I applaud the BC SPCA taking a stand against the Cloverdale Rodeo and wish the Society also took a stand against the others....

Small-town rodeo perfect venue for riders with big dreams
Annual Island event gives young competitor chance to strut his stuff after suffering a punctured lung and fractured ribs

Rob Shaw
Times Colonist

Sunday, May 21, 2006

It's not hard to find longtime volunteers, loyal fans and leather-skinned riders at the annual Luxton Pro Rodeo.

Around 3,000 of them converged on the Luxton fairgrounds in Langford Saturday to enjoy the 31st edition of Vancouver Island's only pro rodeo.

Everything looked new to Wade Marchand, one of the day's youngest competitors. The 22-year-old sat patiently among the veterans, waiting to make his Luxton bull-riding debut.

"You're only out there for one reason, for yourself," said the Vernon resident, who started steer riding when he was eight, and bull riding when he was 14. "No one else matters, you try and push everything else out. You just have to focus."

Luxton has become an important stop for young bull riders who have dreams of making it big, said Marchand. The weekend event is another chance to improve in the standings of the Canadian Professional Rodeo Association, he said, and ultimately take another step toward dreams of the big leagues -- Professional Bull Riders Inc.

A spot in the pros would let him quit his job at a Vernon mill and focus on riding, he said. Right now Marchand said he's "holding my own" in the Top 10 of the Canadian rankings.

For saddle bronc rider Shawn Henry, a 25-year riding veteran who has been coming to Luxton for "a long time," it's a chance to enjoy one of B.C.'s most unusual small-town rodeos, he said.

But young or old, injuries are part of the rodeo. Henry, 39, has broken his leg, snapped his collarbone, torn both rotator cuffs, and most recently, injured his leg. A bull bucked off and stepped on Marchand last year in Kamloops, fracturing his ribs, puncturing a lung and sending him to hospital for a week.

While getting hurt is in the back of their minds, both the rookie and the veteran agree it can't dominate their focus.

After all, riding a rodeo bull is a lot like life, said Marchand; sometimes the ride goes smoothly, other times you get hurt.

"All I can do is ride my bull, and after that it's out of my hands. It's all just about overcoming adversity. You get bucked off and have to push that out of your mind and get ready for the next one."

The rodeo continues today and Monday.

For more info, visit the website at: http://members.shaw.ca/luxtonrodeo.