RODEO NOTES: Langdon cowgirl wins historic first run of breakaway roping at Calgary Stampede
And the brightest in the much-ballyhooed debut was a home-town cowgirl.
Shelby Boisjoli-Meged, of Langdon, Alta., was all smiles after winning Friday's event and forever etching her name in the rodeo's record books.
'I didn't really think about (making history),' said the smiling Boisjoli-Meged. 'But that is really cool to think about. And in terms of just having an event here … yeah … it's extra special for me.
'This is my hometown rodeo.'
Fact is the first-time performance is dang special for all the breakaway ropers.
After decades of being featured at other rodeos across the continent and years of lobbying for it to become a staple here in Calgary, the news in March of its inclusion brought on a big hurrah.
It also came with the thumbs up it would pay out the same as the other events — a total prize purse of $310,250 — in the main rodeo.
'It's unbelievable that Calgary added breakaway this year for us, and they went ahead and just added equal money at the very first one,' said Boisjoli-Meged, the reigning world champion of breakaway roping and wife of 2024 Stampede tie-down champ Haven Meged. 'Honestly, we didn't hear anything or know anything, and then all of a sudden, it was just like a phone call and then an announcement.
'So they kept it really quiet, and then they surprised us with it. So we didn't hear we didn't know anything about it, and they just dropped it on us like a bomb. So it was crazy.'
Boisjoli-Meged was the first call made by the Stampede when it officially became a main-rodeo event because she's the local talent.
And obviously, the 27-year-old Albertan squeezed every ounce of being that hometown favourite with her winning run — 2.3 seconds for $7,000 aboard her 'good mare' Onna — in breakaway roping's historic call to 'The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth.'
'The nerves are kind of the same (as any other rodeo), because we do this all the time, but I think moreso just excitement and having my family here watching me is just a different kind of pressure,' said Boisjoli-Meged, who was cheered on by a bevy of loved ones, including mom Sherry — a once-upon-a-time Stampede princess — and dad Garth.
'I fed off it, for sure. You know … whenever my family's watching me, I feel like I'm 10-foot tall and bulletproof. So having them all there backing me was just unbelievable.
'Beautiful day in Calgary. Hometown rodeo. Family behind me, doing what I love. I mean … I don't think I'll ever forget this day.'
Calgary Stampede Rodeo 101: The ultimate guide, including Day 1 money
YOUNG BAREBACK WINNER
Not long ago, Mason Stuller was considered a star of tomorrow at the Stampede.
On Friday, the Oregon cowboy became the first star of today in the bareback event.
Using his past highs and lows at GMC Stadium, Stuller — just 21 years old — climbed aboard frisky horse Soap Bubbles to earn his first-ever win at the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth.
'Yep … I got (second place) in the novice two years ago, and then I got to come last year and had some hard luck,' said Stuller, referring to his junior success in 2023 and two buck-offs and a low score in the open competition in 2024. 'So I was excited to prepare really well and hopefully have a really good year.
'I'm off to a good start, so I'm excited.'
Indeed, he should be after the 88-point ride to earn $7,000 and put him atop Pool A, which runs through Sunday.
Texas cowboy Cole Franks and South Dakota's Kashton Ford followed with 86.5 and 86 scores aboard Lawless and Born Fearless, respectively.
'I was just a little bummed out last year,' Stuller said. 'But it's pretty cool to get to come back and get a win right off the bat, for sure.
'It worked out a little easier, honestly, with them moving (the Stampede start) to the Fourth of July. I wasn't so beat up and tired. I hadn't been on 20 horses over the Fourth (week of rodeos), so I got to come here feeling pretty fresh and had a good ride (with an 88) last night in St. Paul, (Minn.).
'I came in with a head of steam, happy and healthy, and it's paying off.'
AROUND THE CHUTES
Stampede newcomer Anita Ellis, of Blackfoot, Idaho, won the first day of barrel racing with a 16.89-seconds ride around the cloverleaf … Wyoming's Brody Cress picked up his second Stampede bronze with an 88.5-point ride on Perlich Killing Time in saddle bronc … Florida's Kyle Irwin, a.k.a. the 'Alabama Slammer', bulldogged his steer in 4.3 seconds to win Friday's steer wrestling … And Nebraska cowboy Riley Pruitt earned the first-day tie-down roping bronze with a 7.1-second time … FYI: Round winners pick up $7,000, while the second- through sixth-place finishers each day pocket, $5,500, $4,500, $3,250, $2,000 and $1,000, respectively … Young novice bareback rider Kash Loyd was money on Heated Western for a sensational 84.5 points to win the junior event Friday. It's not often the kids grab such high marks at the Stampede, but the Texan got a good draw and parlayed it with a strong effort … Beyond the addition of breakaway roping, another major change this year in the rodeo is just three — instead of four — participants from each pool in each event advance to Championship Sunday. And that means only the three top finishers from the short-go of the final day move on to compete in the final for the championship in each discipline.
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BAREBACK
POOL A
Friday — Day 1
1. Mason Stuller (Veneta, Ore.), Soap Bubbles, 88.0 points, $7,000; 2. Cole Franks (Clarendon, Texas), Lawless, 86.5, $5,500; 3. Kashton Ford (Sturgis, S.D.), Born Fearless, 86.0, $4,500; 4. Clay Jorgenson (Watford City, N.D.), Fishy Alibi, 85.5, $3,250; 5. Waylon Bourgeois (Church Point, La.), Zig Zag Cherry, 85.0, $2,000; 6. Luke Thrash (Bastrop, La.), Shadow Warrior, 84.0, $1,000; 7. Bradlee Miller (Huntsville, Texas), Felton Hot Shot, 80.5, $0; 8. Jacek Frost (Browns Valley, Calif.), Dewald Ringo, 80.0, $0; 9. Taylor Broussard (Esterwood, La.), Young Carma, 72.0, $0; 10. Jake Stemo (Calgary), Unfortunate Carma (re-ride), 69.0, $0.
BARREL RACING
POOL A
Friday — Day 1
1. Anita Ellis (Blackfoot, Idaho), 16.89 seconds, $7,000; 2. Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi (Lampasas, Texas), 17.17, $5,500; 3. Katelyn Scott (Odessa, Texas), 17.28, $4,500; 4. Jennifer Neudorff (Bluffton, Alta.), 17.37, $3,250; 5. Andrea Busby (Millsap, Texas), 17.58, $2,000; 6. Tiany Schuster (Krum, Texas), 17.65, $1,000; 7. Taylor Cherry (Surprise, Ariz.), 17.72, $0; 8. Alyssa Urbanek-Wade (Stephenville, Texas), 18.42, $0; 9. Emily Beisel (Weatherford, Okla.), 22.54, $0; 10. Shelley Morgan (Eustace, Texas), 22.80, $0.
NOVICE BAREBACK
Friday — Day 1
1. Kash Loyd (Rio Vista, Texas), Heated Western, 84.5 points; 2. Quaide Skjonsberg (Bluffton, Alta.), Favourite Bubbles, 80.5; 3. Sean Mahoney (Bend, Ore.), Hitched Knight, 74.0; 4. Lincoln Reeder (Malad, Idaho), Hay Dusty, 67.5; 5. Jace Lomheim (Hughenden, Alta.), Grape Merlot, 65.0; — Clay Greenslade (Strathmore, Alta.), Hoanie, no score, $0; — Rhett Tatrie (Youngstown, Alta.), Hurtin Alibi, bucked off, $0; — Lincoln Berge (Kimberly, B.C.), Happening Fact, bucked off, $0.
TIE-DOWN ROPING
POOL A
Friday — Day 1
1. Riley Pruitt (Gering, Neb.), 7.1 seconds, $7,000; 2. John Douch (Huntsville, Texas), 7.3, $5,000; 2. Kyle Lucas (Carstairs, Alta.), 7.3, $5,000; 4. Logan Bird (Nanton, Alta.), 8.3, $3,250; 5. Cash Enderli (Liberty, Texas), 8.4, $2,000; 6. Ryan Jarrett (Comanche, Okla.), 8.4, $1,000; 7. Brushton Minton (Witter Springs, Calif.), 9.5, $0; 8. Shane Smith (Wimborne, Alta.), 9.8, $0; 9. Shad Mayfield (Clovis, N.M.), 12.8, $0; 10. Stran Dunham (Souris, Man.), no time, $0.
STEER WRESTLING
POOL A
Friday — Day 1
1. Kyle Irwin (Robertsdale, Fla.), 4.3 seconds, $7,000; 2. Scott Guenthner (Provost, Alta.), 4.4, $5,500; 3. Tyler Waguespack (Gonzales, La.), 4.5, $4,500; 4. Dalton Massey (Hermiston, Ore.), 5.2, $3,250; 5. Don Payne (Stephenville, Texas), 5.4, $2,000; 6. Levi Rudd (Shandon, Calif.), 5.6, $1,000; 7. Justin Shaffer (Hico, Texas), 9.3, $0; 8. Tucker Allen (Ventura, Calif.), 14.3, $0; — JD Struxness (Milan, Minn.), no time, $0; — Landon Beardsworth (Red Deer County, Alta.), no time, $0.
SADDLE BRONC
POOL A
Friday — Day 1
1. Brody Cress (Hillsdale, Wyo,), Perlich Killing Time, 88.5 points, $7,000; 2. Lefty Holman (Visalia, Calif.), Yuppie Bubbles, 87.5, $5,500; 3. Jake Finlay (Goondiwindi, Australia), Double Red, 85.5, $4,500; 4. Weston Patterson (Waverly, Kan.), Xulted Cherry, 83.5, $3,250; 5. Riggin Smith (Winterset, Iowa), Waikiki Coconut, 82.5, $2,000; 6. Gus Gaillard (Morse, Texas), Peigan Warrior, 82.0; $500; 6. Ryder Sanford (Sulphur, La.), Yo Yo Marble, 82.0, $500; 8. Lucas Macza (High River, Alta.), Miscrient, 77.0, $0; 9. Mitch Pollock (Winnemuca, Idaho), Blue Chip, 74.5, $0; 10. Ira Dickinson (Rock Springs, Wyo.), Betrayed Cankaid, bucked off, $0.
BREAKAWAY ROPING
POOL A
Friday — Day 1
1. Shelby Boisjoi-Meged (Langdon, Alta.), 2.3 seconds, $7,000; 2. Kinlie Brennise (Craig, Colo.), 2.8, $5,500; 3. Jenna Dallyn (Nanton, Alta.), 2.9, $4,500; 4. Taylor Munsell (Harmon, Okla.), 3.0, $2,625; 4 .Lawrie Neal (Alix, Alta.), 3.0, $2,625; 6. Cheyanne McCartney (Kingston, Okla.), 3.2, $1,000; 7. Alicia Bird (Cut Bank, Mont.), 3.8, $0; 8. Mikenna Schauer (Halkirk, Alta.), 4.0, $0; 9. Macy Auclair (Ponoka, Alta.), 12.6, $0; — Kelsie Domer (Dublin, Texas), no time, $0.
BULL RIDING
POOL A
Friday — Day 1
1. Tristen Hutchings (Monteview, Idaho), Alberta Prime Devil's Advocate, 88.5, $7,750; 2. JR Stratford (Byers, Kan.), Highway to Heaven, 84.5, $6,250; 3. Hayes Weight (Goshen, Utah), Smoke Show, 83.0, $5,250; 4. Jared Parsonage (Maple Creek, Sask.), Ranhan, 81.0, $4,000; — Edgar Durazo (Moctezuma, Mexico), Fallen Angel, bucked off, $0; — Rawley Johnson (Swan Valley, Idaho), Ramblin Man, bucked off, $0; — Jestyn Woodward (Custer, S.D.), Down with the Devil, bucked off, $0; — Scott Wells (Goondiwindi, Australia), Grand Funk, bucked off, $0; — Cooper James (Erda, Utah), Rodgers Red Angus Chester, bucked off, $0; Luke Mast (Hutchison, Kan.), Shake it Off, bucked off, $0.
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