I use the word city lightly because it might sound kind of funny using that term seeing as how I鈥檓 from a small town.
Being born and raised in Whitehorse, a two-hour flight away from the nearest major city, there are not a lot of people who would consider that being from the city.
The reason I see it that way is because of the lack of 鈥渃ountry living鈥� up north.
There鈥檚 a lack of cows, minimal chickens and I think the only two pigs I鈥檝e ever seen in Whitehorse were pets of a guy who lived down the street from my old house.
I did a triple-take the first time I saw them wandering around his front lawn while on a run.
It鈥檚 quite obvious why things are that way. With nearly eight months of winter every year, it would be difficult to sustain a yearly farming cycle.
Even when it comes to music, there are many more people who don鈥檛 listen to country music than those who do, including myself.
When I moved to Ontario for college, I was taken aback with the number of 鈥渃ountry girls鈥� down there who love Luke Bryan and big trucks.
One of my roommates in my third year, who is from the tiny town of Eaganville, Ont.,used to tell me stories about cows that would wander into town and shut down streets while the authorities tried to corral and return them to their proper place.
When I took this job, I knew I was in for a treat coming to country central. I never thought I would take driving down highways surrounded by forests and mountains for granted.
I drove to St. Walburg last week and had to pass three separate tractors, which took up the entire lane I was driving in.
Suffice to say, I鈥檝e never seen anything like that before.
When I drive past farm equipment dealerships, I find myself in awe thinking about how much all these pieces of equipment and vehicles must cost a farmer.
The 45th annual Kinsmen Rodeo took place this past weekend at the Civic Centre, and I was tasked with taking pictures Friday night.
I arrived about 45 minutes prior to when the events were set to begin to see people already waiting outside the front doors.听That probably should have given me an indication of the kind of crowd I could expect.
When I walked in my听nose was hit with a somewhat听familiar scent, the kind you would expect with lots of horses and cows in the vicinity.
After听getting a stamp on my hand from a couple听girls dressed the way you鈥檇 think girls at a rodeo听would be dressed 鈥� cowboy boots, jeans, plaid shirts and cowboy hats, I walked through the hallway to see the hockey rink filled with dirt, steel contraptions and yes, cowboys.
I went up to the broadcast booth to see if it would be a good vantage point to test my photography skills. Upon discovering a rather powerful spotlight and camera inside, I decided it would be better to head to the other side of the rink.
As people began filling in, so did the animals. Cows, calves and horses began making their way through the arena, while cowboys and cowgirls filled the seats.
I have never felt more out of place, as I must听have stuck out like a sore听thumb with my dress pants and tie in a throng of 10-gallon听hats.
Game five of the Battlefords North Stars survivor series against the Estevan Bruins had nearly 1100 fans in attendance. Once everyone was in their seats as the rodeo听began, I听would say there was nearly double that amount ready to see people put their bodies on the line.
As the organizers were getting ready to do some pre-rodeo introductions, there were a few of them in front of the benches听writing 鈥�45鈥� in the dirt听with their feet, and filling it with some sort of powder and gasoline.
鈥淪weet, a little pyrotechnics,鈥� I thought to myself as the lights were dimmed and the spotlight in the broadcast booth was put to听work.
Once a few听people who had donated money to the rodeo were introduced, I had practically听forgotten about the impending听flames.
It became clear the powder they were dumping into the dirt was explosive, as there was an incredibly loud bang which caught everyone near me,听including myself, off guard before the flaming 45 was unveiled.
My heart may have听skipped a beat or two after that, I听won鈥檛 lie.
Once the flames were doused, the rodeo officially began with the 4-H riders showing off their skills by riding their horses in intricate formations.
I kept thinking to myself I couldn鈥檛 believe these kids, some of whom couldn鈥檛 have been older than seven and weighing no more than 65 pounds, were riding these 2,000-pound animals.
Horses have always blown my mind, to be honest. I remember being at the Battleford Public Library a few months ago during the Aboriginal Storytelling Festival and taking pictures of the horse-drawn carriage that was giving tours.
The two horses pulling that cart were taller than I, and when I commented on the massive size of them one of the guys running the carriage said, 鈥淭here鈥檚 bigger ones back at the farm.鈥�
Did I mention I鈥檓 not a country boy?
Once the kids were finished, the bucking broncos were loaded into their positions.
One by one these cowboys put their bodies, and maybe even their lives, in danger to show off for the raucous crowd.
As these guys tried to stay on their horses for longer than the eight seconds required to record a score, I couldn鈥檛 help but cringe whenever they fell off and were at the mercy of luck with these wild horses jumping up and down just feet away.
One thing I did find interesting was the two guys on their horses who were charged with reigning in the wild horses once the cowboys were finished.听
They would line up on either side of the horse after chasing it down and grab its reins to calm it down before guiding it out of the performing area.
After a few of those, they switched events to the tie
听
down roping.
Once again, this is something I鈥檝e never seen other than on the big screen. The first contestant pulled it off masterfully. Chasing down the calf, lassoing it from nearly 25 feet away before leaping off his horse, dragging it to the ground and roping its legs together in 16 seconds flat.
The next two guys weren鈥檛 so lucky as they couldn鈥檛 catch the calf off the start. I don鈥檛 blame them, those things are pretty quick.
I tried to imagine myself in this situation, before realizing that as soon as my horse began running I鈥檇 be toppling over backwards. Not sure if that would be more entertaining for spectators than the real thing.
I also thought about myself trying to hold on to a wild horse for eight seconds, before quickly realizing I鈥檇 like to live past the age of 23.
In between the first and second half of the night, organizers brought out about 60 kids of all ages to the performing area, lining them up and instructing them to take off one shoe, pass it to the person next to them and then throw it behind them as far as they could.
A few pieces of footwear ended up in front of the line, prompting the rodeo clown to burst out in laughter. Kids, right?
After bringing all of them to the far side of the arena, he instructed all the kids to run to the other side, find their shoe, put it on and run back to him. A nice, fun way to get the kids involved that doesn鈥檛 involve the risk of getting trampled by a horse.
The last event I saw was the wild pony race, which for me was the most enjoyable event.
A team of three kids has to control a pony before one of them jumps on and holds on for dear life as the pony takes off running. The combination of cuteness and hilarity of the ordeal is what set it apart from the other events in my eyes.
That鈥檚 an event I could see myself taking part in. Unfortunately, I think I鈥檓 about 10 years too old and at least 100 pounds too heavy for that. I听wouldn鈥檛 want to hurt the poor animal.
The Kinsmen Rodeo was听definitely one of the more unique things I鈥檝e听experienced in the last little听while. I鈥檝e done a number of new things since moving to Saskatchewan, including boot camp,听breaking up a fist-fight outside of a hockey game and witnessing the weather go from not a cloud in the sky to blizzards and -40 in the span of a week.
It鈥檚 been an interesting first five months on the prairies and I can鈥檛 wait to see听what the next five bring.
