Local wild team wows crowd at Calgary Stampede
By Rob Vogt
It was the thrill of a lifetime for three local teens.
Ethan Ferguson, Will Norby and Rhett Sears competed in the wild pony race in front of an enthusiastic crowd for the first five days of the Calgary Stampede.
The three boys, all 12 and 13 and going into Grade 8 at Willow Creek Composite High School, made up one of six teams competing every night.
“It was crazy,” Ferguson said. “It’s an experience I’ll never forget.”
The boys had competed in the Rotary Convention Rodeos in Calgary where they caught the notice of the Calgary Stampede.
They were subsequently invited to the Stampede where the wild pony ride is a crowd engagement and entertainment event put on during the rodeo.
No winners or losers are determined, so it was all about having fun and turning in the best ride they could.
There is a lot of strategy involved. The team has a mugger who grabs the head, a rider, and an anchor at the end of the rope.
Not every team turns in a ride every time, so it is an achievement to get on that horse, stay on, and ride it.
The boys were able to achieve that feat three times with Ferguson riding once and Sears riding twice.
Ferguson said it was amazing to hear their names announced before the action started.
“(Then) they open the gates and it just happens,” he said.
One of the highlights didn’t even involve a successful ride.
Organizers told the boys if they didn’t make the ride, make it a show.
One day, the boys were unable to mount the horse, but Ferguson still made it a show.
While being dragged by the horse, he was yelling and smiling. When he let go, he jumped up and raised his hands in the air, urging everyone to cheer.
“It was cool when I pumped up the crowd and everybody cheered,” Ferguson said. “It gave me goose bumps.”
That night on the Sportsnet television Calgary Stampede rodeo highlights, there was video of Ferguson pumping up the crowd as the show went to commercial.
“It was pretty cool,” Ferguson said.
He was thrilled he had so many cousins, aunts, uncles, parents and grandparents there to watch.
They also got to meet the cowboys competing in the rodeo such as champion saddle bronc rider Zeke Thurston, and Ferguson’s personal favourite Rocker Steiner, the number two bareback rider. Ferguson got an autograph and selfie too.
The Calgary Stampede was one of the last rodeos the Ferguson-Norby-Sears team will compete in.
After two years, and appearances at the Picture Butte Professional Bull Riding (PBR); Stavely Pro Rodeo; Stavely Amateur Rodeo; Nanton Pro Rodeo; Calgary Rotary Conventions Rodeos and Claresholm Fair Days Wild West Amateur Rodeo, they are aging out.
The event is for ages 12 and under and they are all going past that.
Ferguson is now setting his sights on steer riding, while Norby is already steer riding.
For now, their last event together, was likely the Claresholm Fair Days Wild West Amateur Rodeo on Saturday night, Aug. 9, and they planned to make it a good one.