Latest news with #RangelandDerby
CTV News
5 hours ago
- Sport
- CTV News
Laboucane leads the way on Day 8 at the Rangeland Derby to close in on spot in finals
When things haven't gone wrong, they've gone very right for Jamie Laboucane at the 2025 Calgary Stampede Rangeland Derby. Laboucane's team won the day money Friday night on Day 8 of the derby, running a 1:11.52, besting second-place finisher Jason Glass by one tenth of a second. Chad Fike was third, with Chance Bensmiller and Rae Croteau Jr. rounding out the top five. Despite picking up a couple of two-second penalties this week, Laboucane remains firmly entrenched in the top three, who will face off against each other in a championship heat Sunday. Chanse Vigen remains on top, with an aggregate total of 9:41.81, which puts him 1.54 seconds in front of Laboucane. 2024 Rangeland Derby champ Jason Glass sits third, with a 1.68 second lead over Obrey Motowylo. Chad Fike is fifth, 2.04 seconds out of third.
Calgary Herald
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Calgary Herald
Shades of kindness: Rangeland Derby Rockstar Chanse Vigen's pink sunglasses raise money for families in need
Article content The Rangeland Derby has its own version of the Pink Pony Club. Article content Pink sunglasses are taking over the chuckwagon world — and for a very good cause. Article content The I'm Your Huckleberry campaign, launched by Chanse and Brie Vigen, is a grassroots charity that supports families facing difficult times. Article content Article content Article content 'That winter, I thought — this is a great opportunity to create a non-profit,' Brie recalled. 'I didn't know exactly how at first, but I knew we could sell the sunglasses and raise money for something good.' Article content The couple from Grande Prairie, Alta., quickly got to work — and didn't have to look far for a name. Article content 'When we started dating, Chanse would always say, 'I'm your Huckleberry,'' Brie said. 'It meant, 'I'm your man. I got you.' So, I thought, what a perfect name for the grant: I'm Your Huckleberry — we got you, when you don't have anybody else there to support you.' Article content Article content And just like that, the I'm Your Huckleberry charity was born. Article content The campaign launched last year, and while it took some time to catch on, the chuckwagon community quickly rallied once they realized what it was all about. Article content 'It's been amazing,' Brie said. 'At first, I think people didn't fully understand what we were doing. Some thought we were just selling merch. But then, on Thanksgiving, we knocked on doors and delivered support directly to families — and when people saw that, everything changed.' Article content So far, the charity has helped two families and plans to support two more this year — with hopes of expanding even further.
CTV News
a day ago
- Sport
- CTV News
Defending Rangeland Derby champion Jason Glass makes move up leaderboard on Day 7
Defending Rangeland Derby champ Jason Glass moved into third place overall after winning the day money Thursday night at the Calgary Stampede. Defending Rangeland Derby champion Jason Glass is very much in the conversation to repeat as the chuckwagon racing champion in 2025 after winning the day money Thursday night at the Calgary Stampede. Glass ran the top time of the night, 1:12.15 in the eighth heat, defeating 2019 Rangeland Derby champion Logan Gorst by 89 one-hundredths of a second. Darcy Flad finished third, Obrey Motowylo fourth and Chanse Vigen fifth. Racing in the ninth and final heat of the night, Vigen won but was penalized one second, while Jamie Laboucane was penalized two seconds when one of his outriders missed going around a barrel. Despite their missteps, Vigen continues to lead the aggregate after seven nights with a total of 8:28.47, giving him a 3.37-second lead over second-place Laboucane. Glass has vaulted from seventh up to third place, where he narrowly leads Gorst and Motowylo, respectively, both trailing by less than a second. The top three after Saturday's races advance to Sunday's championship final heat. The winner of Sunday's heat is the 2025 Calgary Stampede Rangeland Derby champion.
Calgary Herald
2 days ago
- Sport
- Calgary Herald
Rangeland Derby demonstration driver gig 'dream come true' for Cruise Bensmiller
Cruise Bensmiller demonstrated just how good his driving skills are by finishing 11th in the World Professional Chuckwagon Association standings last season. Article content For his efforts, he was rewarded by being named one of the two Chuckwagon 101 demonstration drivers at the 2025 Rangeland Derby presented by Play Alberta. Article content 'This is a dream come true to me,' said the 22-year-old reinsman from Dewberry, Alta., who holds bragging rights that he's the sport's first fifth-generation driver. Article content Article content After his great-great-grandfather Wesley Smith took up driving chuckwagons in the 1940s, Bensmiller's great-grandpas Allen Smith and Allan Bensmiller followed suit and both were finalists in Calgary at the Stampede. Article content Article content His grandpa Buddy Bensmiller won it all in Calgary in 1979, 1989 and 2003, while his uncles Kurt, Chance and David Bensmiller all took up the sport as well. Kurt won four Rangeland Derby titles in five years between 2014 and 2018. Article content 'They're all champions,' said the youngest Bensmiller in regards to his talented family members — which include his mom Lisa Bensmiller and stepfather Vern Nolin — who have paved the way in the sport before him. Throughout the Stampede, Bensmiller has been splitting duties as the demonstration driver prior to the start of the nine heats of racing with Colby Stanley from the Canadian Professional Chuckwagon Association. Each of the drivers work the gig on alternate nights. Article content Article content 'The demonstration's super important,' said Bensmiller during a behind-the-barns tour for the media in Calgary on Tuesday morning. 'There's lots of people that haven't seen wagons before, so (it's good) for them to kind of just focus on one wagon and see what one wagon does before the craziness of all three wagons.' Article content With a pair of outriders helping him out, Bensmiller guides his horses to the starting line and then around the two barrels in a figure-eight pattern before racing around the track, all while track announcer Les McIntyre explains the action to fans in addition to describing the various penalties that could occur. Article content 'I kind of black out,' said Bensmiller when asked if he can hear McIntyre calling his race. 'I try to focus on the horses as much as I can, but yeah, I do listen to Les. And yeah, Les has been doing this a long time and for him to say my name at a venue like this is just an amazing feeling.'
CTV News
2 days ago
- Sport
- CTV News
Chanse Vigen kicks it into high gear to take the day money Wednesday night at Rangeland Derby
Chanse Vigen jumped the gun Wednesday night but even a one-second penalty couldn't slow him down as Vigen claimed the day money at the 2025 Calgary Stampede Rangeland Derby. After a brief shower ahead of Day 6, the sun came out for the late heats, bathing the track in magic hour sunlight, as Vigen squared off against Jamie Laboucane and Rae Croteau Jr. Vigen started to roll forward just ahead of the horn, costing him an extra second, but still managed to finish with a 1:12.85, putting him 23 one-hundredths of a second ahead of defending champ Jason Glass. 2019 Rangeland Derby champ Logan Gorst placed third, while Chad Fike finished fourth despite a one-second penalty. Motowylo finished fifth. Vigen took the day money for the second time at the 2025 Rangeland Derby. In the chase for a spot in the top three who will compete in Sunday's final, Vigen leads with a six-day aggregate total of 7:14.85. He has a 2.56 second lead over Laboucane, who had a two-second penalty Wednesday when one of his outriders knocked a barrel. Ray Croteau Jr. is in third, Gorst is fourth -- only 76 one-hundredths of a second out of third -- while Motowylo sits alone in fifth. Motowylo is mourning the death of his mom earlier this week. and said on the broadcast Wednesday night that he's dedicating his 2025 Rangeland Derby to her memory. The Rangeland Derby resumes Thursday night at 7:30 p.m.
