MAPLETON – From zero to top of the leader board, Mapleton cowboy Mitchel Walker won big at the 2024 RAM Rodeo awards ceremony in Orangeville on March 22.
Walker received a belt buckle for winning the season with the most points and a belt buckle and coat for winning the championship final in the novice division.
“To go from having zero success to having any sort of success was like leaps for me,” said Walker.
Winner – Mapleton cowboy Mitchel Walker won big at the 2024 RAM Rodeo awards ceremony in Orangeville on March 22. Submitted photos
“It kind of sent me up to the stars and I felt really good about what I was doing.”
Walker has been competing in the Ontario Rodeo for five years now and spent three of those years bull riding before ultimately switching to bronc riding.
“I was not a good bull rider,” Walker said with a laugh. “You look at any guy doing it professionally, they’re like 5’5” and they weigh 100 pounds. I am 6’2” 220 pounds.
“I was not built for riding bulls, I was sending myself to the hospital every other weekend. But I love the sport of it. I loved it too much to give up on it. So I switched events and tried something that I was more built for.”
After the switch, Walker said he began to see success and decided to “put all his cards on the table” and dedicated lots of time to training.
“A lot of it is gym strength training; I would say a big part of it is also mental training too,” said Walker.
“It’s the most dangerous sport in the world that we’re going to compete in, and it takes one wrong landing, one wrong misstep, and … that could be the end of it.”
Walker told the Advertiser that accepting those risks and preparing for the worst was how he got ready for the season.
“[It’s] just mental games all the way up until it was time to saddle up,” he said.
Asked why he got into the world of rodeo, Walker simply said it was something he had always wanted to try.
“I didn’t know we actually had rodeo until probably a year before I started riding,” said Walker.
“I kind of always thought it was more of a southern sport or a western thing. So to find out the rodeos were around here was kind of exciting, because it was something that I always wanted to try … I just wanted to say that I did it.”
Each ride is scored out of 100 points; 50 points goes to the rider and how well the rider does during the ride and 50 points goes to the horse and how well it performs.
“It’s almost like a team sport, you want a good-heart animal that’s going to buck really hard and make you look good while you’re doing it so you score the most points,” said Walker.
The rider who scores the most points out of 100 is crowned winner, with the top three placing riders receiving cash prizes.
“You do that 17 times throughout the year, and at the end … when it comes to the championship … the money and points are doubled,” Walker explained.
The top riders of the season compete in the championship rodeo in Ancaster in October, at which time he overall winner is determined.
“You have to qualify for the championship in Ancaster,” said Walker.
“For rough stock … I think they take the top five guys throughout the season, and for the timed events … I think they do like 10 or 12 girls.
“But I’m hoping to qualify for this year.”
Despite the challenges, dangers and inevitable injuries of the sport, Walker intends to continue gritting his teeth and competing for as long as he can.
“If you can’t put that pain away in the back of your mind for eight seconds, you have no business playing this game,” said Walker.
