CPCA driver Devin Mitsuing salutes the crowd after a trip around the track at Halstead Downs during North American Chuckwagon Championship action. Sarah Zweifel Meridian Source
The second annual North American Chuckwagon Championship (NACC) kicked off last Friday at the Lloyd Ex to the joy of busy grandstands.
Right from the first day, the crowd was filled with smiling fans and supportive family members. Both showed their excitement through thunderous cheering and applause.
Each show so far has started with The Rocky Riders and The McGillivray Sisters warming up the crowd with their talent and advanced horsemanship.
The Rocky Riders are famous for being the well-dressed girls who perform for the western events in the Lloydminster area.
They exhibit talent and undeniable horsemanship, all while holding the country’s, province’s, and sponsor flags.
The Rocky Riders include young cowgirls such as Nicky Noble (holding the NACC flag), Darby Robertson (holding the Lloydminster Nissan flag), Kayley Wartman (holding the Lloydminster Exhibition flag), Jaysa Streletski (holding the Alberta flag), Kacie Murray (holding the Saskatchewan flag), and lastly, Brynn Murray (holding the Canada flag).
The McGillivray Sisters are two of the youngest professional trick riders in Canada. Ryan and Kenzie McGillivray are both Canadian champions, and after watching them perform, it isn’t hard to see why that is.
They showed off their seemingly impossible stunts all while riding on the back (and side) of their horses.
Day 1 of the NACC resulted in Jason McCallum (Canoe Lake Resources) being awarded the “Heat of the Night” for his work in Heat 3. He ended the day by finishing with a time of 1:25.62.
The “Fasted Time” was awarded to Wade Salmond (Greenvalley Farms Vermilion), for finishing with a time of 1:22.86.
Fans and critics of the sport agree the average times for this particular day would have been shorter if the track wasn’t wet from the rainfall the night before.
Day 2 ended with Ray Romanow (Alberta Veterinary Center) earning “Heat of the Night” for his effort in Heat 1.
This success gave him the new time of 1:22.67.
Jamie Laboucane (Compression LTD.) was then given the “Fasted Time” award for his impressive time of 1:17.85, showing that the weather changes helped improve the performance of the drivers.
Day 3 ended with the judges handing the “Heat of the Night” to Randall Stanley (Lloydminster Honda) for his labour in Heat 4, resulting in him finishing with a time of 1:18.26.
Rae Croteau (Bandit Energy) was gifted the “Fasted Time” after finishing with a time of 1:16.29, further proving that as the week goes on, the times are getting better and better.
The track’s dirt has become dryer and the drivers are getting into their groove.
As of right now, current driver standings are as follows; Logan Gorst in Position 1 with 549 points, Jamie Laboucane in Position 2 with 546.5 points, and Luke Tournier in Position 3 with 539 points.
Fans are excited to see if these standings change after the final days’s results of the NACC.
The current outrider standings has Tyler Mckenzie leading with 2563.5 points. Logan Pethick is close behind with 2562.5 points.
In the third position, Wyatt Dyck has 2515.5 points. However, by the time this article goes to press, the standings are subject to change.
With the Lloyd Ex Fair starting yesterday, audience numbers are expected to go up as the week progresses, giving the final days of this event the crowd it deserves.
The hope is this may result in new admires of the sport.
If you and your family are planning on attending the Fair this year, come and stay for the show at 6:30 p.m. and experience the excitement of the North American Chuckwagon Championship.
You may find a new activity that you can watch every year in our hometown, and even continue to follow it on the Cowboy Channel.
