Youths enjoy Library reading program PAGE 12
Your LOCAL Media since 1918! Volume 105 Issue 50
www.tofieldmerc.com
Wednesday, August 16, 2023 s
Tofield’s Western Days Bull Bash kicks off incredible weekend BY KARI JANZEN The stands at the Tofield Sports Grounds were full on Friday night, August 10 for the 11th annual Bull Bash, just one of the many stops for the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) Canada Touring Pro Division. About an hour after the event started, a shower of rain came through, but many fans stuck it out, seeking shelter under their umbrellas or watching the action from beneath the stands. The junior bull riding was performed during the rain, but by the time the championship round came along, the rain had all but stopped. On Tyler Craig’s first ride, atop Times A Tickin, he tied with the highest score with 86.5 points in round one. Seven of the 23 bull riders stayed on their bulls 2023 Tofield Bull Bash Champion Tyler Craig of Crossfield, on his round one ride on Times A Tickin, achievfor the required eight ing an 86.5 ride. Craig won the event with a ride of 87.5 points on a bull named Whiskey Clouds. Kari Janzen Photo seconds, making it into
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the championship round. Craig’s winning ride, with the highest score of 87.5 points, was performed after some fans had departed the grounds to escape the rain. Kacie Albert, a writer for PBR Canada who wrote the report on the Tofield stop, said Craig’s score was the highest score of the tour so far. Craig, from Crossfield, first began his journey towards bull riding when he was 12 years old, when he began participating in steer riding. “And then [I] started riding bulls at 15, 16. I was kind of around it with my family and just liked the sport and wanted to get into it,” Craig said, after the Bull Bash was over. Craig says he enjoys bull riding for more reasons than one. “The adrenaline rush, all the fun, all the people that come out and watch. It’s a pretty cool job, that’s for sure,” he said. Craig said that between rodeos and bull riding events, the PBR Canada Touring Pro Division has close to 50 or 60 events in an average year. Promenade/Street Fair & Rodeo inside plus Pages18-19
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