Foothills athletes are set to add to the greatness of the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth.
Five competitors from the region, a group that includes a former champion, will take on the 2024 Calgary Stampede Rodeo, held July 5-14 at the GMC Stadium.
The expanded format, first introduced in 2023, sees 30 competitors in each event broken down into three pools. The top four in each pool earns a spot in the Showdown Sunday, which this year will be backed by red-clad gear from those attending the event.
“We are excited to paint GMC Stadium red as we crown our 2024 Calgary Stampede champions,” said Kristina Barnes, director of agriculture and western events for the Calgary Stampede. “This year’s lineup of competitors is exceptional and features some fantastic homegrown talent. We know they will lay it all on the line for a shot at the Championship while being cheered on by that Red Hot Sunday crowd.”
In the steer wrestling, Okotoks’ Harley Cole is in the field for the third consecutive Stampede. Cole is enjoying a strong campaign, sitting third in the Canadian standings.
The saddle bronc looks promising for the local contingent. Millarville’s Layton Green, on the heels of a finalist showing at last year’s event, returns to the grounds as the 13th ranked Canadian. High River’s Lucas Macza, the top-earner on the Canadian tour by a country mile, is poised to make noise in Calgary as well.
Foothills Composite graduate Jordan Hansen, who now calls Amisk home, will be gunning for a second championship in Calgary. The veteran bull rider won the Stampede buckle in 2021.
The Rocky Mountain Cup, which features the disciplines of breakaway roping and team roping, will see Longview’s Bradi Whiteside compete in the former on July 9 in the Nutrien Western Event Centre on the Stampede grounds.
Whiteside, a barrel racing and breakaway roping athlete along with her sister Kylie, enters the competition in second place in the Canadian standings in roping.
This year marks the second time the breakaway roping competition has been a part of the Stampede Rodeo programming.
For more information on the Calgary Stampede Rodeo, visit calgarystampede.com.
