight-second, thunderous rides to first and second place.
Matt O’Flynn rode Paint Ball to the horn and scored 79 points. He took first place and the $1,115.59 payout.
O’Flynn says he got a re-ride when a “very good bull,” Riddick, fell on his belly when they jumped out of the chute, so then he drew another “great bull” called Paint Ball.
“I had seen Paint Ball quite a few times before, but I’ve actually never been on him.”
He says there was a little bit of “travelling buddies pressure” because all of the guys he he travels the rodeo circuit with had ridden Paint Ball before and he was the only one who had not been him yet.
“It was good because I like pressure. He just did his thing and I did mine, and I was lucky enough to still hold the rope at the end.”
Raven Gordon took second place with a 76-point ride aboard Marlboro Man and took home $946.84 for his effort.
Out of 28 entries, the two Quesnel bull riders were two of three riders who successfully made their rides over the three-day event.
In Ladies Barrel Racing, during which the difference in times is measured in one/one hundredths of a second, Quesnel speedster Mariah Mannering raced to first place in 13.794 seconds and picked up $974.02.
Jody Gilson of Quesnel took eighth place out of 48 competitors with a 14.150-second run and collected $162.34.
There were 60 teams competing in Team Roping and Quesnel roper Denton Spiers and his partner Rod Spiers from Fort St. John took fourth place in a time of 9.7 seconds and each took home $555.36.
Quesnel had three cowboys make the happy stroll to the payout window in Junior Steer Riding.
Lane Paley tied for first place with Justin Harris of Courtenay as both scored 82 on their rides. They split first- and second-place payout money and took home $267 each.
Quesnel riders Flint Gordon and Issac Janzen and two other competitors split fourth through seventh prize money, and picked up $48.95 each.
Emma Langevin of Quesnel finished third out of 14 competitors in Junior Barrel Racing and her 14.544-second trip around the barrels was good enough for a $124.96 payout.
Quesnel’s Kira Stowell finished second in Peewee Barrels with a time of 15.332 and went home with $108 in her jeans.
Meanwhile, O’Flynn notes the Williams Lake Indoor Rodeo Association always puts on a great show.
“You can tell the volunteers work hard and it’s always very organized.”
C+ Rodeos, owned and operated by Roy and Earl Call, always bring their best rough stock to the rodeos - whether it’s indoor or outdoor. Their stock is always in good shape and ready to buck.”
O’Flynn, who is a professional bull rider, has been competing in the indoor circuit since February and currently sitting first in the standing, followed closely by his travelling buddy Lane Cork who is also from Quesnel.
O’Flynn’s girlfriend has just arrived from Australia and she will be travelling with him on his busy rodeo circuit this year. They plan to go Down Under this winter where O’Flynn will jump on the backs of more than a few Aussie bulls. Next up on the BCRA circuit is the Nechako Valley Indoor Rodeo on April 29-30.