A local cowboy is in a contest for sponsorship and is hoping for some local support to put him over the top.
Michael Solberg, who lives and ranches east of Drumheller near Big Stone, competes in bareback. He is hoping for sponsorship from a clothing company called Kimes Ranch.
“It would be for a one year jeans and clothing sponsorship for competitors outside of the US,” he tells The Mail. “They are a relatively new company, and are just coming into Canada.”
He learned about the contest through a rodeo chat he follows on Twitter. He only had a day to enter before the entry closed.
“It was kind of hurried, but I got it in,” he chuckles.
The bareback rider has competed in the Canadian Finals Rodeo twice as a novice and placed in second both times.
In 2012, he was one of a small number of bareback riders ever to place in all six rounds of the CFR.
He has been to the Calgary Stampede three times and his best result was in 2013. He placed second in the wild card round and made it to the Sunday Showdown. There he scored a respectable 87.5, but just missed the final four, $100,000 round. He did leave with a $10,000 purse.
2014 was a tough season as he was knocked out of contention for the year on the Canada Day Long Weekend.
“During that period I decided that I wanted to be in the absolute best shape I could be in, and be ready for any bucking horse I got on in 2015,’ Solberg said in his sponsorship bio. I’m slimmer than I ever thought I could be, and twice as strong. I’ve been on several practice horses this fall that we’ve taken to the CFR, and every one I got on I have felt stronger and faster than I ever have before,” he said.
To get to this point over the winter he has been busy taking care of his ranch and then heading the gym in Drumheller every second day.
What would make his upcoming season complete however is the sponsorship. Solberg compiled a bio and a number of clips of him competing to post as his entry. This is on the Kimes Ranch website. Now it is up to fans to vote for their favourite to represent Kimes Ranch internationally.
So far, Solberg is doing very well, and is leading with almost 600 total votes, but more importantly 296 verified votes. This means the voter must complete the process and respond to verification e-mail.
The voting goes until midnight May 1. To vote for Solberg, go to www. Kimesranch.com and follow the link to sponsorship.