Bull rider Jared Parsonage chases more Stampede glory during the day, Bullbustin' prize at night
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Having finished second in 2019 and third in 2022, Parsonage had extra motivation to finally capture the $50,000 prize and championship bronze statue.
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Now, he's on the hunt for more as one of 10 bull riders competing in Pool A from Friday to Saturday looking to lock down one of three spots in Championship Sunday on July 13.
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'It's a cool place,' said the 32-year-old thrill-seeker from Maple Creek, Sask., of competing in the GMC Stadium infield at the Stampede. 'As a Canadian rodeo cowboy, I think it's special to all of us. We all want to do well … and it's always fun when it goes good.'
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Going up against the likes of Hayes Weight, who's coming off a Showdown Round win at the Ponoka Stampede on Canada Day, doesn't phase Parsonage, who always seems to be as cool as a cucumber when going about his job.
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'It's going to be no different than it ever is,' Parsonage said. 'You ride your bulls and if do a good job of riding your bulls, you'll be back in the finals. The name of the game is to ride bulls and if you do that, you'll give yourself a chance.'
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After winning a bit of money — but not enough for his liking — at both the Ponoka Stampede and the Wild West PBR (a Professional Bull Riders event in Ponoka on June 28), Parsonage will be doing double duty again in Calgary this weekend.
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Shortly after Friday's rodeo, Parsonage will make the short jaunt to the Grey Eagle Resort and Casino on Tsuutʼina Nation for the fourth night of 2025 Cody Snyder Charity Bullbustin' action.
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'I'll go to Calgary during the day and come back here at nights,' said Parsonage after being bucked off Lost Creek just shy of the eight-second mark during Wednesday's Bullbustin' performance. 'It's only one bull here at night and one bull there. If you draw a good, it's worth it. There's lots of money here. Obviously, lots of money at Calgary. You're out here and you're riding bulls, so you might as ride bulls.'
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Unfortunately for Parsonage, his Bullbustin' experience at the five-night extravaganza — which will wrap up on Saturday — hasn't been great so far. He's been bucked off all three nights, including on Thursday when his bovine counterpart, Kraken, got the best of him.
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CTV News
5 hours ago
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Calgary Herald
a day ago
- Calgary Herald
Bull rider Jared Parsonage chases more Stampede glory during the day, Bullbustin' prize at night
When Jared Parsonage emerged as the top bull rider at the Calgary Stampede rodeo in 2023, he proclaimed that the third time was a charm. Article content Having finished second in 2019 and third in 2022, Parsonage had extra motivation to finally capture the $50,000 prize and championship bronze statue. Article content Article content Now, he's on the hunt for more as one of 10 bull riders competing in Pool A from Friday to Saturday looking to lock down one of three spots in Championship Sunday on July 13. Article content 'It's a cool place,' said the 32-year-old thrill-seeker from Maple Creek, Sask., of competing in the GMC Stadium infield at the Stampede. 'As a Canadian rodeo cowboy, I think it's special to all of us. We all want to do well … and it's always fun when it goes good.' Article content Article content Going up against the likes of Hayes Weight, who's coming off a Showdown Round win at the Ponoka Stampede on Canada Day, doesn't phase Parsonage, who always seems to be as cool as a cucumber when going about his job. Article content 'It's going to be no different than it ever is,' Parsonage said. 'You ride your bulls and if do a good job of riding your bulls, you'll be back in the finals. The name of the game is to ride bulls and if you do that, you'll give yourself a chance.' Article content After winning a bit of money — but not enough for his liking — at both the Ponoka Stampede and the Wild West PBR (a Professional Bull Riders event in Ponoka on June 28), Parsonage will be doing double duty again in Calgary this weekend. Article content Article content Shortly after Friday's rodeo, Parsonage will make the short jaunt to the Grey Eagle Resort and Casino on Tsuutʼina Nation for the fourth night of 2025 Cody Snyder Charity Bullbustin' action. Article content 'I'll go to Calgary during the day and come back here at nights,' said Parsonage after being bucked off Lost Creek just shy of the eight-second mark during Wednesday's Bullbustin' performance. 'It's only one bull here at night and one bull there. If you draw a good, it's worth it. There's lots of money here. Obviously, lots of money at Calgary. You're out here and you're riding bulls, so you might as ride bulls.' Article content Unfortunately for Parsonage, his Bullbustin' experience at the five-night extravaganza — which will wrap up on Saturday — hasn't been great so far. He's been bucked off all three nights, including on Thursday when his bovine counterpart, Kraken, got the best of him.
Winnipeg Free Press
a day ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Plenty of blame to go around
CALGARY — This space is reserved to break down Winnipeg Blue Bombers games with 5 Takeaways, but their performance Thursday night in Calgary can be summed up with just one. They sucked. Offence, defence, special teams, you name it, the Bombers didn't have it. They were steamrolled 37-16 by the Calgary Stampeders in what was the first-ever Stampede Bowl — a new marketing event designed to kick off the Calgary Stampede and get more butts in the seats at McMahon Stadium. Bombers head coach Mike O'Shea put it poetically post-game. 'We got our asses beat. I mean, it's pretty straightforward,' he said. The Blue and Gold (3-1) can lick their wounds on their bye next week before hosting the Stamps (3-1) in a rematch on July 18. 'I won't be enjoying my bye week that much,' Bombers dime back Redha Kramdi told the Free Press. 'I'll be thinking about (this game), watching it, trying to learn from it, and be prepared to attack the week after that.' As much as Bomberland would love to forget this one, we're gonna revisit it anyway with the latest edition of 5 Takeaways. COLLAROS CRUMBLES IN COWTOWN Welcome to life as a professional quarterback where one week you're the hero, and the next, you're the main reason why your club lost. The glaring issue was the two pick-sixes. You're not going to win any game where you throw more touchdowns to the opposing team than your own. JEFF MCINTOSH / THE CANADIAN PRESS Blue Bombers quarterback Zach Collaros (right) threw two interceptions that were returned for touchdowns in Thursday night's blowout loss the the Stampeders. JEFF MCINTOSH / THE CANADIAN PRESS Blue Bombers quarterback Zach Collaros (right) threw two interceptions that were returned for touchdowns in Thursday night's blowout loss the the Stampeders. He was also bad outside of that, with his next biggest error coming on the second last play of the first half when he had a wide-open Keric Wheatfall in the end zone and sailed the ball over his head. A touchdown there would've cut Calgary's lead to 29-13 after two quarters and sent the Bombers into the break with at least some momentum. Instead, they settled for a field goal and failed to make a game out of it in the last 30 minutes. Despite throwing the pigskin 20 more times than Stamps passer Vernon Adams Jr., Collaros only finished with 66 more yards in the air to give him 288 on the evening while completing 34-of-48 attempts. Collaros threw a meaningless touchdown with 2:33 left, on what was a highlight-reel grab by first-year Bomber Jerreth Sterns, but it was too little too late. He needs to be better. Simple as that. SCHOEN LEAVES WITH INJURY Uh oh. Not again. With the Bombers trailing 37-9 with less than 10 minutes left, Collaros fired a high pass to star receiver Dalton Schoen who jumped up but failed to haul it in. Immediately after, Schoen felt something was off as he laid down on the field holding his leg before walking off and staying on the sideline for the rest of the night. Last year the two-time CFL all-star tore his ACL and only played three games. After the final whistle, the Free Press asked Schoen for an injury update in the locker room. 'Yeah, not sure on anything right now. Obviously, not great when you have to leave a game, but I'm not sure of the severity,' he said. This is a team that no longer has the luxury of owning two of the very best pass catchers in the game as Kenny Lawler is now in Hamilton. Losing Schoen would be a massive blow to a receiver room that isn't bursting with depth. If Schoen ends up missing time, you can expect to see Dillon Mitchell — who set career highs last year in Edmonton with 58 receptions for 727 yards and four touchdowns — get called up from the practice squad. Mitchell was the Bombers' prize free-agent signing this winter but didn't make the game-day roster after a disastrous training camp and preseason. He's a talented player, but if he still has the yips, Winnipeg could be in trouble. One positive at the position was the emergence of second-year Canadian Kevens Clercius who had a career-high in catches (10) and yards (78). His previous best came against Edmonton last week when he had three grabs for 53 yards. OLIVEIRA RUNS EARLY BUT NOT OFTEN It looked like Brady Oliveira was poised to have a monstrous stat line after a dominant first drive. So much for that. He had six carries on that possession for 36 yards against a Calgary defence that had been allowing enemy tailbacks to average six yards per carry. Unfortunately for Oliveira, who was making his return after being sidelined for two games with a shoulder injury, he only saw seven more handoffs after that as the Bombers found themselves in a 29-9 hole thanks to a brutal first half. The good news for the Bombers is when Oliveira was involved, he looked like a reigning Most Outstanding Player who hadn't missed a beat. If he wants to reach the heights he attained in 2024, he's going to need to have some huge games as his start — 110 yards in five quarters of play — has him on pace to finish the season with under 1,000 yards rushing. FORGETTABLE D-FENCE Defensive end James Vaughters hasn't made much of an impact in his first four games as a Blue Bomber. The former Stampeder had a lacklustre return to Calgary as all he could manage was two defensive tackles. The 32-year-old former NFLer — who once sacked Tom Brady — is still searching for his first sack in 2025. Defensive co-ordinator Jordan Younger's entire unit deserves a failing grade, though. The secondary looked lost at times, the defence took several uncharacteristic penalties, and no one — not just Vaughters — was able to take Adams to the ground. Calgary running back Dedrick Mills also made them pay by gaining 93 rushing yards and a touchdown. The group — which entered the week as the CFL's No. 1-ranked defence — was better in the second half, but at that point, the damage was already done. 'I'm gonna be honest, we played like the worst (defence),' said Kramdi. STAMPS ARE BACK Are the Stampeders for real? It certainly looks like it. They won 11 games in the past two years, but this isn't the same old Stamps as they revamped their defence in the offseason with 12 new starters and, most importantly, brought in Adams at quarterback after Jake Maier failed as Bo Levi Mitchell's heir apparent. Through four contests, they're holding opponents to 20 points per game and scoring 29 points on average. Adams had underwhelming numbers entering Thursday — zero touchdowns and three interceptions — but marched all over the Bombers in the opening half, most notably with a 43-yard touchdown pass to Clark Barnes on the first possession and then finding Jalen Philpot on a 66-yard catch and run at the start of the second quarter. Adams — who finished with 222 passing yards and two touchdowns — only tossed the ball 18 times as burning the clock out became their main objective at the end. It's not the first time Adams has punched the Bombers in the face early in a season as back on June 22, 2023, the veteran pivot led the B.C. Lions to an impressive 30-6 victory over the Bombers on Chancellor Matheson Road. The Stamps could cement themselves as legit contenders if they walk into Regina next week to play the 4-0 Saskatchewan Roughriders and hand another undefeated team their first loss of the year. Taylor AllenReporter Taylor Allen is a sports reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press. Taylor was the Vince Leah intern in the Free Press newsroom twice while earning his joint communications degree/diploma at the University of Winnipeg and Red River College Polytechnic. He signed on full-time in 2019 and mainly covers the Blue Bombers, curling, and basketball. Read more about Taylor. Every piece of reporting Taylor produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
