Brothers Roy and Earl Call and C+ Rodeos get a little bit fired up every year before the Williams Lake Indoor Rodeo.
It’s the official kick off to the BC Rodeo Association season, a chance to get the company’s rough stock out in a competitive environment and it’s a time to catch up with friends not seen during the winter months.
“The winters are long and it’s nice to finally get going again and get back in the groove,” Roy said.
“We’ve spent the past month doing brands, tipping horns and it’s nice to get some work done and get started.”
Call said he expects to see a solid list of entries at this year’s Williams Lake Indoor Rodeo, as rough stock competitors fondly flock to the rodeo to fine tune their craft.
“There’s a few rodeos in B.C. that draw everybody,” he said.
“This is one of them. Williams Lake has good prize money and you wind up with pretty much everybody wanting to go and it’s a good place to get started for a lot of guys, and I think everyone’s excited.”
Thursday night, Call and C+ Rodeos were bucking its younger bulls, and provided a chance for riders to hop on a few for a test ride.
READ MORE: Bullriders steal show at Williams Lake Indoor Rodeo
“It’s a good deal,” he said. “Sometimes we go through 40 bulls in a night, and a lot of cowboys haven’t been on anything yet, either, and they call us up and say ‘Hey, if we come Thursday will you bring so and so’ … it’s a good way to get everybody started for the season.”
C+ Rodeos is a family-run business, and alongside Roy and Earl will be Roy’s son Cody and daughter Brooke helping behind the bucking chutes.
“Cody’s going to be there fighting bulls with us, and Brooke will be back there helping out,” he said. “It’s nice, you know. Those kids have grown up there [at the Williams Lake Indoor Rodeo.]
“It’s funny. Brooke turned 19 and we had some pictures of her show up at indoor when she was literally a baby, and Cody, too, a couple pictures of him back behind the chutes when he was four. It’s been fun growing up in that building, and we’ve sure got our own little cast of characters.”
He added the Williams Lake Indoor Rodeo is like a rodeo reunion, for many.
“In the winter time everybody kind of scatters,” he said.
“You see all these guys every week at different rodeos and in the winter everybody takes off. Now you really do look forward to seeing everybody again.”
READ MORE: Stage is set for 29th annual Williams Lake Indoor Rodeo
The list of local competitors is as follows on each of the three days:
FRIDAY, APRIL 26 (6 p.m.)
• Bareback: none
• Saddlebronc: none
• Tie-down roping: Brock Everett (150 Mile)
• Steer wrestling: none
• Breakaway roping: Allison Everett (150 Mile), Norma Macdonald (Williams Lake)
• Junior steer riding: none
• Barrel racing: Brittany Shopshire (Williams Lake)
• Junior barrel racing: Paityn Rogers (Williams Lake), Rayen Alphonse (Williams Lake)
• Peewee barrel racing: Ellie Delisle (Williams Lake), Hunter Dickie (Williams Lake)
• Junior breakaway roping: Conway Pinchbeck (Williams Lake), Brock Everett (150 Mile), Reese Rivet (Williams Lake)
• Team roping: Allison Everett (150 Mile) and Brock Everett (150 Mile), Leif Brandson (Quesnel) and Brock Everett (150 Mile), Aaron Palmer (Cache Creek) and Brad Thomas (Williams Lake), Tim Terepocki (Cache Creek) and Brad Thomas (Williams Lake)
• Bull riding: Cordell Pinchbeck (Williams Lake) on Jroc and Colton Manuel (Williams Lake) on Holy Roller
SATURDAY, APRIL 27 (1 p.m.)
• Bareback: none
• Saddlebronc: none
• Tie-down roping: none
• Steer wrestling: none
• Breakaway roping: Jori Cripps (Williams Lake), Terris Billyboy (Williams Lake), Kaylee Billyboy (Williams Lake), Bobby Twan (150 Mile), Brady McNolty (150 Mile)
• Junior steer riding: none
• Barrel racing: Bobby Twan (150 Mile), Shaylene Tucker (Williams Lake), Jori Cripps (Williams Lake)
• Junior barrel racing: Mackenzie Hannas (Williams Lake)
• Peewee barrel racing: Paisley McNolty, Jolie Lulua (150 Mile House)
• Junior breakaway roping: none
• Team roping: Brady McNolty (150 Mile) and Waylon Oakford (Williams Lake), Wade McNolty (150 Mile) and Myles King (Williams Lake), Wade McNolty (150 Mile) and Waylon Oakford (Williams Lake), Brady McNolty (150 Mile) and Myles King (Williams Lake)
• Bull riding: David Graham (Anahim) on Ellis’s Boo Boo, Robert Graham (Anahim) on Vincent Vega, Pacen Setah (Nemiah Valley) on Minion
SUNDAY, APRIL 28 (1 p.m.)
• Bareback: none
• Saddlebronc: none
• Tie-down roping: Chad Braaten (150 Mile), Willee Twan (150 Mile) and Cody Braaten (150 Mile)
• Steer wrestling: Wade McNolty (150 Mile)
• Breakaway roping: Katrina Ilnicki (150 Mile), Alyson Schuk (Tatla Lake)
• Junior steer riding: Blair Camille (Williams Lake), Rylan Schuk (150 Mile)
• Barrel racing: Cassandra Shendruk (Williams Lake), Alyson Schuk (Tatla Lake), Brittany Macdonald (150 Mile)
• Junior barrel racing: Tatum Long (150 Mile), Reese Rivet (Williams Lake), Sydney Schuk (Tatla Lake), Kennedy Dyck (Williams Lake), Adella Dyck (Williams Lake)
• Peewee barrel racing: Tryan Rivet (Williams Lake), Piper Twan (150 Mile)
• Junior breakaway roping: Reese Rivet (Williams Lake)
• Team roping: Keri Mikkelsen (Pritchard) and Katrina Ilnicki (150 Mile), Cody Brett (Silver Valley) and Cody Braaten (150 Mile), Cody Brett (Silver Valley) and Chad Braaten (150 Mile), Cody Braaten (150 Mile) and Chad Braaten (150 Mile)
• Bull riding: Clyde Camille (Williams Lake) on Lights Out, Justin William (Williams Lake) on Joey Bats
SLACK (Saturday, 9 a.m.)
• Barrel racing: Kallie Sailor (150 Mile), Carleigh King (Williams Lake), Courtney Mailhot (Big Lake), Simmone Fowler (150 Mile), Lori Ranking (Williams Lake), Shari Mailhot (Big Lake Ranch), Ivy Mckay (Williams Lake), Linda Geensen (Williams Lake), Katherin Langan (McLeese Lake), Paige Buller (Williams Lake), Dariene Andros (Williams Lake)
• Team roping: none