Courtesy of the Canadian Professional Rodeo Association
He’s B-a-a-a-a-ck!
Jake Vold is back — all the way back.
The three-time Canadian champion bareback rider continued to build on his comeback season with a pair of wins on the weekend. First at the inaugural Smithers Bareback Riding event, then with a follow-up win at the Okotoks Pro Rodeo, at its new location at the Millarville Rodeo grounds.
Vold, who suffered a serious leg injury at last December’s Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, admits it took some time to get to this point.
“I was pretty frustrated the first month after I came back,” he acknowledged, “but that last weekend at Calgary (Stampede) was probably when I really started to feel like I was totally back and having fun again.”
The fun continued for the eight-time CFR qualifier as he climbed on two horses at Smithers — the first, a C+ Rodeo mare called Kiss’N Kate to win the first go round with an 87 score, then Duffy Rodeo’s standout, Blue Jeans, for 86.5 in the second go round. Then it was off to Okotoks/Millarville where the Airdrie cowboy added an 88.5 mark on the Vold Rodeo’s Up in Smoke. The two wins added a total of $4,221 to the new dad’s season earnings, taking him over the $30,000 mark and to within $10,000 of season leader Richmond Champion.
Vold had high praise for the Smithers Bareback Riding event.
“I thought it went really well,” he noted. “It’s a small event but they had a good crowd and they ran it very well and the horses were really good. I hope it continues.”
With the CFR safely in the bag, Vold isn’t planning to take his foot off the gas pedal. “I don’t know if Richmond is catchable but I’d at least like to get closer to him before Red Deer. That and just getting ready to be sharp going to the finals—that’s my plan for the last weeks of the season.”
And speaking of coming back from injury, Maple Creek, Saskatchewan bull rider, Jared Parsonage, showed no signs of lingering rust as he too returned from a leg injury. The lanky 25 year-old put together a spectacular 89 point effort on Vold Rodeo’s All Gold Everything for a $1439 injection into the Parsonage bank account. That keeps the three-time CFR qualifier solidly in the top five in the bull riding standings and very much in the battle for season leader honours with $25,000 plus on the leaderboard, just $4000 back of injured season leader Brock Radford.
For complete unofficial results from Smithers and Okotoks, go to rodeocanada.com.
This week CPRA competitors return to Canada’s westernmost province for the Armstrong IPE and Rodeo August 29 to Sept 1, and the Finning Pro Tour Finals September 2, then a stop at the Nicola Valley Pro Rodeo in Merritt, B.C. September 1 and 2.
