On a night when high scores were tough to come by, Logan Kadlec was the only cowboy to break 80 and it earned him victory in Midale on Saturday.
Kadlec won the fifth annual Black Gold Bullnanza with a ride of 82 aboard G Force in the second round, giving him the highest aggregate score at 158.
The Bladworth native had been sitting in a tie for second place after scoring 76 in the first round.
More than 20 bull riders from across the Prairies took two rides apiece at the Prairie Bull Riding Tour event, which packed the Harry O Memorial Arena.
Ben Kincaid of Eriksdale, Man., took second place with an aggregate of 154. He led the field with 77.5 in the first round, but his 76.5 score atop Unforgiven was not enough to hold on.
Adam Carlson of the Midale rodeo committee said the wet spring was largely responsible for the lower scores.
"The dirt was kind of wet and sloppy, so the bulls couldn't perform to the best of their abilities and there were more riders that stayed on," he said.
There were also some cowboys who couldn't make it due to injuries or Easter weekend commitments.
Carlson said the decision was made to allow every competitor two rides because of the smaller field. Normally, only the top six scorers from the first round get on a second bull to determine the winner.
Saturday's turnout was consistent with past Bullnanza events. Between 450 and 600 people showed up and about $14,500 was raised, excluding deductions, from the door, calcutta and the cabaret that followed.
Blake Berglund and the Kennedy Rodeo provided the dance entertainment.
Carlson and Jeremy Troendle represented Midale in the corral. Both were bucked, but put on a show for the hometown crowd.
Carlson rode Felony Bucker in the first round, while Troendle took on Say I Won't.
Tegan Hodgson of Carlyle was also bucked by both of his bulls, Wrench and Prairie Dog.
Some of the proceeds from Saturday's event will go toward the future construction of an outdoor facility, aimed at hosting a full-fledged rodeo as well as other events in 2012.
"We decided this year that we wanted to do it so we can host more rodeo functions," Carlson said.
A proposal will be presented at the next town meeting on May 10. If passed, the new corral will be built on town land north of the school grounds.
