A Foothills Comp grad stayed on a bull for eight seconds at Showdown Sunday at the Calgary Stampede but all he got was a twisted back. Jordan Hansen, a 2011 Comp grad, scored an 84.5 on board Twisted in the opening go-round of Showdown Sunday but it left him two points behind fourth-place finisher Joe Frost for the last spot for the $100,000 showdown later that afternoon. “I stayed on and did my part it just didn’t quite work out,” said Hansen, the 2016 Canadian champion. “First time I had him [Twisted]. That bull has been really good all year and I thought he was the one to have. “Just kind of had an off trip. He started really good, but started kind of jump kicking and going straight. Just one of those deals, it’s bull ridin’ and that’s part of it.” Hansen received medical attention after his ride because Twisted stepped on his back. The Stampede was his first rodeo since injuring his back and neck 2 ½ months ago. “He stepped on me right beside where I was hurt,” said Hansen, about 90 minutes after his ride. “It’s definitely sore. I have to go in for an MRI tomorrow [Monday] and hopefully, everything will be all right.” He was definitely all right when he had to go through the backdoor to make Sunday Showdown. He won Wildcard Saturday with an 88 on Big Red, to qualify for the final. Big Red had forced Hansen to the wildcard side when he bucked Hansen off on July 9, the final day of Pool A competition. “I was real excited to get him again, I needed a bit of redemption,” he said. He got more redemption than Liam Neeson in one of those Taken flicks. “That bull kind of has different trips every time,” Hansen said. “It kind of fueled the fire knowing he had bucked me off a few days before.” It was Hansen’s second trip to the Stampede and the first time he was among the 10 bull riders who made the Sunday Showdown. “It wasn’t my plan to go through on Saturday, but I rode my bull, so I don’t have too much to hang my head about,” Hansen said. He estimates he earned $11,000 at his second Stampede. The bull riding was won by Edmonton’s Marcos Gloria with a 76 on Rattler. All four of the qualifying riders for the final go round were bucked off on their first trip. Gloria was the lone rider to hang on for the full eight seconds for the added go-round and picked up the $100,000 first-place cheque.
