TABER, Alta. – Blare Friesen ended her 4-H career on a high note when she won grand champion steer at the Taber and area show and sale June 4.
The 16 year old from Vauxhall, Alta., has been in the program for eight years and decided to retire so she can devote more time to her barrel racing career.
“If I want to rodeo more, I don’t have time for 4-H,” she said after selling her 1,373 pound champion for $2 a pound to Luigi’s Pizza in Taber.
She has been active in the rodeo circuit since she was 12, following in her parents’ footsteps as infield enthusiasts.
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Her mother is a barrel racer and her father is a team roper.
Friesen competes in about eight events per year, including 4-H rodeo.
By taking more time for rodeo, she hopes to follow in the footsteps of another teenaged barrel racer, Jill Blesplug of Claresholm, Alta., who has won the Calgary Stampede $50,000 purse for two consecutive years.
This was Friesen’s first time in the 4-H championship circle, although she has won local showmanship prizes with the Vauxhall beef club.
Approaching her final year of high school, she plans to enter the medical field but compete in more rodeos, partly for the travel opportunities.
“I like to see new places,” she said.
The Taber event saw 90 youngsters compete in the beef ring.
Reserve grand champion went to Tyler Bohnen from the 4-H beef club in Hays, Alta., and high rate of gain went to Blare’s cousin, Erin Friesen, whose steer averaged 4.34 lb. per day.
Erin also won an award for champion showmanship.
