Kolby Wanchuk hasn’t had much time to sit still lately. Just days after he and his wife Karlie welcomed their first child — a baby boy named Rhodes — Wanchuk was back on the rodeo trail, making the trek north to compete in the inaugural Lakeland Xtreme Bronc Riding in Cold Lake.

And despite the long drive and a few sleepless nights with a newborn, the 28-year-old bronc rider from Stettler made it count.

Wanchuk delivered back-to-back 89-point rides, dominating the long go, short go and the aggregate. The result? A clean sweep of the competition and a $6,922 payday that boosted both his CPRA and PRCA standings.

“They let me sleep in this morning,” Wanchuk said with a laugh, referring to his young family after the event.

Wanchuk’s latest success comes on the heels of a strong winter rodeo run, which included top finishes in Denver, Fort Worth, San Antonio and Tucson. But the big moment came in Houston, where he split the Championship Shootout with Ryder Wright, solidifying his spot in the top fifteen in the world standings.

He’s held on to that spot despite stepping back from the California circuit to spend time at home — preparing for fatherhood and working on the new Wanchuk acreage.

“I didn’t rodeo that hard through the winter so this win feels really good,” said the three-time WNFR qualifier. “The money from Cold Lake counts for both associations, so that made it even more important.”

Wanchuk credited the two broncs that carried him to victory: Big Stone Rodeo’s Gone Fishin in the long go and C5 Rodeo’s Trump Card in the championship round.

“Gone Fishin is a short, stocky horse and he’s a bit of a handful. He had a stutter step in there but once he got going he was super fun,” Wanchuk said. “Trump Card had a little scoot at the start then he broke hard and he was pretty electric. I just had to keep moving and keep swinging.”

Zeke Thurston, a four-time world champion, claimed second, while Kole Ashbacher finished third overall. The results are expected to shake up the Canadian standings, with Ashbacher taking over the lead, Wanchuk climbing into the top three, and Thurston breaking into the top five.

Next up on the CPRA circuit is the 105th Falkland Stampede, set for May 17 to 19 in interior British Columbia.

Full unofficial results from Cold Lake and the latest event schedule can be found at www.rodeocanada.com.