After starting the summer by winning his hometown show, Chanse Vigen finished it off by winning the 2023 World Chuckwagon Championship. The Grande Prairie native marked several firsts and lasts during the 2023 season.
He won the Grande Prairie Ralph Vigen aggregate award for the first time, along with the Stompede Championship, continuing to repeat the streak in Ponoka while recording the fastest time all six days of the central Alberta show, setting a record. At this year’s Calgary Stampede, Vigen, who has five World Championship Outriding titles, made his last ride as an outrider behind Cody Ridsdale.
After clinching the World Championship on Saturday, Vigen says he doesn’t think it has sunk in yet.
“You know, in between, there were some special moments, and we had a good time. The crew has been a blast to work with; the wife and I just really enjoyed the whole experience the year brought. It is a blessing to have such a good group of horses, and it makes the year go by a lot smoother.”
With the 2023 season just ending, the world champion is already taking inspiration from this summer to put towards next year, specifically the pink sunglasses Team Vigen handed out this year.
“The pink sunglass thing took a life of its own I didn’t expect. We have gone through 3,000 pairs of those since Grande Prairie, and next year we are going to create some cool plans around them. Next year, we are gonna try to sell them and raise some money for some charities.”
Mitch Sutherland was the second-highest finishing Peace Country driver on the WPCA Tour, finishing 13th in the world standings. Cody Ridsdale finished 19th, with Tuff Dreger securing his spot on the pro tour as a full member next year with a 20th spot placing. Dayton Sutherland finished 22nd, with Dean Dreger in 24th and Kirk Sutherland at 26th. Derek Aebly was 33rd in the world standings, while Todd McCracken wrapped up the season in 38th position.
In the first year of the Elite Series, Team Grande Prairie finished 5th, just under a thousand points behind Team Strathmore, which won the inaugural competition.
