Hell or High Water Rodeo Wrap Up

Well, the Hell or High Water Rodeo has come and gone, and people are wondering how much was raised and where it is going.

The day started out with the arena being very wet, with puddles everywhere – go figure, a rodeo for flood relief, so I guess Mother Nature wanted to remind everyone why we were all there! I pulled in early, and it was getting packed. I just had such a great feeling, seeing all those people offering support.

The rodeo performance began, and it was a very touching opening. Organizer Rod MacBeth spoke about victims of the flood, and all those affected. I could see tears in people\’s eyes. As the rodeo commenced, it was definitely a fun filled day for everybody. The Farmers Market was on; there was plenty of involvement for the little kids with the mutton busting, wild pony races, and, overall, the whole energy and positivity of the rodeo; and everyone there was so helpful and kind.

The Hell or High Water Rodeo raised over $100,000. Incredible. There are so many sponsors and volunteers who have made this happen, and are helping people\’s lives come back together. The funds will be donated back to various people or causes. Hell or High Water Rodeo has already paid for two trauma bags that one of the volunteer fire halls lost during the emergency response, as well as a pair of skates and a hockey helmet which have been given to a 6-year-old.

When I asked Rod how the weekend was for him, and if he found it stressful, he replied, \”Weekend was great!!! Was it stressful? I don\’t get stressed! I was a bit anxious on Friday night. I had an arena that had a nice patch of mud in the middle. You know that because we moved the barrel pattern for the girls\’ safety. I worked that thing until dark on Friday and it still was in awful shape on Saturday morning. Thanks to some great help from the Millarville community, we secured a vac truck and sucked up the mud so it was okay by show time. I\’ve still got a bit of an emotional hangover. Lots of stuff was accomplished in a very short time. I am honoured to have such a great committee. \”

The winners from the rodeo are as follows:

Bull Riding: Todd Chotowitz – 85 on High Water

Steer Wrestling: Harley Cole – 4.0

Bare Back: Denny Phipps – Sniper

Saddle Bronc: Sam Kelts – 81.5 on Dress Code

Ladies Barrel Racing: Rylee McKenzie – 15.15

Tie-down Roping: Murray Pole – 8.8

Wild Horse Race: Jason Loken

A big thank-you to the winners who donated their money back. Denny Phipps donated parts of his winnings back, Rick Quarrel\’s Wild Horse race team donated their third place winnings back. Jim and Karry Kelts donated their pay back, and Aaron Ferguson donated his pay back.

There are tons of great pictures from the event on Facebook, Hell or High Water Rodeo, as well as Dynamic Photography. You can also keep up to date with the happenings at www.hellorhighwaterrodeo.com

The generosity that people can have for others in times of need is amazing. Imagine what the world would be like if we could all be like that all the time. It would be an amazing shift for everybody.