Chuckwagon racer Jordie Fike considers himself lucky for making it through the High River flood without taking any damage at his property there.
Having weathered the storm, the Cochranite now wants to establish a better flow of finishes at Calgary Stampede.
Fike, whose Eagle Builders/PenWest Exploration outfit is currently 20th in World Professional Chuckwagon Association (WPCA) standings following a week of racing in Ponoka, has been shuffling his teams in the hopes of finding the right combination in time for the big Calgary show, which begins July 5.
“I’d like to be higher up,” Fike said of his current season record. “I got some new combinations together I’ve used for the first time up here (Ponoka). They went pretty good. They’ve been off for so long they were almost too fresh.”
He managed to improve his heat times as the Ponoka Stampede went on, starting in the one-minute, 18-second range and getting it down into the more competitive 1:16 range.
“We’ve been doing pretty good. I think I’ve found my two combinations that are going to do something coming down the stretch now.”
His timing couldn’t be better with the Calgary Stampede’s Rangeland Derby next up on the schedule.
“This is where all the money is starting to come up and lots of running, too. Getting it sorted out just in time.”
He’ll be swapping out his WPCA tarp for the Calgary Food Bank’s Put the Boots To Hunger campaign canvas at Calgary Stampede, which has recovered remarkably from the flood damage suffered June 20.
“Just operationally, it might be a little different than in previous years. Instead of having a big gourmet meal put on by sponsors, I think maybe hamburgers and hotdogs,” he chuckled. “But that’s a minor detail. As long as we can race there and put on a good show, that’s the main thing.”
And he’ll have a brand-new surface to race on, as the Calgary Stampede had to totally re-do the track which got swamped by the flood. Adjusting to track surfaces is something Fike has come accustomed to.
“It’s what we go through over the season. Some tracks favour the guys in the late heats, some in the early heats. As long as it all evens out. But I think Calgary’s track will be even the whole way through. They’ve got the technology and the manpower to keep it pretty nice.”
He’s hoping that nice track favours his outfit.
“As far as I’m concerned right now, there’s nowhere to go but up, the way I’ve got the horses going.”
