If at first you don’t succeed try, try again.
Hometown bulldogger Coleman Kohorst took full advantage of his re-ride and pinned his steer in 3.3 seconds to win the steer wrestling at the Okotoks Pro Rodeo on Sunday.
Later that afternoon, DeWinton’s bull rider Brock Radford got bucked off, but was given a re-ride and scored an 86 to finish in a second place tie in Okotoks.
Kohorst initially got the traditionally friendly applause when he was given a no-time when he rode by his steer.
However, judges ruled there was a malfunction at the gate and Kohorst got a do-over.
“I knew something was fouled up and fortunately the judges picked it up right away,” Kohorst said. “It was actually all a blur. My second run I had a good steer. Justin Miller told me the steer would lead sharp, stop and be good on the ground. That’s exactly what he did.”
Kohorst tipped his cowboy hat to his hazer Joe Guze. Kohorst may even be a bigger fan of Guze’s horse Robby, who Kohorst has been riding since the Wainwright rodeo in late June.
“I think every time I have rode that horse I have pulled a cheque except for twice,” Kohorst said.
Kohorst is on a winning streak — he won in Jasper the week before the Okotoks rodeo.
The Okotoks victory puts Kohorst in the hunt for another Canadian Finals Rodeo (CFR) invite. He was sitting in 15th place in the standings at $12,750 going into Okotoks in the Pro Rodeo Canada standings.
He is hoping the win in Okotoks will catapult him into the top 12 – the cutoff for invites to the CFR.
However, with eight more rodeos left, he still has to cash a few more cheques.
“It’s going to take $16,000 or $17,000 or so to make the finals, so I still have my work cut out for me,” Kohorst said. “This is going to help me, but I still need maybe $3,000 to be safe.”
Second chance
Rodeo fans were hitting the exits shortly after favourite Brock Radford hit the dirt in the bull riding Sunday afternoon.
However, they had to scurry back when Radford, a Foothills Comp grad, was given a re-ride.
He didn’t disappoint. Radford’s 86 on Apollo’s Gold – the last ride of the three-day outdoor rodeo — was good for a second-place tie overall.
“It was my first ride on him and it was a really good bull,” Radford said. “I just tried to ride him jump for jump. They are wild animals and you just counter-react what they do so they don’t buck you off. I am really happy with the ride. I did good and I am healthy.”
He was given a re-ride after his first trip when it was ruled he had an unfair start when the chute was opened.
The affable Radford has pretty much booked his ticket to the CFR. He was sitting in fifth place going into Okotoks.
It will be a happy truck next time Radford heads down the road for the next stop. The guy who tied Radford in Okotoks for second was his travelling partner, Lonnie West.
Cody Floyd, of Calgary, won the bull riding in Okotoks with an 86.5 on Wayne Vold’s Mr. Legit.
Tough homecoming
A five-time Canadian champion didn’t find life over a barrel in her hometown.
Okotoks’ Deb Guelly and her horse Bourbon finished out of the money after her run on Sunday.
“I bought him in April and he has been struggling with the ground,” said Guelly. “Right now, I am just seasoning right now… He tries so hard but sometimes he gets scrambling in the ground.
“It’s just been one of those years.”
Guelly is well out of earning a spot to the CFR. She has earned about $1,250 this year on the Canadian circuit.
The Okotoks rodeo was held outside for the first time in its 26-year history.
To see the full results of the Okotoks Pro Rodeo and the Canadian Pro Rodeo Association standings go to rodeocanada.com
