Calgary Stampede Kicks Off Greatest Show on Dirt With Pool A

The “Greatest Show on Dirt” has welcomed its first set of cowboys and cowgirls to the arena for the 2026 edition. Over the course of the next 10 days, more than $2 million will be awarded.

Getting an invite to the Calgary Stampede can make an athlete’s season and can certainly catapult them into a qualifying spot for the National Finals Rodeo if all goes well in Canada.

The Calgary Stampede Setup

There are three “pools” of 10 contestants in each event that will compete in Calgary, Alberta to try to win the ultimate bonus of $50,000 at the end. The 30 contestants each get three go-round competitions before deciding who will move on.

Each of the daily go rounds will pay six places:

1st - $7,000
2nd - $5,500
3rd - $4,500
4th - $3,250
5th - $2,000
6th - $1,000

So if a contestant were to win all three of their pool go rounds, they could walk away with $21,000 over the course of three days and then still have the opportunity to compete for the $50,000 bonus.

The top four money earners out of each pool will move on to the finals which will consist of 12 contestants in each event. Those 12 will go head-to-head to determine the top four again and then those will compete one more time to see who will walk away with the biggest paycheck..

Pool A Day One Champions

Pool A competition started on July 3, and the first set of go round winners was crowned.

In the bareback riding, Garrett Shadbolt took the opening day win with his 86.5-point ride.

The steer wrestlers literally kept things neck-and-neck as two men threw their steers in exactly the same time. Jesse Brown and Bridger Anderson were both 4.4 seconds to earn $6,250 each.

The saddle bronc riders put on quite a show, with the top six all scoring 85 points or higher. It was the 10-time world champion Stetson Wright who topped the list on day one. His 90-point ride was good for the $7,000 paycheck.

The tie-down ropers also had a tie at the top with Canadian Kyle Lucas and Texan Haven Meged battling it out and stopping the clock at 7.8.

The barrel racing was smoking fast again this year with Heidi Gunerson taking the win. She was the lone cowgirl who stopped the electric eye under 17 seconds. Her 16.94 was worth $7,000.

Six of the ten bull riders made it all the way to the 8-second buzzer. None were better than Cooper James with his 87.5-point ride.

This set of contestants will compete for two more days before a new set rolls into town.

Stay tuned to Rodeo On SI for complete coverage and some predictions along the way.

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