Consistency and cleanliness is next to godliness for a Blackie area driver. Jordie Fike has slowly improved each week in the early going of the World Professional Chuckwagon Association season and he’s hoping for more of the same when he and 35 other drivers roll into High River for the Guy Weadick Days Championship June 21-24. “Things are going good, we have ironed some things out and the horses are running well,” Fike said. “I have two solid outfits, and I have a third one I haven’t used yet, but they are there if I need them.” Fike has steadily climbed up the WPCA standings with 16th, 13th, and 12th place finishes, respectively, in the first threes stops on the tour. He is 13th overall in the world standings. “The horses are gelling,” Fike said. “I want to run clean in High River. I have to drive a smart race and let the horses do their best.” The horses will be enjoying home-cooking. They will get to stay at home and be trucked in — some calmer times with the grind of Ponoka and Calgary Stampedes following High River. High River’s Jason Glass sits in 16th place in the standings — and would be higher if not for a penalty-filled weekend at the opening show in Grande Praire in late May. Glass has added a few horses to his barn. “We finished eighth in the world standings last year and we need to get back somewhere close to the top — that (eighth) isn’t good enough,” the four-time world champion said in a press conference in High River in May. The problem is there are plenty of talented drivers aiming for the upper echelons of the standings. “There are a lot of tough guys out there,” Glass said. “I have to take care of my own business, run clean, and run a little faster this year.” He said there are 10 to 15 drivers he expects could be near the top this year, including Kurt Bensmiller, the defending WPCA, Calgary Stampede and High River champion. He also expects his neighbour to the north, Okotoks’ Mark Sutherland to have a strong year. “Any night though it’s hard to out run anybody, the key is consistency,” Glass said. Sutherland is presently in 23rd place among the 36 drivers in the standings. He won the Guy Weadick title in 2016. His son Dayton, a Foothills Comp grad, is currently in 34th place. The Guy Weadick Days chuckwagon races go June 21-24 at 7 p.m. The final day of racing is June 24 at 4 p.m. The Guy Weadick Days Rodeo is June 22-24. The rodeo action starts at 5 p.m. on Friday and at 1:30 p.m. and 1 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday respectively. For ticket information go to highriverag.com
