Jones snags junior high school rodeo title
Fallon Jones is having herself a career year on the junior high school rodeo circuit.
The 14-year-old Prince George Secondary School student finished at the top of her class in B.C. and claimed the 2019 all-around cowgirl junior title over the May long weekend at the provincial finals in Barriere.
Winning the goat tying event on the final day of competition came with a painful price for Jones.
“On the short go on the last day I sprained my foot in the middle of my run and had to keep tying my goat,” she said.
“You have to flank (the goat), so you sit on it and tie three legs together so you do two wraps and a knot.”
During the three-day event she won the goat tying and all-around competitions, was reserve champion in ribbon roping and breakaway, was fourth in team roping, fifth in pole bending and sixth in barrel racing. She came in to Barriere as a top-10 qualifier in all six events.
For winning the junior championship Jones received a gift certificate for a new saddle. Combined with her other prizes and trophy buckles her winnings amounted to about $4,000.
Jones went into the finals as the season leader in four events – breakaway roping, team roping, goat tying and .22-calibre small bore rifle shooting.
Next week, Jones will be in Huron, S.D., for the national junior finals rodeo, an international competition that will draw the best entrants from the four western provinces of Canada, 50 U.S. States, Mexico and Australia. Jones competed there last year in her first national finals.
This time, armed with an all-around title, that gives her the kind of credentials that could land her on the radar of NCAA college coaches looking for potential athletes to offer scholarships.
“It’s pretty exciting,” she said. “When you go down to the States you meet people you’ll eventually compete against when you’re older, at college. I met a lot of people there last year.”
After her trip to South Dakota, Jones will turn her attention to the Canadian high school rodeo finals in Merritt, July 26-28. She’s set to compete in five events in Huron – goat tying, breakaway roping, ribbon roping, team roping and small bore shooting. She could have entered pole bending and barrel racing but decided to leave her best horse in Prince George so he’s well-rested for the Canadian finals.
She’ll have two of her horses along for the ride – Pooh Bear will carry her in team roping and goat tying, while Gordon, her most competitive horse, will enter the breakaway.
Jones was in the top-10 in points in B.C. in all six rodeo events – breakaway, team roping, goat tying, ribbon roping, barrel racing, pole bending.
Rifle shooting has been part of B.C. high school rodeos for about three years, but the shooting events don’t count for points in the overall standings. Juniors (Grades 6-8) are limited to just .22 rifle shooting, while seniors (Grades 9-12) also have a skeet shooting event.
To help stay in shape for rodeo season Jones works out recreationally with the Prince George Judo Club and has been with the club for six years. That physical strength comes in handy in the rodeo arena when she’s tying goats and roping steers and the balance drills she goes through in judo prepare her well for the riding events.
For the past two years she’s practicing her shooting with her grandfather, Garry Suter, learning how to control her breathing while she’s on the target range.
“There are so many people, family and friends and supporters at so many different levels,” said Christine Jones, Fallon’s mother.
Jones also plans to enter the B.C. team roping championships, Aug. 2-4 in Quesnel and the B.C. rodeo finals Sept. 6-8 in Barriere. Nevada Jones, Fallon’s 10-year-old sister, is also entering both events. Prince George will host a high school rodeo at Exhibition Park, Aug. 23-25, which counts towards the 2019-20 points standings.