Stampede fever had well and truly hit us this year and we were going to be spending a couple of days at the grounds taking in the Chuckwagon races, Rodeo, plus all the other events on show during the 10 days. Our first day was going to be the Chuckwagon races and the evening show where we had tickets for the grandstand. We arrived at the park about 11am to enjoy everything on offer prior to the evening's entertainment. After taking a look around the BMO centre market place, we enjoyed the show put on by the 'Superdogs'. This involved relay races by a variety of breeds through a course set out with jumps etc, dog dancing and a game of musical mats! We haas watched this last year and really enjoyed it and this years performance did not disappoint. We then headed into the Saddledome to watch the sheepdog trials. The sheepdog and rancher's task was to direct the 3 sheep around a designated route, through a gate and then into a pen, within 4 minutes. The control and connection between the rancher and sheepdog was great to watch and we had a great time here.
We we lucky to be inside the Sadledome watching all these agrecultural events when, not wanting to break with Stampede tradition, a storm arrived, the heavens opened and those outside we treated to wind, rain and enormous hailstones! We also got to watch the Cattle Penning championships where three riders have one minute to separate 3 specifically indentified cattle from a heard of 30 and direct them into a pen the other side of the arena. It was really fast paced and amazing to watch the team work together whilst trying to get the correct cow out of the bunch.
Below is a picture from a new event in Canada called 'Cowboy Up'. The course is laid out for cowboys and cowgirls to navigate with their horses, being scored out of 10 for each obstacle which they get 30s to complete. The obstacles included 'brush', a tunnel (with a blind exit), a post box (the horse has to stay completely still while the rider stands on them to post a letter), a cart pull, bridge crossing, flag pick up/drop off, water crossing, jumps then a tunnel for only the rider to crawl through (the horse must stay where the rider leaves them). Once these are complete, the cowboy/cowgirl has to remove the saddle and re-mount the horse, perform 2 spins in a clockwise and anti-clockwise direction, ride through moguls/water then sprint a full circuit of the arena all bareback! A fantastic display of rider/horse control, trust and speed!
We then headed over to the BMO Centre to watch the Acrobatic Rock & Roll Ice Show. This was awesome! A live band as shown in the following photos, Acrobatic performers and an elite list of Ice Skaters including Olympic Gold Medallists Scott Muir and Tessa Virtue, as well as the world renowned Elvis Stojko.
Scott Muir and Tessa Virtue above.
Scott Muir, Tessa Virtue and Elvis Stojko
After a quick snack we decided to take our seats in the grandstand ready for Chuckwagon races and the Evening show. Sophie proposed a personal bet on the chuckwagon races, where the loser had to clean the house from top to bottom the following day. After 8 races we were even at 4 a piece, with just the 9th and final race to go! Sophie had first pick of the 4 Chuckwagons, but unfortunately for her, she didn't pick wisely!! I won 5/4 and knew Sophie had a hard days work ahead of her! lol The pictures below show a bit of the chuckwagons and some shots of the amazing Grandstand show. This year the show included some celebraties, including Eva Avila who sung at the Winter Olympics, comedian Tim Nutt, artists from Cirque du Soleil and Broadway and Daniel 'Da FunkyMystic' Celebre, of of Michael Jacksons' principle dancers from his planned 'This Is It' tour and of course teh Young Canadians of the Calgary Stampede.
As with last year, before the Chuckwagon Racing we all stood and removed our hats for the national anthem. We were both very proud of ourselves when we were actually able to join in this year! "Oh Canada..............
The Grandstand Show begins.
In the picture below you can see a steel globe and inside that four members of the Dominquez Daredevils a family of four motorcycle stunt riders that defy gravity by riding their bikes round inside the globe. It was impressive with the two of them, but we couldn't help but hold our breath when all four of them were inside riding round at speed! Aswell as the stunt riders there were also three people suspended on wires above the audience and four riders doing jumps across the stage!
As the show reached its finale the fireworks begun!
We had both had a great day out and all thanks to The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth, on our doorstep!
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