STAMPEDE-STYLE THRILLS KICK OFF OCTOBER IN CALGARY
September 18, 2009

CALGARY --The Calgary Stampede is doing it again – bringing the best in rodeo and western entertainment to Stampede Park, but this time it’s in October – and it’s all geared for fun.
The Canadian Rodeo Tour Championship presented by Wrangler, which is the finale for Canada’s rodeo tour circuit, headlines three action-packed days, October 2-4, at the Stampede Corral.
Rodeo tickets start at under $20 each and include admission to the Blackstar Saloon where Canadian country music favourites Jason Greeley, Shane Chisholm and Karen Lee Batten perform on Friday and chart-topping superstars Lonestar headline Saturday. The Sunday rodeo includes the crowning of the 2010 Calgary Stampede Queen and Princesses and the introduction of the new Indian Princess.  
The championship features the top 12 athletes in each of the seven major rodeo events: bareback, steer wrestling, saddle bronc, team roping, tie-down roping, barrel racing and bull riding. In each event, 10 competitors come from the Canadian Rodeo Tour, made up of the 11 major rodeos nation-wide sanctioned by the Canadian Professional Rodeo Association. Two other competitors for each event are still to be named, qualifying as the top money-winners from the dozens of other sanctioned rodeos that are still underway across the country.
“This is a very exciting event for us as competitors,” said Tyson Durfey, the 2006 tie-down roping tour champion. “I love the fans and the energy they bring to the arena every time. The level of competition in Canada is second to none. It’s a place that I’ve grown to love.” Durfey is from Colbert, Wash., and is the reigning Canadian champion as well.
The rodeo’s competition format will have fans on the edge of their seats. Friday and Saturday night, contestants are vying for a spot in Sunday’s semi-finals, which will feature eight in each event. They start with a clean slate with the top four advancing to the finals. The rodeo features $218,500 in prize money with winners able to earn $15,000. The money is significant, but perhaps even more important to each champion is a spot in the Canadian Rodeo Finals and the 2010 Calgary Stampede.
Top bucking stock will be responsible for half the points in bareback riding, saddle bronc riding and bull riding. One lucky bareback rider will be matching his skills against the five-time world champion bucking horse Grated Coconut owned by the Calgary Stampede.
“The Canadian Rodeo Tour Championship is a highlight of the circuit,” said Keith Marrington, the Stampede’s rodeo manager. “This is a high-energy weekend of western entertainment, top-notch music and family appeal. It’s thrilling, it’s different and it’s affordable.”
There will be other western events throughout the weekend. All in all, the Canadian Rodeo Tour Championship is just a little taste of Stampede --- but in October.
For a complete schedule of activities and to order tickets visit www.calgarystampede.com.

 WHAT:      Canadian Rodeo Tour Championship
WHEN:       Friday, Oct. 2 at 7 p.m.; Saturday, Oct. 3 at 7 p.m.; Sunday, Oct. 4 at 1 p.m.
WHERE:    The Corral, Stampede Park

Press Release courtesy of the Calgary Stampede.