Submitted by:
Austen Anderson |

High School Rodeo descended on Swan River on May 9 and 10, 2015 and it was a huge success. The Ag Society grounds as well as Main Street were full of contestants, family and spectators eager for some spring rodeo action.

Pictures by Della Mckay, Joan Mosiondz & Lois Mosiondz
Click any picture for a larger version.

The event was organized by a small dedicated committee that had the vision to bring High School Rodeo to Swan River.

Committee member Della McKay had the following thoughts on the event.

The weekend was a huge success in my eyes.  Everything ran smoothly, even the weather cooperated.  We had a lot of positive feedback from the contestants, parents and spectators.  We had very few volunteers, but the people we did have worked hard to ensure this event ran the way it did. 

We had a lot of compliments on our facility as well.  It was also nice to see people come out and cheer on our hometown kids.  We learned a lot along the way and are thankful that family, and friends stepped in to help us out, along with our Business Sponsors, the marketing class, Ag Society. Without them, this wouldn’t have been possible.  It was definitely worth the work and we are already thinking about next year’s High School Rodeo!

Hometown Kids

Left to right: Jenna McKay, Whitney Nepinak, Emma Hart, Zac Machan, Freddy Seib

Kinsmen member Ryan Maksymchuk was thrilled at the turn out and community support. “It felt like July, lots of people from as far away as South Dakota and Ontario.” He also mentioned that one contestant did not realize how far Swan River was from Winnipeg and was surprized that after driving nine hours to Winnipeg that they still had another 5 hours to go.

Our locals performed very well with Whitney Nepinak placing first in the Reining Cow Horse event as well as Sunday’s Barrel Racing. Emma Hart competed in Barrel Racing and Pole Bending.

Zackery Machan and Freddie Seib competed in Bull Riding and Saddle Bronc for the first time and did very well.

The High School Rodeo is a great opportunity for the youth of Swan River as well as the community. It provides a chance for locals to get a start in rodeo without having to travel. It also brought hundreds of people to Swan River that contributed to our economy.