CanAm Cup pulls in another big field

The Daily Inter Lake

The 3rd annual CanAm Cup, a United States Team Penning Association sanctioned event, gets under way today at 8 a.m. at Majestic Valley Arena with a field of 1,000 teams in attendance.

Individuals in team penning and ranch sorting will be competing for a purse in excess of a record $100,000 over the course of three days.

Today's action opens with team penning classes, starting with the Open Class and the Quickdraw Pro-Rider Class. Classes 13 and 11 will follow.

Saturday's morning session will continue with remaining classes. Ranch sorting will then take over the arena in the afternoon.

On Sunday, action wraps up with Youth, 9, 6 and 3 classes.

Competitors are flying in from Pennsylvania, Florida, Tennessee, Mississippi, Minnesota, Illinois, Wisconsin, Texas, Oklahoma, Arizona, North and South Dakota to name just a few of the states represented. Fifty competitors from Alberta have registered and a strong contingent is also coming from British Columbia.

Among the top professional riders in the world entered are: Bobby Atwood, Kosciusku, Miss.; Roger Braa, Ellensburg, Wash.; Grady Underwood, Waco, Texas; Sue Flynn, Missoula; Beth Rishor, Selah, Wash.; Troy Hayden, Rapid City, S.D.; Tim Roberts, Queen Creek, Ariz.; John May, McKean, Penn.; Gary Fletcher, Amarillo, Texas; Ike Rainey, Oxford, Fla.; Jerry Johnson, Madras, Ore.; Tom Bross, Wellsville, Penn.; David Rainey, Corinth, Miss.; Jared Lesh, Stillwater, Okla.; Joel Lesh, Morrison, Okla.; and Jamin Lesh, Morrison, Okla.

This competition has almost doubled since its inception. There were 532 teams the first year and 600 last year.

Admission is free all weekend. Spectators are welcome.

Concessions will be available all weekend.