Rodeo action heats up in Arlee
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ARLEE – Haidyn Hendrickson, 7, of Arlee, held the American flag as she circled the rodeo arena on her horse, Cher Bear, in front of hundreds of spectators to kick off the Arlee Rodeo during the Fourth of July.
“I practiced it before the rodeo,” she said adding that the trick to keeping the flag balanced was to have it anchored into the stirrup on her saddle.
A triple digit heat wave didn’t stop Blaine Bauer, 16, of Charlo, from getting on a bucking bull twice during the rodeo that started at 2 p.m., which seemed like the hottest part of the day to many. The second time he rode wasn’t scored. It was just for fun.
“The more you get on, the better you get at it,” he said taking off the glove he used to hold onto the rigging. His only injury was a bloody hand where a blister ripped open during the jolting ride.
Brennan Harris, 5, of Ronan watched the bull riders with envy while sitting under a shaded umbrella.
“I want to ride bulls, too,” he said.
Abby Knight, 20, started barrel racing when she was three. She is currently a sophomore in college studying biology. She graduated from Charlo a few years ago and spends her summers traveling from rodeo to rodeo like many of the contestants.
“This is a fun local rodeo,” she said. Although, she added that it was one of the hottest rodeos she has attended. “There aren’t any lights here so they need the sun during the day.”
Afton Brander, 14, and Zane Walchuk, 14, of St. Ignatius, were the youngest team roping pair. They didn’t score but they did get a good feel for the arena for next time as they competed against adults.
“We missed but we came close,” Zane said. “I love rodeo and I love roping. I saw Afton roping before and I thought she was pretty good, so I asked if she wanted to be a team.”
Brothers Payton, 20, and Grey Fitzpatrick, 18, from Polson, competed in the third round of bull riding. They travel to rodeos competing together. Grey won the event with a 79-point ride, although he said “it’s not a rivalry” with his brother or anyone else.
“We look out for each other,” he said. “When you go to rodeos, you meet up with friends. You get closer to the kids you compete against than with anybody. It’s like a big family.”
Payton enjoyed the rodeo despite the heat.
“This rodeo is a blast every year,” he said. “It’s about a bunch of country kids trying to occupy ourselves.”
Results
Stock saddle bronc:
1st/2nd Dustin Datisman-67 points $350
1st/2nd Levi Walchuk-67 points $350
Tie down roping:
Cody Sheridan-17.5 $325
Karl Tyler-24.2 $195
Scott McAllister-24.9 $130
Ladies breakaway:
Callie Otoupalik-3.1 $440
Morgan Tucker-4.6 $330
Jill McAllister-4.9 $220
Josey Wilcox-5.2 $110
Ladies barrels:
Mariah Morgan-16.14 $551
Kelsey Trexler-16.16 $ 456
Ryan Harrop-16.31 $361
Abby Knight-16.32 $266
Josie Moulding-16.47 $171
Krista Windham-16.59 $95
Team roping:
Brad Robinson/Shawn Little-7.0 $480
Dustin Datisman/Jessie Johnston-8.1 $360
Scott McAllister/Herb Harris-8.9 $240
Chris Westphal/Bruce Knight-14.4 $ 120
Bull riding:
Grey Fitzpatrick-79 $475
Payton Fitzpatrick-74 $285
Blaine Bauer-67 $190
