Whooping 16 Canadians to compete at Houston Semi-Finals

15 Mar 2023

EDMONTON, AB (March 15th, 2023) – Canadians cowboys and cowgirls are dominating Rodeo Houston and they are now headed into the semi-finals. There will be 16 Canadians who will now battle it out for their spot in the finals that will take place on March 19th. The semi-finals begin tonight, March 15th, and will continue on the 16th. The wildcard performances take place on the 17th and 18th.

In the bareback riding, Kody Lamb earned his spot from his performance in super series one after placing in all three rounds. In the first round he garnered 84 points for a fourth place finish, was 85.5-points in round two for third place, and tied for second place in round three with an 84-point ride. Lamb headed into the semi-finals in fourth place with a total of $3,250 won.

Making a comeback after an injury, past Canadian Champion Orin Larsen is also ready to take on the semi-finals round. Larsen competed in super series four and walked away with $3,000 after placing in two out of three rounds. In round one he matched up with Cervi Championship Rodeo’s Bandana Babe for 85.5 points to tie for first place and in round two he was 5th place after a 77-point ride.

In the steer wrestling the 2022 Ponoka Stampede champion, Stephen Culling, heads into the semi-finals in fourth place from super series two with $3,750 won. Culling won round one with a fast time of 5.2 seconds and placed fourth in round two with a 7.7 second run.

In the saddle bronc riding, four past Wrangler NFR qualifiers have earned their spot in the semi-finals. In super series two Ben Andersen showed off his talents and placed first in round two and fourth in round three, walking about with $3,750 total. In round two he was 80 points and in round three he matched up with Calgary Stampede’s Xena Warrior to win the round with an 87.5-point ride.

In super series section three, Logan Hay took over the competition after winning the first two rounds. In round one he was 83.5 points on Calgary Stampede’s Sergeant Whitney, then 86.5 points on another Calgary horse, Umber Bubbles, in round two. These stellar rides earned him the super series championship and $6,000 as he heads into the semi’s.

Also earning their spot from super series three alongside Hay is three-time world champion Zeke Thurston. Thurston is right behind Hay in the number two spot with $4,500 after two 82.5-point rides and an 88-point winning ride in the third round on Cervi’s Ed Bishop.

Finishing off the super series and taking home the series five championships was Layton Green. Green was outstanding in all three rounds, walking away with $6,500 after winning two rounds and placing third in round two. In round one he was 84.5 points on Cervi Championship Rodeo’s Target Practice, in round two placed third with an 83.5-point ride, and in round three he tied for the win on Cervi Championship Rodeo’s Boom Baby with an 84.5-point ride.

Moving to the tie-down roping, Beau Cooper earned his spot in the semi-finals from super series four after placing in all three rounds. In round one he placed second with a 10.6 second run, tied for first in round 2 with a 9.6 second run, and finished 6th in round three after being 10.1 seconds. Cooper heads into the semi-finals with $3,000 won.

In the team-roping we will witness five Canadians in the semi-finals. In super series two Dawson and Dillon Graham took home the series championship after being 6.2 seconds in round one for second place, 6.3 in round two for second place, and 5 seconds flat for the win in round three. They head into the semi-finals with $7,000 won each. Levi Simpson and partner Corey Hendricks were fast in super series three and earned themselves $3,250. This team placed sixth in round one with a 6.7 second run and won the second round with a 6.6 second run. Moving onto super series four, Kolton Schmidt and Jake Minor head into the semi-finals after earning $2,750. Lastly, Wrangler NFR qualifiers Rhen Richard and Jeremy Buhler earned their spot in the semi-finals from their performance in super series five, walking away with $3,750.

Also on the timed event end, two-time Canadian champion, Kendal Pierson placed in two out of three rounds and earned herself $3,000 against a tough group of breakaway ropers. In round one she was 4.3 seconds for a third place finish and she placed second in round two with a 3.5 second run.

Lastly, the two traveling partners Jared Parsonage and Jordan Hansen head into the semi-finals after competing in super series five. In round one Parsonage placed third with a 75-point ride, Hansen was right behind him in fourth place with a 72-point ride. In round two Hansen was the only qualified ride, being 73 points on Jack Hammer from the Cervi Brothers. Then in the third round Parsonage was the only qualified ride with a 79.5-point ride on Cervi Championship Rodeo’s Bio K. The pair took over this series with Parsonage winning the event title and $4,000 won and Hansen right behind him in second place with $3,750 won.

The semi-finals payout $6,570 total per round, with $3,000 up for grabs for a first place finish. In the finals there is a total of $100,500 with $50,000 up for the big win. Both semi-final rounds send the top four athletes in each event to the Championship, while the remaining six move to one of the two Wild Card rounds for a second chance at earning a spot in the Championship. From both Wild Card rounds, the top one athlete in each event advances to the Championship.

Houston Rodeo is broadcasted each night on the Cowboy Channel at 6:45 Central Time. Stay tuned for full results!