It’s early in the season, so Cochrane bull rider Steven Turner is still shaking off the winter rust.
He went into the April 12-13 Calgary Roughstock Rumble hoping to grab $10,000 in prize money but, instead, slapped his mount on both nights, disqualifying him from the event.
“I got a little problem with using two hands there,” Turner said. “It’s pretty much mental mistakes. Maybe a little rusty early in the year, for sure.”
And it was a little harder to shake off that rust at such a high-level event – featuring bucking stock from C+ Rodeos, Harvey Northcott Rodeo and Vold Rodeo – so early in the year.
“The stock was really good and there was lots of great Cowboys there. On Saturday, that’s about as good a rodeo as you’re going to see.”
But there’s money up for grabs every weekend now as the rodeo season begins in earnest. Turner will be at a Canadian Pro Rodeo Association (CPRA) event in Medicine Hat and a Pro Bull Riding (PBR) event in Fort St. John, B.C., this weekend (April 19-21).
“Oh, yah, making the miles for sure,” Turner cracked about his epic road trip coming up.
“You have to start the season. I’m glad I’m healthy and feeling good. We’ve got something every weekend from here on in. It’ll be pretty busy from here on.”
Turner’s brother, Jody, took an 86 score out of the Roughstock Rumble April 12 long go-round before getting stepped on in the short go.
“He got into the short round and in the short round he got bucked off and the bull kind of stepped on his knee and actually ended up ripping his knee brace in half,” Steven Turner said of his brother, who didn’t ride the following night at Roughstock Rumble. “He’s all right. He’s dang sure sore and stuff. He’s not going to Medicine Hat or Fort St. John. He’s going to take a weekend off and come the next weekend. He’ll be good to go.”
Steven is good to go right now, and working to avoid the mistakes that cost him a shot at a big Roughstock Rumble payday.
“It’s just the tip of the iceberg for our year. It’s starting to really kick off. I’m happy and healthy and everything. Just a few mental errors there.
“Get that sorted out and away we go.”
