Craig Young seemed to balk at the suggestion that, as the interim Australian Bushmen’s Campdraft and Rodeo Association executive officer, this week’s national finals at AELEC were a baptism of fire for him.
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Two months into the job, Young – a former campdraft competitor who admitted that he “wasn’t anything special, and that’s about the extent of it”, on a horse – is tasked with overseeing ABCRA’s showcase event.
If he were feeling the pressure, he wasn’t showing it.
But then again, this isn’t Young’s first rodeo.
He stepped down as National Cutting Horse Association general manager to take on the ABCRA role.
“I’ve basically stepped in to run the national finals and get the ABCRA through to the end of the their membership year, and then the position will be re-advertised and we’ll go from there,” he said.
The Tamworth resident has the spruiking of the event down pat, promising an exciting five days of action when the finals get under way on Tuesday.
“It’s gonna be the best rodeo and campdraft and ranch sorting competitors in Australia competing for the championship titles,” he said.
He added: “They accrue earnings and points to be able to qualify to compete in the nationals.
“It’s [rodeo] certainly an entertainment focal point [of the event] ... they’re [the competitors] gonna be heavily supported by the community and family and friends.”
The events this week are bareback, saddle bronc, rope and tie, team roping, steer wrestling, bull riding, breakaway roping, barrel racing and steer undecorating (the last three are for women).
The rodeo standings are led by Singleton’s Ben Lees. Lees’ wife, Rebecca Hancock, is a former competitor at numerous national finals in breakaway roping and steer undecorating.
Hancock said one of the great aspects about the finals was that it compromised three exciting sports in the one event. “Being a spectator, the thing that is really good, I guess, is the thrills and spills,” she said.
Each event has 15 competitors.
Whoever accrues the most points over three days of competition is crowned national champion.
Hancock said each round lasted about three hours. “There’s three separate rodeos, so to speak,” she said. “There’s three separate plates associated with it.”
2018 ABCRA National Finals Rodeo and Campdraft: Junior National Finals - January 23-24. Senior National Finals - January 25-27. Campdraft National Finals - January 26-27 (three rounds over two days). Tickets from AELEC.
