Bareback rider Casey Thomson of Clinton, B.C. emerged the winner at the Indoor Spring Classic Rodeo in Williams Lake Easter weekend.
Thomson scored 70 on Friday, 80 on Saturday and 76 on Sunday, putting him at the top of the leader board overall with 226 points. The next riders on the board were Jared Marshall and Jaret Cooper, tied with 210 points total.
“It was a pretty sweet little rodeo,” Thomson said of the Spring Classic. “They did a good job.”
When asked how he felt about his performance he replied that he did well, adding stock contractor Orin Wade of Big O Rodeo had some "pretty some nice horses actually."
The 23-year-old has been competing in bareback riding for three years, but said he started riding horses as soon as he could walk. He did a bit of team roping, but "nothing serious."
“My old man used to ride bareback horses back in his day so it was fitting that I started riding bucking horses too,” he said of why he decided to start doing rodeo himself.
After growing up in Longview, Alta. he moved to Clinton five years ago when his parents, Jesse and Elyse Thomson, bought 7P Ranch just north of town.
Thomson played Junior hockey with the 100 Mile House Wranglers as well as in Fernie and in Alberta. His sister Falyn is a breakaway roper in Texas who competes for various colleges.
It’s the adrenaline rush and the fact bareback riding is usually the first event at a rodeo that get Thomson excited, he said.
“I try to stay aggressive and trust my stuff," he said when asked what is going on his mind as he competes. "I train all week for the weekend and then I just kind of let my body do the rest on the weekend."
On Friday, April 25, he was on his way from Clinton to North Battleford, Sask. for a rodeo and said he will be competing a lot this season.
"I have my PRCA (Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association) card and I'm going to be going down south and do the Columbia River circuit in Washington and Oregon. I also have my CCA card, which is the Canadian Cowboys Association and those rodeos are all in Saskatchewan, which is where I am now."
He would like to compete at the Williams Lake Stampede on the July long weekend, but said it is a busy rodeo weekend with many rodeos scheduled so it will depend on his schedule.
"I plan to hopefully be at there with C-5 Rodeo bucking horses this year."
This was his first time attending the Indoor Spring Classic and he said he had fun, he added.
“They put on a great event in Williams Lake. Lots of money, great horses and lot of competitors too.”
He also appreciated the proximity because he could compete closer to home. It was probably one of the closest rodeos he will get to this summer, he said.
“I want to thank everyone who put it on. They did a great job, it was packed and the crowds were great.”
