Day 1 of the 2025 Calgary Stampede rodeo welcomed the stars of breakaway roping to the main stage. Read More
’I don’t think I’ll ever forget this day,’ says Alberta’s Shelby Boisjoli-Meged of fastest run in event’s first-ever performance at GMC Stadium.
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‘I don’t think I’ll ever forget this day,’ says Alberta’s Shelby Boisjoli-Meged of fastest run in event’s first-ever performance at GMC Stadium.
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Day 1 of the 2025 Calgary Stampede rodeo welcomed the stars of breakaway roping to the main stage.
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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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Noon News Roundup
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Fact is the first-time performance is dang special for all the breakaway ropers.
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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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“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.”
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YOUNG BAREBACK WINNER
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Not long ago, Mason Stuller was considered a star of tomorrow at the Stampede.
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On Friday, the Oregon cowboy became the first star of today in the bareback event.
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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.
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“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.
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“I’m off to a good start, so I’m excited.”
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Indeed, he should be after the 88-point ride to earn $7,000 and put him atop Pool A, which runs through Sunday.
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Texas cowboy Cole Franks and South Dakota’s Kashton Ford followed with 86.5 and 86 scores aboard Lawless and Born Fearless, respectively.
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“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.
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“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.).
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“I came in with a head of steam, happy and healthy, and it’s paying off.”
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AROUND THE CHUTES
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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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CALGARY STAMPEDE
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BAREBACK
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POOL A
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Friday — Day 1
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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.
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BARREL RACING
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POOL A
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Friday — Day 1
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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.
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NOVICE BAREBACK
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Friday — Day 1
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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.
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TIE-DOWN ROPING
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POOL A
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Friday — Day 1
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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.
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STEER WRESTLING
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POOL A
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Friday — Day 1
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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.
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SADDLE BRONC
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POOL A
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Friday — Day 1
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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.
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BREAKAWAY ROPING
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POOL A
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Friday — Day 1
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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.
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BULL RIDING
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POOL A
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Friday — Day 1
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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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