Alberta Native Larsen Wins in Grand Prairie
GRAND PRAIRIE, Alberta – Tyrel Larsen was nervous and excited as he made the 473-mile drive across his native province of Alberta.
The Strathmore, Alberta, saddle bronc rider was traveling north to Grand Prairie, where a date with Vold Rodeo’s Eclypce awaited May 27.
“I’ve been going to that rodeo for a few years now, and to know that I’d drawn that horse had me nervous when I was driving up there,” said Larsen, 25. “He’s a big, intimidating sucker, but he was worth the trip. I had seen him a lot the past three years, and was excited to get on him.”
Larsen’s maiden voyage on Eclypse was worth the wait. He scored 86.5 points – which stood up over the five-day rodeo, May 27-31 – to win the Grand Prairie Stompede, edging Cort Scheer by half a point.
Larsen said the horse’s size and unpredictability made him a bit anxious.
“He’s one of the biggest horses up here, and is a little unorthodox, and you never know what he’s going to do,” Larsen said. “I saw Taos Muncy win Wainwright (Alberta) on him (in 2013, with an 87-point ride). “For me, he blew up in one spot and was outstanding, and then he stayed good for the whole ride. Hopefully I’ll draw him again this summer.”
The win aboard Eclypce was Larsen’s first trip to the winner’s circle in the 2015 season. Entering the weekend, he sat 23rd in the Windham Weaponry High Performance PRCA World Standings.
While he’s hoping to do enough to make it to his first Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in December, Larsen is thrilled to simply be able to compete in rodeo after tearing his PCL ligament in his knee and missing most of the 2014 season. Pair that with finishing 16th in the 2013 standings and just missing the WNFR, and you get a motivated cowboy.
“Two years ago I had a really good season, but didn’t make the cut by one spot,” he said. “Last year, I blew my knee out and had to sit out. It wasn’t fun sitting around waiting and watching and not knowing when my knee was going to be good enough to ride again. It was really frustrating. But this year I came back with a clear mind, and I want to win more than ever. I’m just happy to be rodeoing again.”
Larsen says winning his first Grand Prairie Stompede title is special, and that he wants to collect a lot more wins at Canadian rodeos.
“It’s always fun to go down to the U.S. and represent Canada, but winning a big rodeo up here means that much more to me,” he said.
Courtesy of PRCA