When Calgarians think of sports at the Calgary Stampede, they likely think of rodeo or chuckwagon racing.
But what about competitive jump rope, ringette, or martial arts?
A new Calgary Stampede pilot community program called the Calgary Stampede Champion Award is aiming to put a spotlight on local athletes for their on-and-off field athleticism and community spirit, along with their commitment to Western hospitality and integrity.
Erika Vetsch, Brand Strategy and Market Insights Manager for the Calgary Stampede, said that the new award is an extension of the work that the Stampede has already been undertaking to recognize youth excellence.
“Part of this commitment is really trying to be present in the community year-round. Calgary Stampede is, of course, known for our 10-day celebration in July, but not many people know about our commitment to youth and community,” she said.
Vetsch said those celebrations have already come in the form of the youth scholarships given to the annual poster artist and to the many performing artists who are a part of the Stampede Showband or the Young Canadians.
Extending that to youth sports was about making winners of the awards feel as though they are a part of something bigger—and that the Stampede would be evaluating the feedback and interest in that as part of the pilot program, she said.
“It’s not just a medal… It’s really a symbol of pride, hospitality, and we just think it’s a great connection to tie both of those together, making the recipients feel really special and part of something bigger than just, here’s a medal that’s just going to go on the shelf,” said Vetsch.
Although the pilot opened on Aug. 18 for applications, Vetsch said that there was an acknowledgement that many of the youth sports, including those competed in by students, don’t take place until the fall.
“We’ve opened it up to the fall season of athletes, understanding that many of the sports seasons haven’t actually begun. So we moved away from nominating a specific player at this time, but asking sports teams, youth organizations, to apply for the award packages, knowing that there will be an MVP who speaks to the Calgary Stampede champion attributes,” she said.
A maximum of 2,000 awards will be given out during the pilot program.
“If the program is successful and there’s appetite for more, we’ll definitely look into seeing how we can grow and adapt the program based on public feedback,” said Vetsch.
She said that appetite has already been expressed by a variety of different sporting organizations, one day into the pilot, including ringette and competitive jump rope, along with other sports like hockey.
Each award package given by the Calgary Stampede as part of the Champion Award includes a Calgary Stampede Champion cowboy hat, an award certificate, and two admission passes to the Calgary Stampede.
Teams can request more than one award to be given out to players throughout their season, with the Stampede using the examples of tournaments, season wrap-ups, or other seasonal celebrations.
Applications for the Calgary Stampede Champion Award will remain open until all 2,000 awards are given out.
For more details and eligibility, see www.calgarystampede.com/calgary-stampede-champion-award.
