Sept 4, 2025 l Airdrie, AB
The final weekend of the 2025 regular Canadian Professional Rodeo season brought with it jubilation, heartbreak and surprises, all of it unfolding under British Columbia sunshine.
With all three of the season’s last rodeos taking place in Canada’s westernmost province, all eyes were on Armstrong, Merritt and Langley as athletes battled for SMS Equipment Pro Tour supremacy, coveted season leader awards and, in some cases, the last few qualifying berths for the Canadian Finals Rodeo that kicks off a month from now in Edmonton, Alberta.
The new format for the Armstrong IPE and Stampede with its tournament style finale was a hit with competitors and fans alike as the sudden-death event was packed with heart-stopping drama. For bareback rider Clint Laye, a winning 87.25 point ride on Calgary Stampede’s S-83 Special Delivery brought the Finals cheque of $7500 and clinched the season leader title for the two-time Canadian champion.
“I thought it was really cool that you came in with your tour points,” the 31 year-old veteran commented. “That made it pretty important to enter the Tour rodeos throughout the year to make sure you were high up in the Tour standings. I didn’t want to be in the Wild card round Friday.”
Laye noted too that the money the Tour and the other two BC rodeos were offering was significant.
“I cane out of Armstrong with about $8700.” Factor in the $3089 he picked up courtesy of a 2/3 split at Langley’s Valley West Stampede and it means the thirteen-year pro will have a comfortable lead when the CFR gets underway on October 1 at Rogers Place in Edmonton.
And Laye added a personal note to his Tour finale experience. ‘It was pretty fun getting to go to Armstrong and stay for a few days right at the end of the year. I had my family with me. We had a really good time.”
There was additional tension in the bareback riding at the other end of the bareback standings as Biggar, Saskatchewan cowboy Cruz McNulty was excited, and relieved, to pick up cheques at both Armstrong and Langley to edge Colton Ouellette for the 12th and final CFR qualifying spot – McNultys first.
But it’s unlikely there was anybody in BC with a bigger smile than the barrel racing veterinarian from Calgary—Kirby Penttila. Her 15.94 second run in the sudden-death Tour Finals coupled with a Pool win earlier gave her a $9500 Armstong haul that propelled her from 14th place in the Canadian standings going into the critical weekend to her first CFR appearance.
“It’s funny, I was in the exact same position last year at this time of year on the outside of the twelve looking in,” Penttilla recounted “I made some money but just not quite enough. I was out of it by about $172 which is tough.
“This year I was pretty excited because I knew that my horse likes all three of these rodeos so we had a good chance. I knew I had to get my head right and be able to focus instead of getting so nervous that I’d make some silly mistakes. I feel like I did a pretty good job working on that part of my game this year. That was my big focus and it paid off.”
Like Laye, Penttila commented on the importance of the Tour rodeos leading up to the Finals. “I found out about the new Tour Finals format midway through the season. It actually makes you realize you have to capitalize at some of these rodeos and if you don’t and you don’t get into the Finals. That’s a game changer. For me I knew I hadn’t secured a spot in the Tour finals and so really needed to get something done at (the final Tour stop) at Lethbridge. Having a great run there kind of translated into my keeping that excitement and momentum going forward into the actual main event which is so cool.”
Penttila had words of praise for her mount. “I got my horse SR Shezindabooktafame (Chic) from Colby Bonnet who did an absolutely phenomenal job of getting her ready for someone else to jump onto. I was really lucky in that situation because we started winning even in our rookie year and we were very close to making the CFR that year which kind of shocked me. You hear lots of stories about how long it takes to figure things out. But she’s just made it so easy and she’s just fun to ride. She’s super easy-going but when you tell her it’s go time she’s all business and nothing really phases her.”
For two event cowgirl, Bradi Whiteside, there was a bittersweet element to the weekend. The barrel racing at CFR 51 will face the improbable reality of there being no one named Whiteside in that event but both sisters (Bradi and Kylie) will be plying their trade in the CFR’s Breakaway Roping. And Bradi will be heading north from the Whiteside Longview home as the number one breakaway roper due in large part to her superb performance at Armstrong. The eight-year professional cowgirl made her final run of the 2025 regular season her fastest run of the year—a blistering 1.8 second effort to capture the Tour tile, the $7500 paycheque and clinch the season leader title as well.
“It was amazing to be able to rope for the same amount of money that all the other events had,” the Longview talent noted.
And getting the lion’s share of that money, was, as Whiteside pointed out, the result of a solid partnership between her and her equine partner. “I was riding Teacher (3 X BAW Horse of the Year) at Armstrong. I’ve been running a six-year-old this year, but I wanted to bring Teacher out to the Armstrong Final. He always gets me there so fast and scores so good, it gives me the opportunity to win every time.”
Meanwhile there was a big move at the other end of the standings as Lakota Bird kept her consecutive string of CFR appearances intact with a second-place finish at Armstrong and a cheque at Merritt’s Nicola Valley Pro Rodeo giving her (unofficially) a $5600 weekend and an October date at Rogers Place. Former World Champion, Shelby Boisjoli-Meged was the cowgirl bumped from the top twelve and will not be competing at Edmonton this time around.
Bull rider Tanner Skene’s year has been the definition of a roller coater ride. The Prince Albert, Saskatchewan cowboy had to battle back from broken ribs and a punctured lung late in his final college year (Sul Ross Sate University in Alpine, Texas) that cost him a trip to the college finals.
After finally getting healthy and regaining his winning form, Skene got bucked off in Ponoka and tore up his knee (ACL MCL and meniscus).
“Sport Med got me sorted out and fitted me with a custom brace and I got back on at Teepee Creek,” he stated. “But then I struggled and fell off every bull I got on for five straight weeks.”
But at Dawson Creek, the Saskatchewan bull rider found his mojo, placed at the Stampede and got on a heater, riding 8 of his next 11 and setting the stage for the biggest win of his career at the Tour finals. Skene rode the Calgary Stampede bull Smog to 86.25 for second in his pool and a berth in the finals where he forged a spectacular 87.25 for one the Vold bull Rock Steady for the win, the $7500 payday and a date with destiny–that coveted trip to his first CFR.
“I had nothing to lose coming into this week,” he said after the win. “I just never counted myself out. No pressure. Just went out there and had some fun.”
The blazing final weeks of the season have necessitated a change of goals for the second year pro. “At the start of the year, my goal was to make the CFR. But now I’ve set my sights on winning a Canadian title—it’s so close in the bull riding standings. I feel great going in.”
There were smiles on a few more cowboys’ faces as the curtain rang down on the 2025 regular season. A 3rd place $1089 ride at Merritt’s Nicola Valley Stampede coupled with an 8th place $729 ride at Langley’s Valley West Stampede eased bronc rider Tyrel Roberts into a third consecutive CFR berth as he edged Kyle Wanchuk for the last CFR spot. And tie-down roper Murray Pole fashioned some rodeo magic of his own as he returns to the CFR after a twelve-year absence as a result of a 9.0 second, $1240.80 run at Merritt. Two time Canadian Steer Wrestling Champion Tanner Milan was another later addition to the CFR roster as he split the win at the SMS Equipment Tour finale and won the overall Tour title via a tie-breaker over fellow competitor Harley Cole.
The team roping standings saw some shuffling of spots among the top twelve but no changes in terms of the dozen teams that will be loading horses and heading for Rogers Place October 1-4.
So yes, it’s on to Edmonton and CFR 51. Look for official results, standings and CFR roster at rodeocanada.com
About CPRA
The Canadian Professional Rodeo Association (CPRA) with headquarters in Airdrie, Alta. is the official sanctioning body for Professional Rodeo in Canada. The CPRA approves 60 + events annually with a total payout exceeding $7.4 million. The organization oversees the SMS Equipment Pro Tour Finale each fall in Armstrong, BC, holds their premiere event–the Canadian Finals Rodeo (CFR)–at Rogers Place in Edmonton in early October and endorses the Maple Leaf Circuit Finals as part of Canadian Western Agribition in Regina, Sask. For details, please see RodeoCanada.com
For more information:
Barb Poulsen
CPRA Communications and Media
Phone: 403 625-9225
Email: media@rodeocanada.com