Courtesy of the Canadian Professional Rodeo Association
EDMONTON, Alberta – November 8, 2017
It didn’t take Cole Goodine long to make a statement at CFR 44. The Carbon, Alberta bareback rider was the second competitor of night number one at the Northlands Coliseum and posted an 85.75 score on Northcott-Macza’s Stevie Knicks to win the round and $11,121.50.
Goodine went down to the last ride of the regular season before qualifying for this year’s Canadian Finals Rodeo.
“There was no pressure,” the 27 year old second generation cowboy stated. “I came in in twelfth spot. And I’m just ecstatic to be here riding with these guys.”
Goodine has battled a lower back injury for much of the season and has had to adjust his riding style to compensate for that.
“I owe everything to the Canadian Sport Medicine Team. If it wasn’t for them, I would have stopped riding this year. Every time a horse would kick up, my legs would go numb. They helped me out with physiotherapy and making everything strong so I could ride.”
Goodine wasn’t the only excited Alberta athlete tonight. Barrel racer Diane Skocdopole had never won a buckle until the Night of Champions – the kick-off event for this year’s CFR – where she received two. One for Permit Award winner and one for Rookie of the Year. Twenty four hours later, the Big Valley, Alberta cowgirl jockeyed her 8 year old mare, Sonic, to the go-round win on night number one of the 6 performance CFR to collect her third buckle in two days.
“I wasn’t nervous at all,” Skocdopole admitted. “I just walked up there, talked to my horse, went around the corner and away we went.” The talented duo are not strangers to the Northlands Coliseum having won second at this summer’s inaugural K-Days Rodeo – also staged at Northlands’ indoor venue.
“I’m pretty sure my horse knew where she was,” Skocdopole explained. “She’s smart. It has to be a comfort zone having run here before. I had no expectations coming in here; I’m just taking one run at a time.”
Other round one winners included Consort, Alberta’s Brendan Laye who won the steer wrestling with a spectacular 3.1 second run – which tied the Northlands Coliseum scoring record (held by Travis Frank, 2006). Laye was joined by saddle bronc riders Cort Scheer (Elsmere, NE) and defending world champion Zeke Thurston (Big Valley, AB) who split the round with 86.75 points each; Texan Blane Cox who roped in 7.5 seconds to earn the tie down win; defending Canadian team roping champions Dustin Bird and Russell Cardoza (4.5 seconds) and Brazilian bull rider Marcos Gloria (86.5 points and the first night win). Round one money for novice competitors went to bareback rider Connor Hamilton (80 points), saddle bronc competitor Dawson Hay (78.5 points) and 2015 Canadian champion steer rider Luke Ferber (84.5 points).
The second performance of the 2017 Canadian Finals Rodeo is set for Thursday, November 9 at 7:30 pm. Complete results are available at rodeocanada.com
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