Riders put on a show at Great Northern Fair

Over the weekend at the Great Northern Fair, the Great Northern Ram Rodeo made its grand return to the Hi-Line. Over the course of Thursday and Friday, riders from the Northern Rodeo Association competed hard as they looked to win earnings and move up the standings.

In bareback riding, Chinook's own Rowdy Cranston took first with a score of 76. His first-place finish earned him $278.24. Nathaniel Dearhamer of Bozeman scored 70 points to finish second and earn $208.68.

Parker Mothershead of Joliet won saddle bronc riding with a score of 79 and earned $526.40. Wind Augare of Cut Bank scored 75 to finish second and earn $394.80 and Levi Hurst of Kalispell scored 73 to take third and earn $263.20.

In bull riding, Tanner Theriault finished first with a score of 83. His first-place finish earned him $438.04 in winnings. Gavin Knutson of Polson scored 80 to take second and earn $328.53.

Riley Joyce of Geraldine took first in steer wrestling with a time of 5.4, earning himself $481.28 in winnings. Cole Detton of Great Falls finished second with a time of 5.8 to earn $360.96 and Reno Ward of Deer Lodge took third with a time of 5.9 to earn $240.64.

In tie down roping, Ben Ayre of Glendive finished first with a time of 9.3 to earn $616.64. Kevin Peterson of Dillon finished second with a time of 10.8 to earn $462.48 and Ty Wilcox of Absarokee took third with a time of 11.3 to earn $308.32.

In team roping, the Box Elder duo of Clay and Kadyn Duran took first with a time of 5.7 to earn $1,094.63. Neil Tatsey and Jimmy Racine of Cut Bank finished second with a time of 6.8 to earn $837.07. In third place was Peterson and Holden Garrison with a time of 7.1 and a winning of $643.

Lindsay Kruse of Fromberg took first in ladies barrel racing with a time of 15.05 and earned $741.47. Chinook's Brittney Cox took second with a time of 15.18 to earn $613.63 and Helena's Julie Brown finished third with a time of 15.2 to earn $485.79.

In the ladies breakaway, Kelsey Ferguson from Wolf Point took first with a time of 2.5 to earn $873.82. Helena's Mikayla Witter finished second with a time of 2.7 to earn $717.78 and Great Falls' Stephanie Rollins took third with a time of 2.8 to earn $561.74.

There were also some junior events at the rodeo. In junior barrel racing, Sophia Neill of Whitefish took first with a time of 15.31 to earn $230.40. Helena's Tye Brown finished second with a time of 15.43 to earn $172.80 and Dillon's Quincy Hansen took third with a time of 15.69 to earn $115.20.

Parker Lenhardt from Helena took first in junior breakaway roping with a time of 3.3 to earn $268.80. Bryar Taylor of Forest Grove took second with a time of 3.6 to earn $201.60 while Hansen took third with a time of 3.9 to earn $134.40.

These professional riders still have a while until the NRA finals in October in Kalispell. With many more rodeos between now and then, hopefully these riders used their time at the Great Northern RAM Rodeo to prepare themselves for their ultimate goals at the end of the season.

2023 Great Northern Ram Rodeo

Bareback Riding: 1. Rowdy Cranston, 76; 2. Nathaniel Dearhamer, 70.

Saddle Bronc Riding: 1. Parker Mothershead, 79; 2. Wind Augare, 75; 3. Levi Hurst, 73; 4. Garrett Cunningham, 70.

Bull Riding: 1. Tanner Theriault, 83; 2. Gavin Knutson, 80.

Steer Wrestling: 1. Riley Joyce, 5.4; 2. Cole Detton, 5.8; 3. Reno Ward, 5.9; 4. Mitch Detton, 6.4.

Tie Down Roping: 1. Ben Ayre, 9.3; 2. Kevin Peterson, 10.8; 3. Ty Wilcox, 11.3; 4. Clint Craig, 11.5.

Team Roping: 1. Clay Duran and Kadyn Duran, 5.7; 2. Neil Tatsey and Jimmy Racine, 6.8; 3. Kevin Peterson and Holden Garrison, 7.1; 4. Shawn Bird and Zachary Schweigert, 7.4; 5. Dennis Donavan, 7.9.

Ladies Barrel Racing: 1. Lindsay Kruse, 15.05; 2. Brittney Cox, 15.18; 3. Julie Brown, 15.2; 4. Rene Cloninger, 15.27; 5. Taylour Russell, 15.38; 6. Keslie Wolfe, 15.42.

Ladies Breakaway: 1. Kelsey Ferguson, 2.5; 2. Mikayla Witter, 2.7; 3. Stephanie Rollins, 2.8; 4. Haven Wolstein, 3.3; 5. Stacy Harris, 3.5; 6. Nichole Lake, 3.7; 7. Skylee Dirden, 4.3; 8. Hollie Wichman, 4.9.

Junior Barrel Racing: 1. Sophia Neill, 15.31; 2. Tye Brown, 15.43; 3. Quincy Hansen, 15.69; 4. Bryar Taylor, 15.71.

Junior Breakaway Roping: 1. Parker Lenhardt, 3.3; 2. Bryar Taylor, 3.6; 3. Quincy Hansen, 3.9; 4. Cole DeVos, 4.1.