For 2007, the Canadian Professional Rodeo Association is pleased to announce that the Cowboy of the Year award will go to Tom Barr, a former steer wrestler and CPRA Board member who now serves as a rodeo judge.
The Pincher Creek, Alta. cowboy was shocked to get the phone call from president Dale Leschiutta on Wednesday.
“I said ‘What?’, It was kind of shocking, I was trying to buy cattle at the same time and Dale was telling me. It took a minute to sink in and then it was, ‘Oh, that’s pretty Neat’!”
There is no doubt that Tom Barr meets the criteria set out for Cowboy of the Year nominees. He made his first Canadian Finals appearance in 1988 in the steer wrestling event. He went on to compete at the CFR 10 more times. He also qualified for the National Finals in Las Vegas in 1991, where he won a go-around in the steer wrestling on Canada Night.
When reflecting back on his career, Barr humbly stated, “I had a good career. I never won a championship buckle, but I’ve always thought I had a good career.” It would appear that others feel the same way.
The four years that he sat on the CPRA board was a learning experience for him. He saw it as an opportunity to see how the Canadian Professional Rodeo Association operates behind the scenes, how they handle situations, and work to keep the association going.
Keeping the association going, and working to make the sport of rodeo better is something that Tom is more than happy to do whenever the opportunity presents itself. Over the years, he has kept busy serving on the Judging Commission, and while he may not be competing at rodeos, he is still going to rodeos—as a judge. He was selected to judge the 2006 Canadian Rodeo Finals.
When talking about the future of rodeo he said, “We need to build it up as much as possible. The numbers are going down, so we need to build it up.” One way that Tom is working to make this happen is by promoting the sport to the youth. In the Pincher Creek area, he has been involved in organizing youth rodeos and high school rodeos, as well as making himself available for practice nights at the high school to help the kids improve in their events.
The Cowboy of the year award is presented annually by Douglas Lake Ranch to the cowboy judged best in ability, sportsmanship, appearance and personality, who has contributed most to the betterment of rodeo. The selection committee consists of Mr. Joe W. Gardner (representing Douglas Lake Ranch), the president of the CPRA (Dale Leschiutta) and the previous recipient of the Cowboy of the Year award (Darrell Cholach).
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