Stampede Family and Friends…

As we all have gone our own ways back to our normal routine with the end of another Stampede, the countdown towards the 100th year centennial anniversary of the Calgary Stampede in 2012 begins.  Over the past few weeks over coffees, many of us have been sharing our experiences and noted some of which mimic the 7 Stages of getting-over-Stampede model made by a guy who supposedly only meets girls during the 10 days of Stampede…with a few Grandstand edits

**Disclaimer** For anyone going through a tough time right now, I hope this brings a smile to your face and lightens the load.

Shock & Denial. You probably reacted to learning of the end of Stampede with numbed disbelief. You may have denied the reality of the loss at some level, in order to avoid the pain, attempting to recreate the Stampede experience by wearing your cowboy hat, buckle and boots to work and to bed. Shock provides emotional protection from being overwhelmed all at once. This may last for weeks.

Pain & Guilt. As the shock wears off, it is replaced with the suffering of unbelievable pain. And for some of us, the pain of hearing anything “Stampede” ringing in your ear drums all day long. Although excruciating and almost unbearable, it is important that you experience the pain fully, and not hide it, avoid it or escape from it with alcohol, drugs, or other rodeos. You may have guilty feelings or remorse over the number of mini donuts and pulled pork parfaits you ate or withdrawal from the liquid diet you managed to sustain. Maybe even the number of phone numbers saved in your phone without a name. Life feels chaotic and scary during this unbelievably calm and uneventful phase.

Anger & Bargaining. Frustration gives way to anger, and you may lash out and turn on Country 105 constantly on full blast. Or turn on bright lights and scream “A**less Chaps” in order to recreate the tent feel. Please try to control this, as permanent damage to your relationships could result. This is a time for the release of bottled up emotion. You may also try to bargain in vain with the powers that be for a way out of your despair (“I will never always remember to ask for a name with the number if you just bring Stampede back”).

Depression, loneliness, reflection. Just when your friends may think you should be getting on with your life, a long period of sad reflection will likely overtake you. This is a normal stage of getting over Stampede. During this time, you finally realize the true magnitude of the effect of Stampede upon you, and it depresses you as you reflect on things you did with during the last Stampede, and focus on memories of the past.

The upward turn….as you start to adjust to life without Stampede, your life becomes a little calmer and more organized. Your physical symptoms at the sight or smell of beef or Budweiser lessen, and your “depression” begins to lift slightly.

Reconstruction & Working through…as you become more functional, your mind starts working again, you find yourself seeking realistic solutions to problems posed by life without Stampede (sleeping primarily solves these problems). You start to work on practical issues and reconstructing yourself and your life without the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth.

Acceptance & Hope! During this, the last of the seven stages in this getting-over-Stampede model, you learn to accept and deal with the reality of your situation. Acceptance does not necessarily mean instant happiness. Given the pain and turmoil you have experienced, you can never return to the carefree, innocent YOU that existed before the whirlwind. But, I promise, you will find a way forward. You will start to look forward and actually plan for next year’s Stampede. Eventually, you will be able to think about your (first, second, twenty-fifth, fiftieth) stampede without pain. You will once again anticipate some good times to come, and yes, even find joy again in the experience of other events.

Just remember, your Stampede Family will always be here on Stampede Park with events, concerts, hockey games, special productions.. and yes the Stampede Casino all year ’round.  Before you know it (in 321 days) the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth will be back!

With love… from everyone part of bringing the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth to the Grandstand near you!

Tonight was a full dress rehearsal of Act 1. I never knew how much work, effort and dedication went into pulling off a show this large until I literally stopped and watched all of the million moving parts. The cast (The Young Canadians and all of the performers – Eva Avila, Ta’Rea Campbell,Daniel “Da Funky Mystic” Celebre, Silk Duo Fly, Taiko Drummers, Russian Bar and the Extreme Freestyle Dream Team), crew and production team pulled it all together. The last minute details of ironing out all of the kinks and, most important, rehearsing and practicing all of the details and interchanges until everything is smooth and transitions effortlessly – or so it should appear to the audience!  These things are so important to the show and timing makes all the difference!

During our safety tour tonight with the Production Manager, Phil Heerema, I recognized the importance of what seems to be a simple task of pulling the Queen Mary (the TransAlta Stage) to the middle of the infield. A large (sorry, correction MONSTER) John Deere tractor is used to pull the Stage from the north end of the race track to the centre of the infield. The transition time between the ending of the GMC Rangeland Derby Chuckwagon Races and the Grandstand show needs to be seamless and done in less than 5 minutes. In order to ensure that this happens the crew will practice the drill until they get all of the moving pieces and the safety checks done in under that time. Considering all of this is normal for a show… assembling the stage, getting everyone in place… the difference is that this show is entirely outside and runs rain or shine. Making the tag line “The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth” all of sudden make perfect sense.

After watching Act 1 all I can say is that I definitely want a motorcycle, or at the very least a dirt bike. If you look closely at the picture above…. look inside the globe…. what do you see? 4 dirt bikes, 4 people, all going in different directions!  Unbelievable… a little x-games right in heart of the 2010 Grandstand Show!  The globe of death is known as a circus and carnival stunt where performers ride motorcycles inside a mesh sphere simultaneously looping vertically as well as horizontally – a swing dance in every which way.  The picture doesn’t really do it justice.  Guess you’ll just have to see it to believe it!