A young cowboy from the RM of Corman Park has earned a berth at one of the biggest rodeo events in the United States.
Stefan Tonita, a graduate of Clavet Composite School and a freshman at Laramie County Community College (LCCC) in Wyoming, has been making a name for himself in the highly-competitive college rodeo circuit south of the border.
Since he enrolled in the college last September, he’s won top spot in the bull-riding competition at two rodeos, placed second at another and third at two more. His scores in the other five rodeos on the circuit were high enough to earn him a ranking of seventh place overall in the national college standings.
And that success meant he’s punched his ticket to the US College National Finals Rodeo (CNFR) in Casper, Wyoming June 13-19. It’s the biggest stage in the world for college-age cowboys and cowgirls.
“It’s been my goal from the start of the year to make it to the national finals,” said Tonita in a phone interview May 12. “I practiced a lot and worked hard. It’s pretty competitive just to make it into the finals, and I am pretty proud of that accomplishment.
“But now I’m focused on getting into the championship round at the national finals.
“Somebody’s going to seal the deal on June 19, and I really want to be that guy.”
Making it to the national finals rodeo in his freshman year is no small feat. There are 20 athletes on the LCCC rodeo team, and only two made it to the finals. There are 13 college rodeo districts in the US, with each district entitled to send three athletes to the national event.
Tonita said he feels ready for the CNFR, but intends to stay sharp by competing at a couple of pro rodeos, including one in Arizona, over the next couple of weeks.
“My ultimate goal is the professional circuit,” he said. “I want to get to as many pro rodeos as possible for the next while to get my qualifications up for next year.”
Tonita is the son of Laurie and Shelley Tonita of Corman Park. His dad is well-known in rodeo and horse-racing circles for his work as a farrier. Tonita grew up competing in high-school rodeos, and credits his parents and the close-knit rodeo community in Saskatcehwan for helping him achieve success.
“I fell in love with bull-riding when we used to go and watch the PBR events in Saskatoon,” said Tonita. “When I was 13, my dad built an arena at our place and we bucked a lot of bulls there. I also benefited from the advice of a lot of other people around the province who are great bull riders.”
At 5 foot 6 inches and 140 pounds, Tonita is dwarfed by the 2000-pound bulls he bursts out of the chute on.
But it’s not size that counts, he noted, adding 2020 PBR world champion Jose Vitor Leme of Brazil and former PBR World Champion Jess Lockwood each weigh about 130-140 pounds.
“Having that extra height and weight won’t help you,” he said. “The best bull riders in the world are light and athletic, it takes a lot of core strength and good balance to counter what the bull does.”
Tonita said he spends much of his time, when he’s not hitting the books (he’s pursuing a degree in business accounting) in the gym working on building strength and endurance.
But it also takes confidence and a level head to ride a four-legged tornado with horns, even for eight seconds.
“You’re never going to out-power a bull,” said Tonita. “Bulls can be pretty smart animals, and you have to understand them and figure out what they’re going to do. A lot of them will have similar patterns every time.
“A good bull rider is someone who has good animal skills; someone who can work with animals. There’s always a connection between people and animals. If you’re calm and cool, the animal can sense that.”
Tonita said he practices frequently on bulls that are used in the pro rodeo circuit to stay on the top of his game. So far, aside from regular bumps and bruises, his worst injury was a broken shoulder a few years ago.
“The best way to stay healthy in this sport is to practice as much as possible,” he said. “I know it sounds counter-intuitive, but the more bulls you ride, the better you get and the safer you are.”
Tonita said he intends to stay in Wyoming for the summer and compete in as many rodeos as possible before enrolling for his second year at college in the fall.
“Wyoming is a lot like home,” he said. “The people here are great.”
The website to follow CNFR events and results is www.cnfr.com.