Stampede Final Day: Rodeo and Is It The Greatest Outdoor Show On Earth?

Bareback Riding
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Final day of the Calgary Stampede and I had a list of things I wanted to see in the Rodeo and it was granted to me. A couple days prior, I was repairing a windshield for a guy and we started chatting he worked for an oil company and as soon as he found out I was from Australia he was pretty intrigued at my accent and being Asian as he didn’t expect it. Then the conversation carried over to the topic of the Stampede. He asked “If I had experienced the whole Calgary Stampede yet?”

“No, I’ve been to the Chuck Wagon races and the Grandstand show but not the rodeo.” I replied. He then reached into his car rummaging through his glove box trying to locate something and he pulled out 4 pink slips and 2 orange slips. He handed them to me and said “I’m sure you’ve got a few friends you could take along.” Confused at what he was referring to, I looked down at the tickets that he placed in my hand and there were four Grandstand tickets and two Rodeo tickets. “No way!” I responded in shock. I couldn’t believe it, he just handed me well over $100 worth of tickets. Making sure he wasn’t going to use them before I accepted them I asked him “Are you sure you’re not going to go?”

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“I get these tickets every year and go every year so you keep them” he replied. Thrilled with excitement I shook his hand as a token of appreciation.

So getting back to the final day, I giddied up in my Cowboy Western gear with Jimmy and off we went to meet up with a few other people to watch the Rodeo. Trac had 3 tickets for the Rodeo and I had 2 so it all worked out free for all. Again this time we went up to the restaurant and got a table close enough to see the bull and horse riding. The aim of the bull riding was to ride the bull for 8 seconds flat holding a braided rope that is firmly wrapped around the Bulls girth with one hand while it kicks and spins around in a frenzy, trying to fling the cowboys like rag dolls to get them of its back. The rider is disqualified if his freehand touches any part of the bull or if the rider is bucked of the bull before the 8 seconds is up. The ride is then judged by a panel of judges.

Saddle Bronc
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Following was the horse back riding which was the same concept as the bull riding but riders are required to reach as far forward as they can with their feet, then roll his spurs(the metal heel band that spins, worn at the back of a cowboys boots) back as far as he can. This is what the judges score on. Then there was the Saddle Bronc, where a saddle is strapped to the back of a wild horse and again it is a 8 second ride where the ride is judged and scored.

Then more entertainment followed, the Steer Wrestling was next however this is a timed event where a steer and a cowboy riding a horse are enclosed behind a fence then once the fence opens the timer is started and the steer bolts out of the fence as if it is running for it’s life and the cowboy rides relentlessly chasing after it as fast as it could then he jumps off his horse grabbing the steers horn and by some wrestling maneuver he twists the horns and the steer falls on its side and the time is taken.

My view from the Restaurant
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Now my favorite event was the Tie Down roping apart from the bull riding and how it works is almost the same concept with the Steer Wrestling but a calf is released. Then the cowboy rides after it twirling a rope in the air which is strapped to the horse then he releases it with precision aiming roping the calf around the neck and he halts the horse to ensure the calf stops running then he gets off the horse and runs to the calf with a smaller piece of rope in his hand and body slams the calf wrestling style on his side and grabs 3 of the 4 legs and ties them together. All this done is done in a matter of seconds and at which the timer is then stopped.

Bull Riding
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After the rodeo we hung around until evening and we then went off to use up the Grandstand show tickets that I had and also enjoyed dinner at the restaurant again. Although it was exactly the same show, I still enjoyed it just as much as I did the first time around. Especially Ron Lucas, the ventriloquist. So that was my Stampede experience. Is it the greatest outdoor show on earth as it is claimed to be? I would have to say surely the best outdoor show that I’ve been to yet. However I did miss out on the partying down on 17^th Avenue with every bar packed to its fullest, ridiculous cover charges and unbelievingly expensive drinks. A slight regret that I didn’t quite make it at least one night but the first 5 months of my trip was exactly that.