LESS than 45 minutes before flying out of the chute in front of hundreds of rodeo fans on Saturday night, 14-year-old Eli Bee was exhibiting a level of calm not matched by cowboys decades his senior.
Rather than worrying about the steer he was about to ride in the Katherine Clean ‘Em Up Rodeo, Bee was more focused on finding ham for a last-minute sandwich.
With an outlook that belied his youth, he said that it was all about taking confidence into the chute.
“I’m just trying to have fun and try my best,” he explained.
“You’re not gonna ride good if you’re not confident, and no matter how much you stress, it’s never going to change the outcome.”
The sandwich-fuelled philosophy worked, with Bee claiming the junior steer ride crown with a score of 63 – 10 points clear of his closest opponent.
More than 1100 people converged on the Katherine Showground for the annual event on August 15, which drew a record number of nominations from cowboys and cowgirls from across Australia.
“It went really well,” organiser Sarah Hoare said after the dust had settled.
“I think because we’re part of the northern run of the professional circuit, the professional cowboys just keep travelling.
“They did Mount Isa the weekend before and they’ll be in Darwin next weekend.
For more images from the rodeo click on the photo below.
Matt Boland was the best on the bulls in the open bull ride and scored 79 on Rocky Horror to secure victory.
In the Mick Elliott Memorial Saddle Bronc – the special event on the program for the rodeo – Adrian Chong had the crowd on its feet with a competition-winning score of 66.
Cherie O’Donoghue proved why she has the most titles of any cowgirl in Australian Professional Rodeo Association history when she took barrel racing honours from an impressive field with a time of 16.065 seconds.
In the roping events, Clancy Middleton was unstoppable, winning the individual rope and tie before teaming up with Aaron Bookluck to take the paired event in the stunning time of 5.5s.
Mrs Hoare said the calibre of competitors who made the stopover in Katherine made the event thrilling for spectators.
“It makes for good entertainment,” she said.
