Underdogs Shine In Calgary Stampede Showdown Round With Stunning Upsets And Grit

The barrel racers have refused to share the spotlight at the Calgary Stampede this week and that continued on in the final day of action. If you weren't a 16 you were not advancing to the showdown round. On top of that, there was only .01 between first and third.

Anita Ellis didn't give it up and stayed on her five-year-old who set the arena record at the end of Pool A (now held by Kassie Mowry and Jarvis). It was Ellis who took home the win raking in $71,000 by the end of the Stampede. Without a big slip on first Jarvis and Mowry would have (more than likely) ended up victorious, but instead were the reserve champions with a 17.1.

The tie-down roping had a Cinderella story with Missouri cowboy Tom Crouse who took home the reserve title in the showdown round. He is hunting his first NFR qualification and finished second behind world champion Shad Mayfield. Mayfield was on the famous buckskin

Canada was cheering on a few homegrown contestants- Scott Guenther, Shelby Boisjoli-Meged and a pair of saddle bronc riders (Zeke Thurston and Dawson Hay) all heil from Alberta and battled their way into the finals as well as the showdown round. The Alberta athletes went three for three.

Guenther was the only sub-four second run in the showdown during the steer wrestling to take home the win. Thurston and Hay went one and two in the saddle bronc riding and this was his fourth Stampede victory after going 92.5 points in the showdown.

Shelby Boisjoli-Meged, who just won the NFR Open, is the first-ever breakawy champion at the Stampede. She was the only clean run in the showdown round and was .1 off of the current arena record.

Grady Young might not be from Alberta, but he made it into the showdown in the bull riding and calls Saskatchewan home- another Canadian cowboy the "home team" was cheering for. Young was bucked off in showdown round, but Canada should still be proud of him for making it there.

Cooper Cooke was the final man out in the bareback riding showdown knowing that he had to be over 92 points to get the win and he did just that. Cooke went 94 points. He came into Calgary not quite yet into the top-15 in the world; that will easily change now.

Calgary Stampede is always fun to watch and it will be a long 12 months waiting for next years' showcase.

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