List of Calgary Stampede Rodeo Champions

rdf:langString List of Calgary Stampede Rodeo Champions

rdf:langString Calgary Stampede rodeo champions have won their respective events in one of the largest rodeos in the world; the rodeo is the heart of the Calgary Stampede. With a prize of $50,000 to the winner of each major discipline, it offers one of the richest payouts in rodeo competition. In Canada, the Calgary Stampede rodeo is broadcast nationally by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) on its main network, as well as on Sportsnet One. In the United States, the rodeo is televised live on The Cowboy Channel and live-streamed on the subscription-based The Cowboy Channel Plus application. There are six major disciplines – bull riding, barrel racing, steer wrestling, tie down roping, saddle bronc and bareback riding – and four novice events – junior steer riding, novice bareback, novice saddle bronc and wild pony racing. Each event is organized as its own tournament, and the cowboys and girls are divided into two pools. The first pool competes each night for the first four nights, and the second each night for four nights following. The top four in each pool advance to the Sunday final, and the remainder compete on Saturday for a wild card spot in the final. The competitor with the best time or score on Sunday wins the $50,000 grand prize. Team roping was added in 2022. However, unlike the other rodeo events, it was limited to one day and the competition was called the Rocky Mountain Cup. It took place at the Nutrien Western Event Centre and there were 30 teams at the event. The top four advanced to the final to determine the champion team, which would ultimately win $12,500 per member. All livestock for the rodeo events come from the 22,000-acre (89 km2) Stampede Ranch located near the town of Hanna. The ranch was created in 1961 as a means of improving the quality of bucking horses and bulls and to guarantee supply. The first of its kind in North America, the Stampede Ranch operates a breeding program that produces some of the top rodeo stock in the world and supplies rodeos throughout southern Alberta, and as far south as Las Vegas, Nevada for the National Finals Rodeo.