Well, it’s good to be back at the Stampede for my 20th year. I can’t believe how quick time passes. We have raced 3 days so far, and all and all, things are going pretty good. I am riding all 9 heats this year so far, probably a couple more than I would like, but that is what we are here for. My top outfits this year are Neal Walgenbach, Luke Tournier, Chad Harden, Kirk Sutherland, and Layne Macgillvray. Right now, Neal is sitting 4th and the others are down a little ways, but there is a lot of running left to get to the top 8 after Friday night. The outriders have a little extra help this week, as Gary Belecki form the Cowboy ministry comes by before the wagon races to give us a prayer behind the chutes before we ride. Most of the guys are embracing it well, and it is comforting to know that someone is looking over us - we need all the help we can get. I had a bit of a scare for Chad Harden opening night when my bridle fell off right before the horn was to blow. Luckily, another outriding horse got loose before the horn blew and the wagons had to pull out, allowing me to fix my bridle. I don’t know where we would have ended up, but it would have been somewhere in a hurry. Anyway, enjoy the stampede and we will have more to report as the days go by.

We’re back with another edition of Stampede Mythbusters.  I’ve been asking around to find out if people are going to Stampede this year and this myth seems to be a popular reason people give when they say they don’t plan on attending.  It’s a great topic to investigate because it’s something that applies to everyone – Stampede is too expensive.  Or is it?

Now, don’t get me wrong, if you WANT to spend a lot of money during Stampede, there are oodles of ways to lighten your wallet.  But, if you’re like me, you want to have a great time, enjoy some old faves, check out some new things, and know that your bank account isn’t going to be hit too hard at the end of it.

How much does it REALLY cost?

Let’s start off with some numbers so that we’re all on the same page.

Stampede Gate Admission – $14 ($11 if you take advantage of some of the deals – see below.)

Rodeo admission – $12 gets you in, but you’ll be standing.  For good value, I recommend the Bronze seats – $24.50 which includes your gate admission and the best part is you’re up high so you’re covered from excess sun (or rain!).

Grandstand and chucks – $15 puts you on the tarmac (lots of excitement down there for the Chucks, but harder to see for the Grandstand).  For good value try the silver seats – $41.50 – you’re down low so you’ve got a great view of everything, plus it includes your gate admission.

What does it get me?

Stampede Gate Admission is a smokin’ deal.  Essentially, you get access to everything except the rodeo, chuckwagons/evening show, concerts going on in the Pengrowth Saddledome, and rides on the midway.  Honestly, the Coke Stage concerts themselves are worth the admission price but you’ll also be able to check out things like the Acrobatic Ice show, the High Dive act, old faves like the Superdogs, the Western Oasis, and the Stampede market; honestly I could go on and on.

Your pre-purchase rodeo and evening show tickets INCLUDE admission to the Park.  Often it’s a better deal to buy your seats ahead of time.

I HIGHLY suggest using the Stampede Planner to see what sparks your interest and which days will let you get the most bang for your buck.  I really like the ATCO Kitchen Theatre so I ran a search on that and am going to stop by to check out the dueling chefs!  The best part is the free samples at the end!

Looking for a Deal?

There’s no need to pay full price to get into the park or to ride the Midway.  There are several deals that offer you at least a couple bucks off your gate admission.  Check out the deals page to find the one that’s right for you.  If you plan on snapping up the midway deal, act fast.  It’s only available at Safeway stores until July 8^th.

Ok, I think that’s a pretty good overview of what it really costs to get in the gate, watch the rodeo, or take in the Chucks and Grandstand show.  If you want to upgrade your experience with the purchase of something like mini-donuts, luckily they are only a few dollars more!

The point I’m trying to make is that you really do get a LOT for your dollar; you can still enjoy your old favorites as well as the new attractions.  If you are looking to save some money, there are ways to do it too.

Finally, why not win to get in?  There are lots of cool contests going on through the Stampede Twitter and Facebook pages.  Check out Twitter at @calgarystampede and @HereAllYear, or the official Facebook fan page, and stay tuned to the Stampede Blog as Stampede Mythbusters keeps bustin’ those myths!

WOW!!  As I write this I am still in shock that we won the Calgary Stampede with Chad Harden.  It was as exciting a race as I have ever been in, full of ups and downs.  I feel bad for my friend Mark Sutherland, he got hit with the false start before the race, it happens to everyone, and unfortunately for Mark, it happened in the biggest race of his life. Mark will be back, but I am sure this is tough to take.  As for Chad Harden, he has been a close friend of mine for about 20 years now, and I was proud to be along with him for the biggest week in his racing career.  To the other 3 three outriders, Jason Lemieux, Chad Fike, and Jamie Laboucane (wo won the top outrider award), we are all close friends and, man, what a feeling to win it with those guys.  Jason Lemieux was a favorite of my dad, who got to know Jason through the oilpatch, and I know Jason looked up to him as a mentor and father figure.  Jason served as a pallbearer at my dad’s funeral in Oct. 2007.  It wasn’t lost on us that my dad would be looking down upon us, proud of both of us, we talked about that while we were on stage.  Chad’s crew at the barn should take a lot of pride in this, because they do all the thankless jobs so these horses can perform, and we all know how important they are.  We were in the barn last night when Kelly Sutherland came over to shake Chad’s hand and congratulate him.  That was really cool to see, and I know Chad got a real charge out of the fact that he beat The King to win it.  It means a lot to beat the greatest driver in the history of the sport.  I would like to congratulate Obrey Motowylo for winning my Grandfather’s award for Rookie of the Year, The Orville Strandquist Award.  Obrey scared everybody this week with his good outfit, he will be back for a lot of years to come.  In closing, it was a great week, $23,000 was raised for Dustin Gorst, who got run over by 2 wagons 3 weeks ago.  When I see the wagon community rally behind their own, it makes me feel proud to be a part of it.  Again, thanks to the Calgary Stampede for allowing me to become a champion, it was a great week.

God Bless

Ed Melville Jr.

The 2009 edition of the GMC Rangeland Derby has been nothing short of spectacular. Remarkable skills, horsemanship, desire, and a touch of reckless abandon have all been on display around the “Half Mile of Hell.”

The onslaught of rain has created a track that’s been sloppy, dangerous, and ridiculously exciting to watch.

An interesting battle that is taking place going into race night 8 is the one between veteran driver Kelly Sutherland and the rookie, Obrey Motowylo. The drivers are mere seconds apart on aggregate times and the final nights should be a pretty great thing to watch as these two go at it for the big time money that the winner will take home in the end.

Kelly is a 10-time Calgary Stampede GMC Rangeland Derby Champion and a 10-time World Champion Chuckwagon Driver.Kelly is a 10-time Calgary Stampede GMC Rangeland Derby Champion and a 10-time World Champion Chuckwagon Driver.Sutherland is a 10-time Calgary Stampede GMC Rangeland Derby Champion and a 10-time world Champion Chuckwagon Driver. Motowylo on the other hand, is making his first ever appearance at the GMC Rangeland Derby and is a relative newbie on the WPCA circuit.

Everyone expected Sutherland to be at the top of the pile but few predicted Motowylo to be competing for anything other than the Orville Strandquist award for Top Rookie Driver……oh how things can change in a hurry. Coming into night eight, the two are battling for top spot, top money, and maybe most importantly of all, the bragging rights for an entire year of winning the biggest prize and The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth.

If you have never seen the Chuckwagon races live it is something you definitely need to experience. The neat thing about the layout of the Grandstand is that you can stand on the tarmac which is closer to the race track. When you’re that close, you can feel the ground shake from the hooves of all the horses that race by you and if you’re lucky enough…even get hit by some dirt that is kicked up! Until you watch the races in person, you cannot imagine how fast they are actually going or appreciate how dangerous a sport it may be. If you want to have a great time with some friends and place some bets on which team will win, then the Chuckwagons are the perfect place. Even if you don’t know all the rules, you will still have a great time yelling at some horses! (more…)

Howdy!

First off, I want to wish a Happy Mothers Day!  We got to help hundreds of people with gift ideas at The Bay, showing off the newest and hottest perfume lines!  That same day, we helped with the ceremonial ball drop at the Calgary Roughnecks game for western night with Kelly and Mark Sutherland, two cowboy ledgends in our own time!  What a fun game, and a great excuse to use our loudest yahoos! (giggle!)

Everyday we get just a little bit closer to the Stampede in July, and everytime someone says so, I get butterflies of excitment!  Oh boy… I might need to go to another Roughnecks game to shout again!! )

YaHoo!!
Kateri

It is hard to believe that we are already starting to wrap up this year’s Calgary Stampede. already this morning I sent seven horses home to farm. It is such a short tunrover time between here and Bonnyville, so the more rest the horses can get at home, the better.

Although the days have gone by fast, the gruelling demands and extra work that is involved with racing at Calgary has taken its tole on both the horses and the barn crew. The horses, are ready to be turned outside and have some time to themselves. The barn crew has taken full advantage of the Calgary party scene, as well as, working extra hard to keep the horses looking their best. This combination has called for a few extra long afternoon naps.  I have suggested on many occasions that maybe they should go to bed, instead of going out, but they don’t seem to be taking my advice. Oh well! That’s what Calgary is all about.

Chad Harden

Yesterday (Tuesday) was a very busy day. We started chores an hour early (around 6) and by 7 am myself and the barn crew were on our way to the Spartan Controls office (one of my sponsors) for a pancake breakfast. We returned from there and finished chores, just in time to give a barn tour to a group of visitors. Than while the barn crew took in the sites at the midway, I headed off to the children’s hospital with a few of my fellow drivers. It is difficult to go there and see so many precious children in pain.  The kids really look forward to seeing us and I feel like giving these kids a reason to smile is is the least I can do. No matter how bad a race I have, or how bad a day I’m having I am always thankful that my children are all healthy. Everytime I visit the children’s hospital I am reminded of just how lucky I am.

We got a break on Monday night with a clean run and finished 9 for the day. However, last night I was once again plagued with penalities. This time is was the wagon that knocked a barrel. Sometimes even your best team can have a off day. There isn’t much that can be done, but I am considering some different options that I may try.

This sport is anything but consistent which is one of the reasons why I love it. However, it’s the inconsistencies which make it so frustrating. Just when I thought things were going smoothly, a couple of outriding penalties last night have thrown a wrench in things. It is always in the back of mind (and sometimes closer to the front) that as long as I run clean everything will turn out all right.  There is nothing more maddening than finishing a race and then being told that you have outrider penalties.  We changed a few horses around on the outriding team last night, so perhaps that had something to do with it or perhaps there are other issues that need to be addressed. It is hard to say. Day four is a new day and we must move on and hope that we can stay clean for the rest of the show.  

I had a good run tonight. My outfit didn’t start extremely hard but they ran when they hit the track. I sat in behind Wayne Knight who had a good turn on barrel one and waited until the third turn before I tried to take a run at him. My leader just nosed him at the wire by 2/100ths of a second. The last 2 years we had some horse problems heading into Calgary but this year Iam sitting pretty good. “Will” is starting to run and work harder than he has been. “Eddie” runs a route and likes the distance. “Donny” has been off since we raced in Wainwright. He didn’t start hard but ran well and should be ready to go Saturday. We are on barrel 2 again tomorrow (Saturday) so we will hook the same set of horses then give them the night off Sunday. Dallas Dyck, Curtis Meyers, David Bensmiller and my brother Mick will outride for me again for the next 4 nights but I will probably lose Dallas after the redraw when he goes to race in Lloydminster.

Happy Stampede Everyone!!! It is great to be be back for another year and as usual myself, my family, my barn crew and of course the horses are excited to be a part of the 2008 edition of the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth! 

We arrived here this past Wed. and had a hectic couple of days getting our barn setup and organized and our tackrooms arranged. However, we now seem to have settled in and feel right at home.  The wagon also got a new coat of paint, so that it will look sharp even from the seventh floor of the grandstand.

Once again, my sponsor this year is ATB Financial. They have a number of events and functions planned, including daily barn tours and supper before the races for their clients, a visit to the Alberta Children’s Hospital and of course a few pancake breakfasts. Keep an eye out for Skippy, as he is out and about during the races and at many of the sponsor functions as well. I keep telling him to stay out of trouble, but he doesn’t always listen so well.

On night one (friday) we were in heat two. I decided to run the ”A Team” which is Fred and Jimmy on the lead and Coug’dit  and Zach on the wheel.  Unfortunately we got strung out three wide and ended up 25 on the day, which means we got to stay in heat two.

Last night (saturday) we went with the same team again. Although they sometimes don’t have the best start, they sure make up for it when they head down the home stretch.  Last night was a prime example.  Grant Profit, had a significant lead on us coming out of the fourth corner and we ended up catching him by a nose at the finish line to win the heat. Last night’s run was good enough to give us 8th on the day and bump us into 13 position. It is still very early on in the game, but I am happy so far and hope that the remaining eight days go just as well.

Chad Harden

Well, its good to be back at the Stampede for another year.  This will be my 18th Stampede as a competitor and the butterflies never leave.  I have some strong contenders this week, most notably Rae Croteau, Luke Tournier, and Neal Walgenbach.  Hopefully we can get a little luck.  Last night went pretty good, the track was suprisingly good considering the downpour we got at about 6:30.  Buddy Bensmiller flew last night, and there are a lot of good outfits here.  I think this will be one of the most competitive Stampede’s in a while.  I guess time will tell.  Enjoy the week.

One Day of the greatest ten days of my life is over.  For outrider there is no bigger stage.  The excitement of the crowd, gives me chiles down my spine.  Yesterday morning I woke up at five thirty, just excited about the day.

My night of outriding went really good.  I went through the night penalty free, I was getting on good and every thing seemed to go pretty smooth.  Last night they redrew the heats and barrels, so all of the outriders where running around hoping to get hired for the next four nights.  It seemed like it was a bad draw for me because I lost Rick F., Neal W., and Mike V..  But I was lucky enough to pick up Sean D., Tim H. and Grant P..  So for the next four nights I will be riding all nine heats.

I would like to say good job to the race track crew for doing great work on the the race track.  The races where fair and exciting.     

Dustin Gorst

What would summer be without the big Mardi Gras we call the Calgary Stampede. 

Starting off in the parade this morning, I must have waved to 10,000 people (thanks for waving back).  I guess everyone else in Calgary was ready to start this show off right too.  The parade was great, just a nice overcast so it didn’t get too hot.  I saw loads of people funneling down to the grounds to hit the midway and everyone seemed to be loving the beautiful weather.  The rodeo sounded good, we never went over but I could here the crowd from the barns.  There was a beautiful BBQ back at the barns with my Friends of SAIT chuckwagon sponsors and then it hit.  Welcome to Calgary in July, a 15 minute flash flood.  Right before the races, must have been an inch and a half of rain.  Soon the wind blew and the sun came back out, craziest thing you ever seen.  That is unless you have spent the month of July in Calgary, then it was just another flash flood rainstorm during the Stampede.

 There is nothing more exciting that the first day of the Rangeland Derby.  Every driver, outrider and barn crew member  have dreamed  a hundred times over about winning this years derby.  Every race day and training day before this has been a build up of today.  But the most important thing to remember is that the stampede is not a stampede is not a sprint it is a marathon.  No matter what happens today there is still nine more days of racing. 

As for the Gorst barn, the horses are feeling good and the hopes are high.  We feel with a little luck that we can have a real good showing.  Dad ( Gary Gorst ) has two real nice lead teams and three bone headed pole horses that don’t know the meaning of whoa.  The outriding horses are a little soar but i think we should be alright.  The main thing for us is to stay focused, what ever happens just take it in stride and act nothing bothers us.

Tonight I will be riding all nine heats. I have worked hard all winter to be in top shape this year and i think i am ready for this years derby.  The season this far has gone really good, i have three show championships under my belt this year.  But there is not much i can do but do my best to help the driver and stay penalty free!

Good Luck to all the participants at this years Calgary Stampede.