Sloan Walker is on the fast track.
He graduated from high school this spring, a year ahead of schedule.
Then, four days before his 17th birthday, the Carstairs, Alta., cowboy led the class at the Edgerton Bull-A-Rama last Friday night, scoring his first Bull Riders Canada (BRC) career victory.
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Including his overall-champion bucks and preliminary earnings, Walker took home $5,110 on a fine night money-wise and weather-wise.
“My biggest payday and probably the best bull-ride I’ve made this summer, so I’m pretty grateful for it,” said Walker, most representative of the youth movement in the BRC ranks.
“Amazing. I’m just happy to be here. It’s pretty awesome.”
John MacNeil – Meridian Source
That joy spilled over into Walker’s phone conversation with his father immediately after receiving his shiny championship buckle and a glowing report card.
“My dad (Craig) was a professional bullfighter, and he introduced me into this,” he said.
“I started getting on steers when I was around nine years old. I was riding sheep before that, so I’ve kind of always been in the sport my whole life.”
It’s already been a productive spring and summer season for Walker, who won the Alberta High School Rodeo Association provincial bull-riding title in early June.
“That was pretty cool,” said the Hugh Sutherland high school graduate. “I’ve also won a couple of amateur rodeos and picked away at a few of these. But this is my first-ever BRC event win.
“I have some opportunities to go to the States on a bull-riding scholarship, or I might stay up here this winter and ride bulls and work and do practice pens and all that.
“No matter what, I’ll be riding bulls.”
His 86-point championship ride in Edgerton came on a Thompson Rodeo bull named Roll Your Own.
“A good little calf I’d been on before,” Walker replayed. “He bucked me off six days ago, in the short round at Mayerthorpe BRC. So then, as soon as I had the opportunity to pick him (tonight), I knew that was the one. Needed a little redemption.”
Walker and Chase Skene of Prince Albert, Sask. made the only two rides in the championship round. In the long-go, Walker sat third behind Kaden Piper of Stoughton, Sask., and Wyatt Fennig of North Battleford.
In the overall earnings, Walker won $1,600 more than runner-up Skene, who received $3,510. Piper placed third with $2,020 and Fennig was fourth with $1,360.
It was an eventful start to July for the up-and-coming bull-riders who shape the BRC circuit. Many of them travel together to cut costs and hang out with their friends on road trips.
“Yeah, I came up here with a few of my good buddies — Davis Young, Brodi Beasley, Hayden Mulvey, Jayce Rieger (and) Cash Sidor,” Walker said. “There was a good group of us. There was a couple of rigs going.
“It’s kind of quieter this weekend, but this past week, on Tuesday we were at Rockyford BRC, Wednesday we were at Bengough, Sask., BRC, last night we were at Benalto BRC, and now we’re here (at Edgerton).”
With all that travelling for bull-riders, it’s no wonder that budding carpenter Walker’s latest projects included rebuilding a Capri Camper right from scratch.
“Oh yeah, we live in those things,” he said with a smile.
Along with his events throughout Western Canada, Walker has qualified for the National High School Finals Rodeo, set for July 19-25 in Lincoln, Nebraska.
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