Julie Bertrand/Independent reporter
It has been a busy summer for Stettler teenager Quinton Van Straten, who has emerged as a double Canadian champion at the junior high level.
Soon after the past school year finished, he travelled with his family to Gallup, New Mexico, to participate in the National Junior High Rodeo Finals.
Unfortunately, he had sprained his ankle just two weeks before the competition.
“I had to get physiotherapy to be able to compete down there,” Van Straten said.
He finished 129th in boys goat tying, 73rd in chute dogging, 37th in ribbon roping and 46th in tie-down roping.
“I was going to make the short round and I broke the barrier in the first round,” Van Straten said.
“That’s the way things go. Some rodeos you win, some rodeos you don’t. You just go to the next one and see what you can do.”
After a one-month break, Van Straten went back on the road to participate in the Canadian Junior High Finals in Virden, Man.
He ended up winning a pair of national titles in tie-down roping and chute dogging. He also was named the Canadian hipoint cowboy for earning the highest points in the entire rodeo.
“I won a saddle and two buckles,” Van Straten said. “This year, it seems that Alberta put together a pretty good team. We came out of Manitoba with a lot of championships.”
Van Straten credits his horse, Duke, for helping him win events.
“He always puts me in a good spot and gives me a good shot at the rodeos,” Van Straten said.
His good results mean that he now has a sponsor to help offset his competition costs.
“Some have even decided to sponsor me for my four years in high school,” Van Straten said.
His next event is the Alberta High School Rodeo District 2 competition in Stettler on Saturday and Sunday.
“It will be nice to rope in a home crowd and see how the rodeo goes,” Van Straten said.
It will also be his first high school rodeo, after years of competing in junior high.
A few weeks off competition gave his ankle more time to heal.
“My ankle has healed up, but if I rope a lot, I have to stay off it a little bit,” Van Straten said. “It still hurts once in a while.”