Time change

Wednesday, 24 September 2008 21:49

COLLIN GALLANT For the Pipeline Jolene Davies could pass as the queen of a lot of rodeos. But the 25-year-old cowgirl from Brooks isn’t content to help guide the steers out of the infield. She prefers guiding them to the dirt. Davies is one of a few, but increasing number of female rodeo competitors who are going beyond barrel racing and into the other timed events at amateur rodeos in Southern Alberta. You could almost feel the eyebrows raise in the audience this summer at the Elkwater Rodeo Grounds as Davies, an emergency room nurse during the week, placed fourth in calf roping at the Border County Rodeo sanctioned performance. “I’ve been doing it for about the past three or four years,” said Davies afterwards. “Usually at the all-girls rodeos, not really at the Border County Rodeos... There’s usually a few girls that enter. Just not this year.” Quick out of the chute aboard her gray and beige speckled mount, Old Man, she fired the lariat with accuracy, was off the 20-year-old gelding in a shot and heaved the scrambling black calf over with well-practised precision. If not for a problem with her first loop around the calf’s legs, her time would have been contending for top money. “I team rope with these guys all the time,” said Davies, who got Old Man from brother Braidy, an up and comer on the professional team roping circuit. “It’s a good community and they’re all really supportive. They’re pretty good with it.” Rodeos, especially the small-scale, amateur rodeos like those on the Border County circuit, are billed as bastions of tradition, but they are also increasingly getting with the times. It was not that long ago that the sport generally began actively promoting the horsemanship of their queens and princesses. Today it's common practice to get the royalty to clear infields of calves and steers after events. The Canadian Girls Rodeo Association got its season underway in late June in Nanton. Standings feature somewhat traditional events such as pole-bending and breakaway roping, but also cow riding and tie-down roping. The circuit finals were held Sept. 12 to 14 in Brooks. At Elkwater, the numbers reflect a trend that young girls are getting involved in a big way. Not counting the adult competitors, there were 21 junior barrel racers, 22 peewee barrel racers, plus 28 junior team roping duos that more often than not feature at least one girl. One school-aged female competitor even made the transition from junior barrel racing before intermission to steer riding afterwards.