December 4, 2022 | Spectacular Finish to Agribition Maple Leaf Circuit Finals
To say Coy Robbins is on a roll is like saying Connor McDavid is a pretty good hockey player.
The 23-year-old bull rider finished off his 2022 season in style going four for four at the Maple Leaf Circuit Finals in Regina’s Brandt Centre en route to winning both the Finals and the Maple Leaf Circuit season title. Robbins’ win in the last of the four go-rounds meant he won two rounds, split 1-2 in another and added a 2-3 split as well to earn $4383 for the Finals title. That gave him $27,178 for the Maple Leaf Circuit season and an $11,000 margin of victory over second place man, Nick Tetz.
But what is even more amazing is that Robbins is on a 13 for 13 run dating back to the CFR in Red Deer, Alta. where, after bucking off his first bull, he rode five in a row on his way to the CFR Average title. Robbins followed that up with a 4 for 4 performance at the PBR Canada Finals before heading to Regina and his huge effort there.
“This is definitely the longest run of my career,” the Camrose, Alta. athlete admitted. “I’ve kind of thought about it and whether I could have done anything differently and I can’t really put my finger on anything other than maybe a bit of a mentality shift. I put in the work all year and it helped that even though I was a bit banged up, I stayed pretty healthy over this last month of the season. I’ve really focused on maintaining my body and with the help of Acumen Performance, I’ve stayed healthier than I’ve ever been.”
Even with the hot hand he’s enjoyed of late, Robbins admitted that he’s excited about having some time off. “I’m really looking forward to putting bull riding to the side for the month of December, maybe a little vacation in Mexico or somewhere, Christmas with the family, then I’ll be ready to head south in January. There are different mountains to climb but seeing myself in the yellow chutes in Las Vegas (the NFR) in 2023 would definitely be at the top of the list.”
If Coy Robbins can pick up where he left off in 2022, it wouldn’t be a bad bet to plan on watching him nod his head next December in those famed yellow chutes.
And there was excitement a-plenty in the team roping as well in Regina, as Barrhead, Alta. brothers, Tate and Kagen Schmidt, lit up the Brandt Centre with an arena and CPRA all-time record time of 3.3 seconds for the final round win.
“I knew we were fast,” the heeling half of the team, Kagen admitted, “but I didn’t know how fast until I saw Tate hootin’ and hollerin’; then I looked up at the clock. Even then it didn’t sink in right away that we’d broken the record.”
Kagen, the older brother at 23 years (Tate is 20) also noted that the steer they had was one they’d wanted in Red Deer and throughout the Regina event, “but we didn’t get him until last night. He’s good, fast, strong, just what you want.”
It was a perfect end to a season that had its ups and downs for the third-generation talents who went down to the last rodeo of the regular season before qualifying for the CFR in November. The record they broke in Regina (3.4 seconds, Mike Beers and Shane Schwenke) had stood since 2009 and amazingly, the old mark was equalled later in the same round when newly-crowned Canadian Champions and Maple Leaf Circuit Champions, Dawson and Dillon Graham blazed their way to a 3.4 second run, ensuring that Maple Leaf Circuit Rodeo fans would remember that round of team roping for a long time.Canadian professional rodeo athletes competed at 35 plus events across western Canada with ten in each event making the cut for the Finals. The $12,000 in prize money up in each event will count toward the 2023 regular season standings. And the top two competitors in each event from the season standings receive berths to the NFR Open slated for next July at the Pikes Peak or Bust Rodeo in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
2022 Maple Leaf Circuit Finals and Year-End Champions
- Bareback riding: Cole Goodine (Finals and Year-End Champion)
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Steer wrestling: Stephen Culling (Finals and Year-end Champion)
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Saddle bronc: Ben Andersen, Finals Champion; Hunter Sawley, Year-End Champion
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Team roping: Tristen Woolsey/Trey Gallais, Finals Champions; Dillon Graham/Dawson Graham, Year-end Champions
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Tie-down roping: Clayton Smith (Finals and Year-end Champion)
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Barrel racing: Jennifer Neudorf , Finals and Year-end Champion
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Bull riding: Coy Robbins, Finals and Year-End Champion
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Breakaway: Jenna Dallyn, Finals Champion and Bradi Whiteside, Year-end Champion
For complete results, see rodeocanada.com
The Canadian Professional Rodeo Association(CPRA) with headquarters in Airdrie, Alberta is the official sanctioning body for Professional Rodeo in Canada. The CPRA approves 55 events annually with a total payout exceeding $5.7 million. The organization oversees the SMS Equipment Pro Tour Finals each fall in Armstrong, BC, holds their premiere event – the Canadian Finals Rodeo (CFR) – at Westerner Park in Red Deer, AB in early November and endorses the Maple Leaf Circuit Finals as part of Canadian Western Agribition in Regina, SK. Follow the CPRA on Twitter @prorodeocanada and Instagram @prorodeocanadaofficial, ‘Like’ Canadian Professional Rodeo Association on Facebook or online at RodeoCanada.com.
For more information:Barb PoulsenCPRA Communications and MediaMobile: 403 625-9225
Email: media@rodeocanada.com