Thursday, November 29, 2018
VOLUME 1 I ISSUE 22
MERIDIANSOURCE.CA
Bull riding pros corral kids GEOFF LEE
WRITER
.................................. This has be e n Bull Riders Canada week at large in Lloydminster for two of the best performers at different ends of the business. Cody Coverchuk, the top ranked rider heading into the BRC finals Nov. 30-Dec. 1 teamed up with rodeo clown Brinson Harris to teach some fun things about their professions to students at St. Mary’s School on Tuesday. Coverchuk, who hails from Meadow Lake, brought his chaps, bull rope, protective vest and spurs along with his helmet and a buckle he won this year to pass around to students. One of his biggest fans, Grade 6 student Colt Hillis who has been at the sport himself since 2015, was soaking in everything Coverchuk said and did. “It’s exciting,” said the youngster. He got to meet Coverchuk before the assembly and says he aims to follow in his footsteps. “I ride steers and
Geoff Lee Meridian Source Rodeo clown Brinson Harris from Florida wowed students at St. Mary’s School on Tuesday with his rope tricks. He joined top ranked bullrider Cody Coverchuk from Meadow Lake who showed kids the equipment he will use at this weekend’s BRC finals in Lloydminster.
mini bucking horses too,” he said. Other kids may want to grow up to be a rodeo clown like Harris who hails from Florida, with a talent for rope tricks and entertaining crowds. “We want to show these kids what we’re about to do this weekend; it’s a really cool event,” he said. “These kids love the sport of bull riding and we want to show a little bit more about it.” He says his job as a
clown is to “mostly get out of the way” of the big massive bulls. “I’m out there really just for the crowd to have a good time. This is my third time at the BRC and each year it gets better and the building gets more full so it’s a great event,” said Harris. He and Coverchuk made the rounds to a few other schools during the week to share their passion for what they do.
“I love kids; they are the future of our sport and always the biggest fans,” added Harris. Speaking to kids helps Coverchuk to take the pressure off his quest to be a Canadian champion on the back of a bull at the Lloydminster Exhibition Grounds—but he likes his chances. “Hopefully, every time is pretty good I like to think, but this weekend I am number one, so there’s a good shot
but I’ll take it one bull at a time,” he said with prize money at stake. “Everyone’s chasing me.” He says visiting schools is the fun part of what they do and he can relate to the youngsters. Coverchuk took up bull riding at age 12 and has been at it for just as many years, the past seven years as a professional. Along the way, he’s shattered his jaw and a knee and dislocated a shoulder and joked
he may not have the best advice for young wannabes. “I can just give them more insight and hopefully they can become golfers and not professional bull riders,” he said with a laugh. The school’s physed teacher Mark Noble says the kids on hand learned a lot about bull riding from Coverchuk and Harris. “There’s so many of them that haven’t got a chance to experience any of this before, so to have these guys come in was awesome for them,” said Noble, who noted the highlight for him was Harris’s rope stunts. “He was awesome, just such an engaging personality and he got the kids so excited so it was great to see— so talented as well.” The demonstrations and talk stoked him into buying a ticket for the two-day event. “I’m from Ontario so we don’t have a lot of this out there. It’s absolutely neat and I can’t wait to go check it out,” said Noble.