Game Notes – Medicine Hat

MAKING MOVES IN MEDICINE HAT – This weekend, for the fifth time in history, PBR Canada’s elite Cup Series will buck into Medicine Hat, Alberta. The PBR Medicine Hat Classic, the eighth elite tour event of the season, will be held at Co-op Place on Saturday, October 18. The sold-out competition will begin at 7 p.m. MDT.

RELATED: Click here for the complete Medicine Hat Game Notes.

THIS WEEKEND’S FORMAT – The PBR Medicine Hat Classic will feature two rounds of bull riding and is a Tier 1 Challenger Series Global event. Each rider will get on one bull in Round 1 on Saturday. The 10 bull riders with the top scores will then advance to the championship round later than evening, where they will attempt one final bull in an effort to be crowned the event champion. This weekend, one rider will have the chance to earn 120 national points, in addition to ride score points.

BUTTAR REMAINS NO. 1 WITH GRANDE PRAIRIE WIN – This November Buttar is seeking history, and at the most recent Cup Series event in Grande Prairie, Alberta, the Saskatchewan rider inched one step closer to actualizing that goal. Already with two Canadian Championships to his name, should Buttar earn a third at 2025 season’s end, he would tie Aaron Roy for most titles held by one rider in three. When the Cup Series resumed competition at the end of September, No. 1 Buttar traveled to Bonnetts Energy Centre with a mere 1.5-point lead over No. 2 Jake Gardner. Delivering a perfect 2-for-2 performance, Buttar earned his PBR Canada-best third Cup Series victory of the season. He got off to a fast start in Grande Prairie, winning Round 1 courtesy of an 87-point ride on Linebacker. The reserved Saskatchewan man then remained atop the leaderboard when he outlasted Jet Black for 87 points in the final round. Garnering 111 national points for the win, Buttar grew his lead over No. 2 Gardner to 42.5 national points with just three regular season events remaining. Delivering one of the most consistent seasons of his PBR Canada career, Buttar holds the second-best riding percentage of any rider with more than 10 outs on Canadian soil this season, going a torrid 24-for-39 (61.54%). As competition continues this weekend in Medicine Hat, Alberta, Buttar will look to grow his lead when he first climbs aboard After Burner.

TETZ RETURNS – After spending nearly seven months on the sidelines recovering from a broken femur sustained in late March while competing on the elite Unleash The Beast in California, two-time and reigning PBR Canada Champion Nick Tetz will return to competition this weekend in Medicine Hat, Alberta. Prior to sustaining the injury, Tetz competed at the Cup Series events in both Red Deer and Lethbridge, Alberta. After going 1-for-2 to finish seventh in Red Deer, Tetz went a flawless 3-for-3 to win the event in Lethbridge. The victory marked Tetz’ fifth consecutive Cup Series win in Lethbridge. While Tetz has missed the majority of the Canadian campaign, his early season success allowed him to remain inside the nation’s Top 20. He will make his way to Medicine Hat ranked No. 16 in Canada, 846.17 points behind No. 1 Dakota Buttar as Tetz attempts to become the first rider in history to win the PBR Canada Championship in back-to-back seasons. And his return comes in a place Tetz has past success. Last season in Medicine Hat, Tetz went a perfect 2-for-2 to win the event and reclaim the No. 1 rank in Canada. In his return, Tetz will square off against Slingin Stones in Round 1 of the Medicine Hat Classic.

PARSONAGE RIDES RED HOT – In his storied career, one title has eluded Jared Parsonage, that of PBR Canada Champion. However, with Parsonage riding in seemingly unstoppable form, 2025 may just be the year he wins the title and accompanying $100,000 bonus. When Cup Series was last in action at the end of September in Grande Prairie, Alberta, Parsonage went a perfect 2-for-2 to tie for the event win alongside No. 1 Dakota Buttar. Parsonage began his golden showing at the Peace Country Invitational by registering the second-best score of the opening round, making the requisite 8 on Special Ops for 86 points. The veteran contender then delivered the high-marked ride of the event in the championship round when he conquered Moonwalk for 88 points. Leaving Grande Prairie with 110.5 national points, Parsonage remained No. 3 in Canada, climbing within 186.67 points of No. 1 Buttar. Across the 2025 PBR Canada season, Parsonage has gone 22-for-38 (57.89%), having won four events and nine rounds across both the Cup Series and Touring Pro Division. And Parsonage’s winning ways have extended beyond the PBR arena. Last week, Parsonage rode lights out at the Canadian Finals Rodeo to win his third Canadian title in pro rodeo. With his focus now back on PBR Canada action, Parsonage will look to gain ground on the No. 1 rank this weekend, first attempting Jojo’s Mojo in Round 1 of the PBR Medicine Hat Classic.

GARDNER KEEPS PACE IN TITLE HUNT – Another man chasing his first PBR Canada Championship this November is Jake Gardner. While the No. 2-ranked rider in the Canadian standings came up short of the event win at the most recent Cup Series event in Grande Prairie, Alberta, he kept pace by delivering a third-place finish. Logging matching 86-point scores, “The Prince of the Peach Country,” dominated Hanna Motors Stand By You in Round 1 and Bow Before Me in the championship round. The flawless performance garnered him 70 national points and Gardner will travel to Medicine Hat trailing No. 1-ranked Dakota Buttar by a mere 42.5 national points. Thus far in 2025, Gardner has gone 31-for-57, covering 54.39% of his animal athlete opponents. Across both the elite Cup Series and developmental Touring Pro Division, Gardner has also tallied five event and three round wins. As the season resumes this weekend in Medicine Hat, Alberta, Gardner has drawn Highway to Heaven in Round 1.

MAISONNEAUVE WOWS IN ROOKIE DEBUT – At the most recent Cup Series event in Grande Prairie, Alberta, 18-year-old Jeremy Maisonneauve made his PBR Canada debut in electric form, going a flawless 2-for-2 to tie for fourth. His flawless performance included a 79-point score atop Time To Twist in Round 1, and 86-point ride aboard Bon Jovi in the championship round. The teenage sensation earned 40.5 national points and rose from unranked to No. 41 in Canada as he seeks a late-season berth to the PBR Canada National Finals on Nov. 14-15 in Edmonton, Alberta. Returning to the arena this weekend in Medicine Hat, Alberta, Maisonneauve has drawn Purple People Eater in Round 1.

WELCOME PRCA WORLD NO. 1 WACEY SCHALLA – This weekend’s Cup Series event in Medicine Hat, Alberta, will feature the PBR Canada debut for current PRCA No. 1 bull rider Wacey Shalla. With less than two months remaining before the 2025 National Finals Rodeo, Schalla, who is also No. 2 in the PRCA’s all-around race, will travel to Canada to remain at the top of his game. During his rodeo season, Schalla won an unrivaled $352,596.11 USD, topping the field at marquee rodeos including the 2025 Calgary Stampede. In his PBR Canada debut, Schalla has drawn Jet Black in Round 1 of the PBR Medicine Hat Classic.

RATTLER KEEPING AND GAMBLER MILLER COME TO CANADA – With the PBR Teams league having an off weekend prior to the 2025 Championship in Las Vegas, two riders will make the most of free weekend, travelling to Canada to compete at the PBR Medicine Hat Classic. Daniel Keeping will represent the 2023 PBR Teams Champion Texas Rattlers, while Callum Miller hails from the 2024 PBR Teams Champion Austin Gamblers, both teams who have earned byes into this season’s year-end tournament. For Keeping, he has competed at three Canadian events this season, finishing inside the Top 10 in each outing. Having gone 3-for-6 thus far in Canada in 2025, Keeping is responsible for one of three 90-point rides in the Great White North this season, having covered Pagewire for 90 points at the June Cup Series event in Ottawa, Ontario. Currently ranked No. 22 in the Canadian national standings, Keeping has drawn Leader of the Pack in Round 1 in Medicine Hat.

For Miller his lone outing thus far in 2025 on Canadian soil was during the five-part Cody Snyder Charity Bull Bustin’ Touring Pro Division series held this July in Calgary, Alberta. Despite his limited time in Canada, Miller has logged two victories and an additional fourth-place finish, having gone 3-for-5. Miller has also registered a 90-point ride in Canada in 2025, having topped Yolo for 90 points to earn his second event win. Ranked No. 28 in Canada, Miller has drawn Black Mamba in Round 1 of the Cup Series event in Medicine Hat.   

PAST MEDICINE HAT EVENT WINNERS – When the Cup Series last travelled to Medicine Hat in October 2024, Nick Tetz swept the competition, going a perfect 2-for-2 and delivering the first 90-point ride of the season, to win the event and overtake the No. 1 rank in the race for the 2024 Canadian Championship. Tetz got off to a sensational start in Round 1, topping the scoreboard when he teamed with House Fire for an 86-point score. He then elected to go head-to-head with Langham Kid in the championship round and put up a monstrous 90 points to clinch the victory. Courtesy of the golden finish, Tetz garnered a crucial 137 national points. He leapfrogged Cody Coverchuk for the then No. 1 rank in Canada by 32 points. After being surpassed for the No. 1 rank in Canada on the final day of the regular season, Tetz made a come-from-behind surge at the National Finals, winning the event en route to being crowned the 2024 PBR Canada Champion. Tetz is the fifth rider to win multiple PBR Canada Championships, and the fourth to win the National Finals and Championship in the same season. Tetz’ win in Medicine Hat and at the National Finals were two of an unprecedented 12 event victories for the young Calgarian in 2024, as he earned a historic $249,622.29 CAD on home soil. Other past Cup Series winners include: Jordan Hansen (2023), Brock Radford (2022) and Zane Lambert (2021).

In 2019, the PBR debuted in the Alberta city, hosting a stop on the developmental Touring Pro Division. As one of two riders to deliver a perfect performance, Dakota Buttar captured his second PBR Canada event win of the season. Buttar’s evening began strong in Round 1, recording the second highest marks when he reached the 8-second whistle aboard Broken Trigger for 85 points. Continuing the momentum, the then 26-year-old remained flawless in Medicine Hat when he recorded the high-marked ride of the event, scored 88.5 points on Spooky Lukie in the championship round. For his efforts, Buttar earned 320 Canadian points, propelling him from No. 12 to No.5 in the standings. 

2024 Nick Tetz
2023 Jordan Hansen
2022 Brock Radford
2021 Zane Lambert
2019 Dakota Buttar

FAMILIAR WATERS – Round 1 of the PBR Medicine Hat Classic will feature seven rematches. Those riders facing familiar opponents are:

• Jake Gardner will look to remain perfect against Highway to Heaven. The two first squared off in February 2024 at the Cup Series event in Red Deer, Alberta, as Gardner made the requisite 8 for 85 points.
• Tanner Eno will also attempt to improve to a perfect 2-0 versus F.A.F.O. Eno dominated the powerful animal athlete for 85 points this July at the Touring Pro Division event in Calgary, Alberta.
• Weston Davidson will attempt Bon Jovi for the third time in his career, seeking his first qualified ride. There first showdown was at this February’s Cup Series event in Red Deer, Alberta, as Davidson was tossed in 3.76 seconds. They next met at the May Touring Pro Division event in Brooks, Alberta, as Davidson was upended in 3.4 seconds.
• Chanse Switzer will look to even the score against Night Fury. Switzer first climbed about the bull this July at the Touring Pro Division event in Calgary, Alberta, hitting the ground in 2.41 seconds.
• Garrett Green has drawn a familiar foe in House Fire. At the 2024 PBR Canada National Finals, Green was launched by House Fire in 4.86 seconds.
• Gilmar Santana and Still Smokin will go head-to-head for the second time. This past July at the Cup Series event in Kelowna, British Columbia, Santana was bucked off in 3.2 seconds.
• Logan Biever has drawn the final rematch in Hammer Time. At the most recent Cup Series event in Grande Prairie, Alberta, Biever was bucked off by the bull in 4.43 seconds.

NEXT UP – The PBR Canada Cup Series will next travel to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, and SaskTel Centre for the PBR Saskatoon Classic, presented by Redhead Equipment and Case IH, on Friday, October 24 and Saturday, October 25. Action will get underway nightly at 7 p.m. CST.   

PROVIDING PROTECTION – The bullfighters on hand for this weekend’s event in Medicine Hat, Alberta, are Jesse Byrne, Tanner Byrne and Logan Kadlec.

 

MEDICINE HAT COMPETITORS BY COUNTRY

Australia (1) – Callum Miller

Brazil (2) – Jerson Arantes, Gilmar Santana

Canada (22) – William Barrows, Logan Biever, Dakota Buttar, Cody Coverchuk, Weston Davidson, Tanner Eno, Jake Gardner, Wyatt Gleeson, Garrett Green, Jordan Hansen, Griffin Koester, Eric O’Flynn, Jeremy Maisonneauve, Shay Marks, Austin Paley, Jared Parsonage, Lonnie Phillips, Aaron Roy, Cauy Schmidt, Chanse Switzer, Nick Tetz, Lonnie West

New Zealand (1) – Wade Marshall

United States (2) – Daniel Keeping, Wacey Schalla 

BREAKDOWN BY PROVINCE –

Alberta – William Barrows Logan Biever, Tanner Eno, Wyatt Gleeson, Garrett Green, Jordan Hansen, Griffin Koester, Shay Marks, Austin Paley, Cauy Schmidt, Nick Tetz, Lonnie West; British Columbia – Jake Gardner, Eric O’Flynn, Lonnie Phillips; Quebec – Jeremy Maisonneauve; Saskatchewan – Dakota Buttar, Cody Coverchuk, Weston Davidson, Jared Parsonage, Aaron Roy, Chanse Switzer.