Latest news with #Jed
Ottawa Citizen
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Ottawa Citizen
Showdown with Jed: Mechanical bull heightens Bluesfest experience
Not many people spend their Thursday evening getting thrown around by a red-eyed beast named Jed. Article content But that was what Quinn Meeker and Jaden Scott-Lucas lined up to do first thing on Bluesfest's opening night. Article content Article content While the couple were initially there to greet friends who work at the saloon and to see headliner Lainey Wilson and the Red Clay Strays, they were quickly drawn to Jed the mechanical bull. With two massive horns and a large saddle, Jed was hard to miss. Article content Article content 'It's always fun to ride the bull,' Meeker said. 'I've ridden dozens of mechanical bulls. They're so much fun.' Article content Article content But it was the first time for Scott-Lucas. She said she had been to the Crazy Horse saloon in Kanata several times, but had never mustered up the courage to ride the bull. Article content 'It's less crowded at a place like this early on than it is at Crazy Horse,' she said. 'I've always been too scared to get on the bull.' Article content Scott-Lucas said the large tent behind Bluesfest's RBC stage made it feel just like the bar in Kanata. The tent was decorated with wooden barrels, loud country music and a Western-themed bar. The couple wore their cowboy hats and boots to stick to the theme for the show. Article content Article content Article content Since Crazy Horse opened in 2009, Kyle Louvelle has operated the bull every Wednesday night to provide entertainment for the crowd it brings in. 'There's a lot of excitement (riders) get right away,' he said. 'It's a unique experience.' Article content Article content For first-time riders, Louvelle tends to start off slow and ensure they can adapt to the bull's movements before turning it into a real show. The mechanical bull is also surrounded by a soft inflatable cushion, so riders can fall off safely. Article content 'As the night progresses, if they're really good, I crank (Jed) up and turn it into a real bull,' he said. 'It's nothing but enjoyment for them. All together, it's a brand-new experience.' Article content Mike Labreche, one of Crazy Horse's owners, said the Bluesfest set-up provided great exposure for the business, which was back at the event for the second year in a row after a 'phenomenal' run in 2024.
The Advertiser
21-06-2025
- Sport
- The Advertiser
Jed's NRL debut too emotional for Stuart family
Ricky Stuart was so emotional in the days leading up to his son Jed's NRL debut that he could barely speak to the Canberra winger. And so nervous was he about how his middle child would go against the Wests Tigers, the veteran Raiders mentor lost sleep thinking about Friday night's game. All the while, Jed was sleeping like a baby, having felt ready for his shot at the top grade for some time. "He didn't talk to me much during the week," the 23-year-old revealed. "Every time he brought it up he'd get emotional. I'm just glad we got the win for him, he would have been so disappointed if we didn't. "The week was good. I found out last Tuesday because the boys had the bye and I had to know if I was playing Cup or not. "I had a week to process everything, tell the close family and get the messages from them and what-not. "I was more nervous about being nervous. Then, getting here I was just excited to get out there and play with the boys." Stuart Snr. need not have worried. Only on rare occasions in the lead-up did emotions take over for Jed. He had a sleepless night before Monday's jersey preparation, and there were tears before leaving home later in the week. But he was calm once getting to the ground, with 70 friends and family known to be attending the match and another bus coming up from Canberra. "The only time I got emotional was when I went home just before coming to Campbelltown and mum gave me a hug to say goodbye," Jed said. "She said I'd been telling her that I wanted to play NRL since I was three years old, and 'now you're doing it'. "That got the tears going a bit." Jed's jersey was presented by his mother Kaylie rather than Ricky, while it was Raiders captain Joe Tapine who called the Raiders flyer to tell him he was debuting. On the field, Jed showed why Raiders players have been telling Ricky for months that the winger was ready. He caught an attacking bomb with his first touch, saved a 40-20 with a bat-back and scored a first-half try with a corner put down in the 16-12 win. It was at that point when the try was scored that Stuart Snr. admitted to the emotions of a dad briefly overtaking those of an NRL coach. "But then we had a game to win too, and I had to be the coach," Ricky said. "This week has been the hardest week I've had as a coach "From a father's point of view, I don't want him to be man of the match. I just want him to hold his own. And he did that. "I've been waking up 3am with some real bad thoughts, but he didn't do those tonight which was good." Both will now have it easier ahead of next Friday against Newcastle. "I was just happy to get one, I couldn't even dream of doing that," Jed said of his try. "I was just keen as, happy as, emotions running wild." Ricky Stuart was so emotional in the days leading up to his son Jed's NRL debut that he could barely speak to the Canberra winger. And so nervous was he about how his middle child would go against the Wests Tigers, the veteran Raiders mentor lost sleep thinking about Friday night's game. All the while, Jed was sleeping like a baby, having felt ready for his shot at the top grade for some time. "He didn't talk to me much during the week," the 23-year-old revealed. "Every time he brought it up he'd get emotional. I'm just glad we got the win for him, he would have been so disappointed if we didn't. "The week was good. I found out last Tuesday because the boys had the bye and I had to know if I was playing Cup or not. "I had a week to process everything, tell the close family and get the messages from them and what-not. "I was more nervous about being nervous. Then, getting here I was just excited to get out there and play with the boys." Stuart Snr. need not have worried. Only on rare occasions in the lead-up did emotions take over for Jed. He had a sleepless night before Monday's jersey preparation, and there were tears before leaving home later in the week. But he was calm once getting to the ground, with 70 friends and family known to be attending the match and another bus coming up from Canberra. "The only time I got emotional was when I went home just before coming to Campbelltown and mum gave me a hug to say goodbye," Jed said. "She said I'd been telling her that I wanted to play NRL since I was three years old, and 'now you're doing it'. "That got the tears going a bit." Jed's jersey was presented by his mother Kaylie rather than Ricky, while it was Raiders captain Joe Tapine who called the Raiders flyer to tell him he was debuting. On the field, Jed showed why Raiders players have been telling Ricky for months that the winger was ready. He caught an attacking bomb with his first touch, saved a 40-20 with a bat-back and scored a first-half try with a corner put down in the 16-12 win. It was at that point when the try was scored that Stuart Snr. admitted to the emotions of a dad briefly overtaking those of an NRL coach. "But then we had a game to win too, and I had to be the coach," Ricky said. "This week has been the hardest week I've had as a coach "From a father's point of view, I don't want him to be man of the match. I just want him to hold his own. And he did that. "I've been waking up 3am with some real bad thoughts, but he didn't do those tonight which was good." Both will now have it easier ahead of next Friday against Newcastle. "I was just happy to get one, I couldn't even dream of doing that," Jed said of his try. "I was just keen as, happy as, emotions running wild." Ricky Stuart was so emotional in the days leading up to his son Jed's NRL debut that he could barely speak to the Canberra winger. And so nervous was he about how his middle child would go against the Wests Tigers, the veteran Raiders mentor lost sleep thinking about Friday night's game. All the while, Jed was sleeping like a baby, having felt ready for his shot at the top grade for some time. "He didn't talk to me much during the week," the 23-year-old revealed. "Every time he brought it up he'd get emotional. I'm just glad we got the win for him, he would have been so disappointed if we didn't. "The week was good. I found out last Tuesday because the boys had the bye and I had to know if I was playing Cup or not. "I had a week to process everything, tell the close family and get the messages from them and what-not. "I was more nervous about being nervous. Then, getting here I was just excited to get out there and play with the boys." Stuart Snr. need not have worried. Only on rare occasions in the lead-up did emotions take over for Jed. He had a sleepless night before Monday's jersey preparation, and there were tears before leaving home later in the week. But he was calm once getting to the ground, with 70 friends and family known to be attending the match and another bus coming up from Canberra. "The only time I got emotional was when I went home just before coming to Campbelltown and mum gave me a hug to say goodbye," Jed said. "She said I'd been telling her that I wanted to play NRL since I was three years old, and 'now you're doing it'. "That got the tears going a bit." Jed's jersey was presented by his mother Kaylie rather than Ricky, while it was Raiders captain Joe Tapine who called the Raiders flyer to tell him he was debuting. On the field, Jed showed why Raiders players have been telling Ricky for months that the winger was ready. He caught an attacking bomb with his first touch, saved a 40-20 with a bat-back and scored a first-half try with a corner put down in the 16-12 win. It was at that point when the try was scored that Stuart Snr. admitted to the emotions of a dad briefly overtaking those of an NRL coach. "But then we had a game to win too, and I had to be the coach," Ricky said. "This week has been the hardest week I've had as a coach "From a father's point of view, I don't want him to be man of the match. I just want him to hold his own. And he did that. "I've been waking up 3am with some real bad thoughts, but he didn't do those tonight which was good." Both will now have it easier ahead of next Friday against Newcastle. "I was just happy to get one, I couldn't even dream of doing that," Jed said of his try. "I was just keen as, happy as, emotions running wild."
Sydney Morning Herald
20-06-2025
- Sport
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘Shot of whisky': How Ricky Stuart will cope with son's Canberra debut
Whenever Ricky Stuart hands one of his players a debut, he feels like a proud dad. So you can only imagine how he feels after giving his actual son, Jed, the chance to become Raider No.404 against Wests Tigers at Campbelltown on Friday. 'That's probably a good description because I like to get close to all of my players,' Stuart said. 'This one is for real.' It's a debut Stuart said Jed has had to work 'doubly hard' for. Concerned about perceptions of nepotism, the younger Stuart had to play 57 NSW Cup games before getting the call-up for first grade. Even then, it only happened after the senior Canberra players assured the coach that the young winger was up to the challenge. 'There was no way it was going to be an easy ride for him, it was always going to be a disadvantage for him [being my son], to be honest,' Stuart said. 'It's good for him. I feel like I've got a good understanding of when a player is ready to play NRL and this is a good opportunity for Jed to start developing an NRL career and see where he gets to.' Stuart has always worn his heart on his sleeve. Watching him prowling along the sidelines, riding every play like his life depended on it, can be as entertaining as the action unfolding on the field. When veteran prop Josh Papalii recently broke the Raiders record for first-grade appearances, Stuart had to hold back the tears. So how will he fare when Jed runs out?
Sydney Morning Herald
19-06-2025
- Sport
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘Shot of whiskey': How Ricky Stuart will cope with son's Canberra debut
Whenever Ricky Stuart hands one of his players a debut, he feels like a proud dad. So you can only imagine how he feels after giving his actual son, Jed, the chance to become Raider #404 against Wests Tigers at Campbelltown on Friday. 'That's probably a good description because I like to get close to all of my players,' Stuart said 'This one is for real.' It's a debut Stuart said Jed has had to work 'doubly hard' for. Concerned about perceptions of nepotism, the younger Stuart had to play 57 NSW Cup games before getting the call-up for first grade. Even then, it only happened after the senior Canberra players assured the coach that the young winger was up to the challenge. 'There was no way it was going to be an easy ride for him, it was always going to be a disadvantage for him [being my son], to be honest,' Stuart said. 'It's good for him. I feel like I've got a good understanding of when a player is ready to play NRL and this is a good opportunity for Jed to start developing an NRL career and see where he gets to.' Stuart has always worn his heart on his sleeve. Watching him prowling along the sidelines, riding every play like his life depended on it, can be as entertaining as the action unfolding on the field. When veteran prop Josh Papalii recently broke the Raiders record for first-grade appearances, Stuart had to hold back the tears. So how will he fare when Jed runs out?
The Age
19-06-2025
- Sport
- The Age
‘Shot of whiskey': How Ricky Stuart will cope with son's Canberra debut
Whenever Ricky Stuart hands one of his players a debut, he feels like a proud dad. So you can only imagine how he feels after giving his actual son, Jed, the chance to become Raider #404 against Wests Tigers at Campbelltown on Friday. 'That's probably a good description because I like to get close to all of my players,' Stuart said 'This one is for real.' It's a debut Stuart said Jed has had to work 'doubly hard' for. Concerned about perceptions of nepotism, the younger Stuart had to play 57 NSW Cup games before getting the call-up for first grade. Even then, it only happened after the senior Canberra players assured the coach that the young winger was up to the challenge. 'There was no way it was going to be an easy ride for him, it was always going to be a disadvantage for him [being my son], to be honest,' Stuart said. 'It's good for him. I feel like I've got a good understanding of when a player is ready to play NRL and this is a good opportunity for Jed to start developing an NRL career and see where he gets to.' Stuart has always worn his heart on his sleeve. Watching him prowling along the sidelines, riding every play like his life depended on it, can be as entertaining as the action unfolding on the field. When veteran prop Josh Papalii recently broke the Raiders record for first-grade appearances, Stuart had to hold back the tears. So how will he fare when Jed runs out?
