The winners from the first ever Breakaway Roping at the 2020 N.D. Winter Show stand with their horses. From left to right; Laine Klasinki (reserve champion); Calby Hanson (champion) and Morgan Foss (third place.)
By Ruth Nicolaus
VALLEY CITY, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – A Spiritwood, N.D. woman topped the boards at the inaugural Breakaway Roping at the North Dakota Winter Show in Valley City on March 4.
Calby Hanson made three runs for an aggregate time of 10.62 seconds on three to win the championship.
Hanson’s win came aboard a mare that had had the winter off.
When her primary horse came up lame, she turned to Flyby, an eight-year-old mare who was fresh out of the pasture.
“I rode her for two days,” Hanson said, “and I roped on her last night, the first time since last fall. She worked great. She’s only eight but she’s my old faithful.”
Hanson had a strategy, coming into the night’s competition: stay consistent. “I knew the calves were going to be fresh, so I wasn’t going to break out (break the barrier, which adds a ten second penalty). I was just going to rope three. That was my goal and we got her done.”
Hanson’s older sister Laine Klasinski won reserve champion with a time of 18.62 seconds on three. The two women were the only ones to make three qualified runs; no one else made two qualified runs.
Roping and horses are a family affair for the Hansons. Calby and Laine’s dad, Shawn, was instrumental in getting the new event started at the Winter Show, and he was there, as well as their mom, Lisa, and Charlie, Laine’s husband. Charlie pulled the barrier; Shawn was “supervising,” Calby laughed, and Lisa made sure everything went smoothly for the first-ever event. Lisa had planned on competing, but she chose not to. “She wanted to make sure there would be enough people to help,” Calby said. “She would have loved to rope but she likes making sure everything is kosher and taken care of.”
Calby and Laine were thankful for the Winter Show’s hosting of the Breakaway Roping. “You can’t just say, let’s do this,” Laine said. “There’s so much work that goes into it that people don’t see. (The Winter Show) worked really hard for this, and we are thankful for that. We give a big thank you to the Winter Show and Tesa Klein for putting it on.”
Breakaway roping, which is nearly always a women’s event, is gaining popularity across the nation and has been included in some large pro rodeos, including The American at AT&T Stadium, Cheyenne (Wyo.) Frontier Days, and others. Calby and Laine hope it is included in the Winter Show’s PRCA rodeo next year, or as a stand-alone event, like this year.
“We sure hope it’s back next year,” Calby said. “We’ll be here.
Calby works as a registered nurse in Valley City; Laine is a fifth grade teacher in Jamestown. Both women are avid breakaway ropers and have been since their school years.
“It was a heck of a good day,” Calby said. “A bad day roping is better than any other day.”
The 83rd annual North Dakota Winter Show continues with more activities through the end of the week. The Day of the Horse is March 5, with a Pony Pull, Horse Pull, Horse Team events and Ranch Rodeo. Friday features ag advocate Amanda Radke at 10 am and the annual 4-H Critter Corral (March 6 -7). The 2020 N.D. Winter Show royalty is crowned on March 7 at 1:30 pm, and three performances of PRCA rodeo take place (March 6-7).
For more information and a complete schedule, visit the website at www.NorthDakotaWinterShow.com or call 701.845.1401.
Unofficial results from the Breakaway Roping follow:
- Calby Hanson, Spiritwood, N.D. 10.62 seconds on 3 runs;
- Laine Klasinki, Jamestown, ND. 18.62/3
- Morgan Foss, Dickinson, N.D. 2.93/1.