EDMONTON, Alberta – Tyson Durfey is a champion.
He proved it again during six go-rounds of the Canadian Finals Rodeo over five days at the Rexall Place in Edmonton, Alberta, placing four times and earning $26,452 in go-round paychecks. Durfey – who wears a pink Cinch shirt during each rodeo performance in an effort to raise money and awareness in the fight against breast cancer – won the championship for the second time in three years.
“It’s just a great experience,” Durfey said Sunday, shortly after the final go-round. “Winning another title ranks as one of the highest points in my career … ever.”
Durfey won the opening go-round and $9,619 on Wednesday night, then followed that with a second-place, 7.7-second run on Friday, worth another $7,214. All the while, another American, Matt Shiosawa of Chubbuck, Idaho, had overtaken Durfey for the year-end lead, by reeling in three straight winning runs.
“I was lucky I got by Matt,” Durfey said. “I ended up a little luckier.”
When Shiozawa failed to place in the two go-rounds, Durfey hit the pay window with a pair of third-place finishes, each worth $4,810. He ended the 2008 Canadian Professional Rodeo Association season with $59,069.
“This is one of the most outstanding feelings I’ve ever had in my life,” he said.
The 2008 season marks the third time in his career that the 23-year-old Durfey has qualified for the Canadian Finals Rodeo, finishing the regular season among the top 12 in the CPRA standings.
It’s the first step in a strong post-season for the Savannah, Mo.-born cowboy, who in January donated a portion of his 2007 earnings to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure. He has also qualified for the Nation Finals Rodeo for the second straight year, finishing the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association among the top 15 tie-down ropers.
“I’m ready to go back, work my horses hard and work myself hard over the next three weeks to get ready for the NFR,” Durfey said. “In Vegas, those guys rope tough, so you have to be ready, physically and mentally.
“There’s a lot of money to be won there, and I want to get my share.”
