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Rodeo seniors maintain competitive edge

It’s hard to know who lassoed whose heart in an Okotoks rodeo marriage. Margo and Craig FitzPatrick both proved to be efficient with the rope on the senior rodeo circuit last year.
Margo FitzPatrick ropes a calf in the breakaway competition at a senior rodeo in Nanton in 2016
Margo FitzPatrick ropes a calf in the breakaway competition at a senior rodeo in Nanton in 2016

It’s hard to know who lassoed whose heart in an Okotoks rodeo marriage.

Margo and Craig FitzPatrick both proved to be efficient with the rope on the senior rodeo circuit last year.

Margo was the Canadian senior breakaway championship last season while Craig won the senior world calf-tying title in Utah in 2016.

The FitzPatricks will be competing at the 25th High River Senior Pro Rodeo at the Western Financial Group Arena April 28-30.

Craig is coming off a highly successful season, capped off with the world title.

He went in to Utah as the number-one seed from the Canadian region. He competed against 23 other ropers from the United States and Canada at the finals.

“It was kind of my style of roping, bigger hard running, stronger calves,” Craig said of the rodeo in Utah. “Especially, with the good horse I have.”

Craig’s horse, Cowboy, is ideal for the senior circuit. Cowboy might be a touch slower, but he makes up for it in smarts and experience.

“I have had him since he was five years old and he’s 19 now — he’s definitely a senior horse,” Craig said with a smile. “But he’s a great horse. He’s the reason for my success.”

The High River rodeo kicks off the Canadian senior circuit and Margo is hoping to defend her breakaway title.

She won the title by being the points leader going into the finals in Claresholm. She put an exclamation mark on things by winning the four-day Claresholm rodeo.

“It came down to the final run between myself and a gal from Montana, Kari Lynn Dell,” Margo said. “It was a fight until the very end.”

Margo’s got more than being savvy with a rope going for her.

“I have a really good horse, Boon.” Margo said. “He’s an ex-calf horse – of Craig’s – but I laid claim to him. Your horse is at least half of it.

“But Craig and I worked really hard at it. Last year, we set out with the goal to win.”

The FitzPatricks also made the Canadian finals at Claresholm in ribbon roping.

It’s a test of skill and a test for a marriage.

Craig’s job is to rope the calf, get off the horse and get his hand on the animal. Margo, the runner, has the job of grabbing a ribbon tied to the calf’s tail and run back to the score-line.

“There is a lot of pressure when you are roping for your wife,” Margo said. “It’s a long walk back when you don’t have a ribbon in your hand.”

Craig agreed.

“You dare not miss,” he said with a laugh. “You also don’t want to rope the calf at the other end of the arena because she has to run a long ways.

“It’s a lot of fun. A lot of couples enter.”

Margo’s efforts in the breakaway and ribbon roping gave her the women’s all-around title.

It’s senior rodeo, but senior doesn’t mean complacent. The circuit is full of veteran cowboys and cowgirls, who are out to win.

“It is very competitive in most events, the calf roping, the breakaway,” Margo said. “The ladies barrel racing is super-competitive. It is not a walk in the park in any events… It’s highly competitive, but we still like to have fun with one another.”

The ladies barrel racing includes former Stampede qualifier Suzanne DePaoli of Longview and Millarville’s Toni Dixon, who has made the CFR the past two years.

They will be competing at a top senior pro rodeo this weekend.

“High River is probably the best rodeo of the season,” Craig said. “It is organized well, the stock is good and the stands are full every day. A lot of entries, people from all over the U.S. comes up.”

The format is a new rodeo every day. If Craig happens to get a no time on Friday night, he can win Saturday and/or Sunday. It’s not a three-day aggregate deal.

The High River Senior Pro Rodeo goes Friday and Saturday at 6 p.m. with a Sunday matinee at 2:30 p.m. The performances consist of both time and stock events.

There is a dance Saturday night.

For further information go to canadaseniorrodeo.com

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