A local competitor is walking away from this past weekend’s Rocky Pro Rodeo with nothing but smiles on his face.

Rocky Mountain House’s Ben Andersen had an outstanding performance, putting up an 88.5-point ride on Vold Rodeo’s The Ritz for a $1,398 payday.

Andersen then managed to take his game to the next level when he went half a point higher at Marwayne, Alberta for a score of 89 at the Lea Park Rodeo on Calgary Stampede’s Sergeant Whitney, cashing in a $2,289 cheque.

“I’m not sure nice is the word I’d use to describe The Ritz,” Andersen said. “He was a lot of work. I hadn’t seen him before and I knew the horse had been in the bareback riding, but it was good. And it’s my first time to win my hometown rodeo so that was pretty cool.”

With the Lea Park win, Andersen received some words of wisdom from two-time World and Canadian Champion, Zeke Thurston, prior to his ride.

“Zeke told me that Sergeant Whitney was one of his favourite horses and that I’d have a lot of fun on him. And he was totally right.”

Anderson entered the weekend the weekend in 8th place in the Canadian standings. The two wins double the 22-year-old’s earnings in the young 2022 Canadian Pro Rodeo Association (CPRA) season. The results move him up the standings, closer to the coveted return trip to the Canadian Finals Rodeo (CFR) in November.

Next on the CPRA schedule, athletes and fans head to Gleichen, Alberta for the inaugural Gunner’s Bronc Battle on June 15, while weekend action includes Stavely and Innisfail Pro Rodeos June 17-19 and the Wildwoods Bronc Bustin’ on June 18.

For complete CPRA results, visit rodeocanada.com.