Welcome
The MRCA approves amateur rodeos in the provinces of Manitoba and Saskatchewan and in North Dakota, USA. During the rodeo season, volunteer rodeo committees provide the manpower and facilities to produce each rodeo while local businesses sponsor prize money for the events. Stock contractors coordinate the rodeo contestants, provide bucking horses and bulls for roughstock, and cattle to rope for timed events. Amateur rodeos provide good family entertainment for each town and surrounding community. View the MRCA amateur rodeo schedule for rodeos coming up in your area!
LOOK FOR THE NEW RODEO MANAGEMENT TAB IN THE MENU BAR FOR UP TO DATE RESULTS, STANDINGS, ONLINE ENTRIES, RODEO DRAWS
The Weldon Gales Rodeo Scholarship
Scholarship Application Form Forms must be submitted by December 31
On the Trail with Charlie Russell
Canadian Cowboy Starts Scholarship Fund with Recent Winnings
For Tyrel Larsen, making a living riding saddle broncs has been the ultimate dream. The Inglis, Manitoba cowboy comes from a province in Canada that has very few involved in the sport of rodeo, but Tyrel is hoping to change that with the Weldon Gales Memorial Rodeo Scholarship.
While spending some time at the family's ranch in Manitoba this June, Tyrel learned that there are currently no saddle bronc riders or bareback riders in the Manitoba High School Rodeo Association, spurring him to take action.
Living his dream as a professional rodeo cowboy, Tyrel wants to give more boys from his home province the same opportunity. This scholarship will be awarded to a young man between the ages of 15 and 18 to attend a rough stock school/camp of his choice to further advance his skills in the sport. The scholarship is named after a long-time family friend and supporter, Weldon Gales.
"Weldy was a great old ranch cowboy from Alberta. He was like another grandpa to me, and supported me in rodeo from the very beginning starting with my first sheep ride to giving me my first pair of bronc riding chaps. I'm glad that I can do something in his memory through helping young cowboys like he helped me."
"I know that there isn't much of a push for bronc riders in Manitoba but with how great the high school association helped my brothers and I get scholarships and get to the next level in rodeo, I hope that more kids see that it's possible to go further in rodeo, get an education, and do things they never dreamed of doing," Tyrel emphasized.
Tyrel now makes his home in Oklahoma, and recently competed at a rodeo in his backyard in Lawton, OK on August 11th. The funds to start the scholarship are coming from a portion of his recent winnings at the Rangers Pro Rodeo in Lawton which makes the scholarship even more special.
Finishing 3rd in the rodeo with an 83.5 on a horse called Regulator of Beutler and Son's, the pro rodeo cowboy shows that you don't have to be the top cowboy at every rodeo to make a difference and be a role model.
"My brothers and I were always pushed to get a higher education and the best way to do it was through rodeo once we started high school rodeoing. I never thought I would be riding at the level I am today. At the time I was just trying to get a scholarship to get a college degree and ended up falling in love with the sport. My motivation when I was a kid was my parents and seeing guys I looked up to riding at the NFR," Tyrel said.
The Weldon Gales Rodeo Scholarship is put in place to encourage young rodeo athletes to attend and participate in a rodeo school/camp of their choice. It is available in attempt to influence more kids from Manitoba to gain an interest in rodeo so that they may be able to go to college on a rodeo scholarship.
"I went to several different rodeo schools and camps to try and hone my skills and gain experience from people that I looked up to in my respected events. The education and experience I got from them allowed me to obtain a rodeo scholarship in the US and graduate with a bachelor's and master's degree. I hope this scholarship helps individuals from Manitoba go further in rodeo and their education," Tyrel stated.
The scholarship application will be available on September 1st, and will be open to all Manitoba students and the bordering students in the province of Saskatchewan. Young boys ages 15-18 are eligible. Please check back for further details and send a message to Charlie Russell's page if interested.
When asked what advice he would give to kids just starting to ride he replied, "As a young kid rodeoing in high school, I would tell them to go to any schools you can get to and take in everything you can from guys you look up to. To pick a style of someone you want to ride like and study tapes, have good equipment, take it seriously, but have fun doing it."
