02 July, 2021
TAROOM RODEO NEXT ON APRA NORTHERN RUN
TAROOM RODEO ON NEXT ON APRA NORTHERN RUN
By Gerard Walsh
TAROOM will be the first of seven successive weekends of Australian Professional Rodeo Association action on July 17 at the Taroom Showgrounds.
The first rodeo on the Northern Run was held at Emerald last weekend and more than 800 fans watched the action.
Competitors have three weeks to fine tune their skills for 11 events over seven weekends in July and August.
Taroom was the home of legendary cowboy, the late Jim McGuire, who won five APRA all around titles in the 1967-1976 period.
He won titles at both ends of the rodeo arena, rough stock and timed events.
Jim was steer wrestling champion in 1968, 1969, 1970 and 1972.
He won the saddle bronc title in 1968 and the bareback bronc title in 1969.
His daughter Sharon McGuire is 43rd in breakaway roping standings and will need to do well during the Northern Run to break into the top-15 to qualify for the Ariat APRA National Finals at the Warwick Showgrounds on October 27-31.
Her sons are both in the top-15 in one event with two months of the season to go.
Stuart McGuire-Spalding is fourth in the rope and tie, 17th in team roping heeler standings, 26th in team roping header and 45th in steer wrestling standings.
James McGuire-Spalding is eighth in team roping header standings, 22nd in the rope and tie and 31st in steer wrestling.
Both Stuart and James have a lot of ground to make up in steer wrestling, the event made famous by their grandfather.
Two of the favourites in rough stock events at Taroom will be Wandoan cowboys Cameron Webster and Dave Worsfold.
Webster is currently 25th in saddle bronc standings and could move closer to the top-15 with a win at Taroom.
He won the APRA national saddle bronc title in 2018.
Worsfold is fourth in bareback bronc riding standings after winning four of the past five titles. He won the title buckle in 2015, 2016, 2018 and 2019.
The competition in the bareback bronc ride has been boosted with the return of past champion Matthew Makinson who won the title in 2011/2012 and 2013.
Makinson now breaks in horses at Maleny and is currently eighth in bareback standings behind leader Jarrod McKane, a shearer from Northern Victoria.
Points from the 2020 and 2021 season are being added together for calculating the top-15 in each event for the national finals.
APRA program
July 17: Taroom Rodeo
July 23: Bowen Xtreme Broncs
July 24: Charters Towers Rodeo
July 31: Richmond Let’s Talk Xtreme Broncs and Steer Wrestling Mania
July 31: Richmond Rodeo
August 6: Cloncurry Xtreme Bulls
August 6: Cloncurry Junior Rodeo
August 6-7: Cloncurry Merry Muster Rodeo
August 12-15: Mt Isa Rodeo
August 20-21: North Queensland Elite Rodeo, Townsville
August 28: Capella Rodeo
More information on APRA on 07 4661 8183.
[ BACK ]
.png)