'Everyone likes to root for the girls': Ladies breakaway roping added to Agribition rodeo
The Canadian Western Agribition has added Ladies Breakaway Roping to the Maple Leaf Finals Rodeo for the first time.
“[Canadian Professional Rodeo Association] added it to their events as a full event to see how it was taken and it took off like crazy, people wanted it. So it just became natural to have it here,” said Marty Kratochvil, who is in charge of the rodeo on the Agribition’s Board of Directors.
Bailey Hines and Lakota Bird are among 10 breakaway ropers competing over four nights at the Maple Leaf Finals Rodeo. The top four competitors each night – Wednesday through Saturday – will earn prize money with the winner determined from an overall total.
“Traditionally after college there’s nowhere for breakaway ropers to compete because it hasn’t been an event in professional rodeo,” said Lakota Bird, one of this year’s breakaway roping competitor.
“The last couple of years, breakaway rope has started to emerge as an event in professional rodeo and as you’ll see it showcased here at Agribition, it’s just an exciting time for those of us who have been doing this for a long time.”
“The fact that we get to carry on and pursue this as a professional career is huge and for Regina to add this to Agribition is really just a blessing for all of us,” said breakaway roper Bailey Hines.
Prize money is given to those with the fastest average times over the four-day span.
Traditionally the only female rodeo event is barrel racing, but this gives the women another opportunity to compete. It is also the fastest growing event in the rodeo world.
“There’s not really any room for error or a lot of time to think about what’s happening. It takes a lot of practice and muscle memory,” said Bird.
“It’s another event for women to kind of feature their skills, talent, and horsemanship. Women have been roping for a long, long time but it’s kind of just recently picked up again,” said breakaway roper Brittainy Smith.
Breakaway roping is similar to the men’s tie down roping but with a few minor tweaks.
“In tie down roping, the guys are behind the same barriers, they rope the calf but then they dismount and tie the calf. In breakaway roping, after the calf is roped, it’s tied to our saddle with a string. So the string breaks and that’s when the time stops,” Bird explained.
The Maple Leaf Finals Rodeo begins Wednesday evening at the Brandt Centre. For spectators who look to take in the event, the women are more than excited to give the fans a show.
“It’s pretty cool to be able to come out here and showcase something that you know you grew up around,” said Smith.
“It’s enabled young girls growing up to be able to look forward to and prepare to compete professionally when they’re older,” said Bird.
“Everyone likes to root for the girls! I mean Barrel Racing is always a fan favourite because everyone loves rooting for the girls. And this is just another totally different event for girls,” Hines said.
“It’s fast. It’s really awesome horsemanship. Seeing the girls being able to rope like the guys is always exciting for the fans.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Nonsense:' Doug Ford slams lawsuits filed by Ontario school boards against social media platforms
Premier Doug Ford says that lawsuits launched by four Ontario school boards against a trio of social media platforms are “nonsense” and risk becoming a distraction to the work that really matters.
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
Multiple bridges in Calgary shut down for police incident
Calgary police have shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers deal with a distraught individual.
Tipping is off the table at this Toronto restaurant
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff.
King Charles calls for acts of friendship in first public remarks since Kate's cancer diagnosis
King Charles III gave public remarks for Maundy Thursday, addressing the importance of acts of friendship, following his and Catherine, Princess of Wales’ cancer diagnoses.
Record-breaking N.B. lottery winner kept winning ticket on dresser for nearly a year
A New Brunswicker will go to bed Thursday night much richer than he was Wednesday after collecting on a winning lottery ticket he let sit on his bedroom dresser for nearly a year.
A dog and a bird formed an unlikely friendship. Their separation has infuriated followers
Peggy is a stout and muscular Staffordshire bull terrier, and Molly is a magpie, an Australian bird best known for swooping on humans during breeding season, not for befriending dogs. But in an emotional video posted online, Peggy’s owners announced that the animals had been separated.
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 mm among weather alerts in effect for 7 provinces
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 millimetres, air quality advisories and other alerts have been issued for seven Canadian provinces, according to the latest forecasts.
Gangs netting up to US$3 trillion a year as Southeast Asia human trafficking becomes a global crisis, Interpol says
Human trafficking-fuelled fraud is exploding in Southeast Asia with organized crime rings raking in close to US$3 trillion in illicit revenue annually, the head of Interpol has said in comments that reveal the huge profits being earned by cartels.