RODEO NOTES: Langdon cowgirl wins historic first run of breakaway roping at Calgary Stampede
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And the brightest in the much-ballyhooed debut was a home-town cowgirl.
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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.
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'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.
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'This is my hometown rodeo.'
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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.
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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.
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'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.
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'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.'
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Boisjoli-Meged was the first call made by the Stampede when it officially became a main-rodeo event because she's the local talent.
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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.'
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'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.
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'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.
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