CASHING IN AT THE RIGHT TIME Boisjoli Banks Most Money Over the Fourth of July Amongst Ropers By Ted Harbin A s May rolled into June, breakaway roper Shelby Boisjoli felt a little behind the eight-ball. She’d spent a good portion of her spring planning the May 13 nuptials to PRCA tie-down roper Haven Meged,
something they should and did celebrate. As a competitor, though, Boisjoli knew she needed something to bolster her place in the WPRA ProRodeo Breakaway Roping world standings. She and her husband enjoyed a honeymoon in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, then it was time to go back to work. She picked back up on her practice regimen and ventured west to kick off her summer run at the legendary Reno Rodeo, where she won the first round and the short go and placed in the second round to win the aggregate title, pocketing more than $12,000. “That was a huge hit, because I went into the summer behind,” said Boisjoli, a three-time National Finals Breakaway Roping qualifier originally from Langdon, Alberta, but now living in Stephenville, Texas. “It was a huge week for me; Reno really helped me climb up in the standings. “Reno was a pretty big deal for me. It’s definitely a bucket-list rodeo. I’ve made the short go every year I’ve gone there, so I was super excited to win this year.” Besides the bankroll, she gathered the coveted silver spurs awarded to Reno’s champions. Most importantly, she had momentum on her side, something she carried with her over the next few weeks. In fact, the $15,397 she gathered in the series of rodeos around the Fourth of July holiday secured her as the top breakaway roping earner over Cowboy Christmas. With that, she edged out Beau Peterson of Council Grove, Kansas,
for the top spot in Fourth of July earnings, pocketing just $211 more. Kelsie Domer of Dublin, Texas, was third in Cowboy Christmas earnings. Boisjoli earned paydays in Greeley, Colorado; Belle Fourche, South Dakota; Mandan, North Dakota; Basin City, Washington; and Prescott, Arizona. At the World’s Oldest Rodeo, she had her biggest check, $7,896. “That made a huge difference for my earnings over the Fourth,” she said of her win in Prescott. “I loved getting to compete there. It worked out really good for us. We roped in the performance that night and roped again in the slack after the performance. I’ve gone to that rodeo twice and placed both times. It’s been good to me. It’s got a longer start and a unique setup, so that makes it interesting.” Boisjoli worked seven rodeos over that stretch, earning money at five, all while crisscrossing the countryside. “The Fourth run was crazy,” she said. “I didn’t think I had the best Fourth run; I messed up at quite a few rodeos, but the ones I did good at were high-paying rodeos, so it worked out pretty well.” Life didn’t change much with her marriage to Meged. Both make a living with ropes in their hands, so that means time apart during much of the summer. When they can make their schedules click, they try to spend it together. During July, their time was spent on the phone and a one-time wave as they raced across the West. “We passed each other on the highway a couple weeks ago,” Boisjoli said. “I was heading from Salinas to Utah, and he was driving to Salinas. “I don’t know if being a newlywed had anything to do with me having success over that stretch. We got a good start to the summer with a wedding that had friends and family with us. With wedding planning, we took a lot of time off rodeo, about three weeks with that and the Shelby Boisjoli added $3,917 to her total in Mandan, ND, after finishing in a tie for second in a time of 2.4 seconds. Photo by Jackie Jensen
Shelby Boisjoli was riding a wave of confidence after winning the Reno Rodeo as she headed into the Fourth of July run. Boisjoli crisscrossed the United States and landed atop the Cowboy Christmas leaderboard with $15,397. Her largest check came at the World’s Oldest Rodeo in Prescott, AZ (shown here) where she captured the title and $7,896. Photo by Fernando Sam-Sin
20 WPRA NEWS AUGUST 2023
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