The wind couldn't keep down spirits or the competition at the Halfway Valley Round-up 2010 over the weekend.

Despite extremely blustery weather and threatening skies, it was one of the better rodeos, said Jeff Metecheah, president of the Halfway River Valley Rough Stock and Roping Club.

“We actually had some bull riders, we actually bucked some horses, which is rare nowadays in rodeos,” he said.

The rodeo is about 10 years old, though Halfway residents have been involved in rodeos since the 1960s.

Christina McDonald from the rodeo executive said it was an excellent turnout this year and it just keeps getting bigger.

“This is really important to us as a community…everybody looks forward to the Halfway rodeo. It’s the lifestyle of the Halfway, so everybody does it.”

Despite all the great things about the rodeo, it was hit by a bit of sadness this year as a rider injured himself on the Saturday and a horse died during Sunday’s competition.

“The horse stepped on a shank and broke his neck, it happens in rodeo,” said Metecheah. “We respect the animals. They’re athletes too in their own right...it’s one of those things. He’s been around rodeo for a long time.”

Justin Siemens of Charlie Lake won Sunday’s bull riding with a 79-point ride, beating Marvin Yahey Jr.’s 75. They were the only two competitors to stay on for the full eight seconds on Sunday. Matt O'Flynn won Saturday's bull riding competition.

Siemens said it feels good to win, especially considering he’s had a broken leg most of the season.

“I broke my leg this spring, so I’m just happy to stay on and start getting some bulls under me again,” he said after his win, adding that it was a slow recovery process. This was his fourth rodeo back. He won first overall at the Doig River Rodeo, then placed third in Whitehorse and second in Saturday’s competition.

Steve Hohmann travelled from Quesnel to compete at the Halfway this weekend, something he’s been doing for the past eight or nine years.

“I love it, it’s great,” he said, adding that he brought his wife and daughter who also competed. “It’s fun to bring them all along and be able to compete together and just make a good, fun weekend out of it.”

Hohmann took first in both days of the bareback racing, second in Sunday’s saddle bronc and was just a few tenths of a second away from making a qualified ride in Sunday’s bull riding. He said he said the bareback competition had some good horses.

“I didn’t ride that great, but still, it worked well,” he said. He was the only competitors in Sunday’s event.

“[Saturday] there was a few other guys, but they got bucked off, so it ended up paying real good because I won all of the money. In that way, it pays real good if you’re the only one to ride.”

Andy Copeland won both days of saddle bronc riding.

It takes a lot of preparation to bring the stock to these rodeos and it’s specialized for every rodeo, said Roy Call of C+ Rodeos who has supplied stock to come of the biggest rodeos in Canada.

“We bring stock here that is right for the right guys,” he said.

“We bring a lot of old horses that the guys can ride and have some fun with because these guys aren’t going every day, they’re not top of the line guys. And the same thing with the bulls, we bring young bulls or old bulls that are nice to ride and they buck a little bit, but they’re not too treacherous, we’re a long ways from a trauma center. You gotta keep that in mind when you’re doing it.”

Call, from 150 Mile House, has been coming to the Halfway Rodeo for quite a while and said it’s a lot of fun.

“It’s nice to see the whole band how everybody pitches in from the concession stand to the breakfast that they have to all the guys that volunteer their help and time here. If you didn’t have all the volunteers, you couldn’t make the thing work. That’s what I really enjoy about Halfway. Everybody makes an effort and works together to make the event."

Full results were unavailable by press time.