Professional cowboys compete at 23rd Annual Bear Paw Roundup

With this long and hot summer winding down, many on the Hi-Line are looking forward to the return of high school and college fall sports. But before the likes of football and volleyball return, the rodeo made one last appearance in the area as the 23rd Annual Bear Paw Roundup took place at the Blaine County Fairgrounds in Chinook this past Thursday night.

The rodeo was sanctioned by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, meaning some of the best cowboys in the nation participated. Kaleb Norstrom took first in bareback riding with a score of 85.5 to earn $436. Calder Peterson from Glentworth, Saskatchewan took second with a score of '77 to earn $327 and Troy Kirkpatrick of Twin Bridges, Montana, finished third with a score of 73 to earn $218.

In saddle bronc riding, the fourth-ranked PRCA rider, Chase Brooks, took first with a score of 79 to earn $587. Just behind him in second was Andrew Evjene with a score of 76.5 to earn $440. Tied for third with a score of 70 to earn $220 was Sage Newman and Connor Murnion. Murnion was also named the best all-around cowboy at the rodeo for his performance in saddle bronc riding and bull riding.

Cole Hould won the bull-riding competition with a score of 79 to earn $620 and Kobe Whitford from Cut Bank, Montana, took second with a score of 75 to earn $508. Bryn Roy of Dalemead, Alberta took first in steer wrestling with a time of 4.9 seconds to earn $620. Behind him was Newt Novich from Twin Bridges in second with a time of 5.4 seconds, Jaret Whitman of Belgrade, Montana, in third with a time of 5.9 seconds and Kris Anderson from Hamilton, Montana, in fourth with a time of 9.8 seconds.

In the team roping competition, Cody Tew and Trae Smith took first with a time of 5.3 seconds to earn $1,128. Dustin Bird of Cut Bank and Ike Folsom took second with a time of 5.9 seconds to earn $846 and Grady Quam and Tyce McLeod finished third with a time of 6.4 seconds to earn $564.

J.C. Crowley won the tie-down roping event with a time of 8.5 seconds to earn $714. Chad Johnson from Cut Bank finished second with a time of 9.5 seconds and Jade Gardner took third with a finish of 10.3 seconds. In barrel racing, Helena's Rene Cloninger and Shelby Gill tied for first with a time of 17.87 seconds to earn $509. Lisa Warfield of Helena took third with a time of 17.98 seconds.

In addition to the Great Northern RAM Rodeo and MSU-N PRCA Extreme Bares and Broncs Challenge, the Bear Paw Roundup was just another great showing for local rodeo fans to enjoy during the summer.

23rd Annual Bear Paw Roundup:

Bareback Riding: 1. Kaleb Norstrom, 85.5; 2. Calder Peterson, 77; 3. Troy Kirkpatrick, 73.

Saddle Bronc Riding: 1. Chase Brooks, 79; 2. Andrew Evjene, 76.5; 3. Sage Newman, 70; 3. Connor Murnion, 70.

Bull Riding: 1. Cole Hould, 79; 2. Kobe Whitford, 75.

Steer Wrestling: 1. Bryn Roy, 4.9; 2. Newt Novich, 5.4; 3. Jaret Whitman, 5.9; 4. Kris Anderson, 9.8.

Team Roping: 1. Cody Tew and Trae Smith, 5.3; 2. Dustin Bird and Ike Folsom, 5.9; 3. Grady Quam and Tyce McLeod, 6.4; 4. Brad Yerian and Brandon Yerian, 6.9; 5. Ian Austiguy and Sam Levine, 7.6; 6. Dustin Probert and Alex Watson, 12.0; 7. Caleb Berquist and Ty Hedrick, 12.6.

Tie-down Roping: 1. J.C. Crowley, 8.5; 2. Chad Johnson, 9.5; 3. Jade Gardner, 10.3; 3. Caleb Berquist, 10.3.

Barrel Racing: 1. Rene Cloninger, 17.87; 1. Shelby Gill, 17.87; 3. Lisa Warfield, 17.98; 4. Shelby Rasmussen, 18.06; 5. Lexi Bagnell, 18.07; 6. Alicia Bird, 18.13.