As her reign draws to a close, Cochrane’s very own Brooke Fielding looks back on her time as the Calgary Stampede Princess, and shares her thoughts on handing off the crown to her upcoming successor.
Through her time as the princess, Fielding said it has been nothing short of a life changing experience, filled with the honour of representing the Calgary Stampede, Western heritage, and the community of Calgary.
“It’s been a lot of connecting with people from all the different areas of life, and continuing my journey of loving to ride and embracing the Western way of life,” she said.
Through her time as Stampede Princess, Fielding believes that her adaptability, communication, public speaking, and horse-riding skills have all significantly improved since the beginning of her reign.
“I think this was the very first time that I have had the opportunity to represent the organization in a very professional way, and staying true to my own personal values,” she said.
Looking back, her favorite memory involves a shared moment with the Calgary Stampede First Nations Princess.
“I think my very favorite memory from this year would probably be riding in the Calgary Stampede parade with my Stampede sister Margaret Holloway who is also from Mînî Thnî, so Stoney Nakoda Nation, which is right beside Cochrane,” she said. “So that was a pretty surreal moment with the crowd and representing our city on horseback in the second largest parade in North America.”
When considering one thing she would change about her time in the saddle as the Stampede Princess, she only wishes that she took more time to document her journey.
“I would try to take even more videos, even more photos, and probably try to make even more personal connections with people,” she explained. “Whether it’s getting their phone numbers or connecting on LinkedIn, because you never know where you’re going to run into people in the future.
“It was really easy with so many events to just get caught up with – Oh my God, what’s the next event coming next, So I would probably encourage myself to look back and see how far I’ve come.”
Upon her graduation from the role, Fielding plans to apply to the University of Calgary’s Faculty of Veterinary Medicine.
“In the meantime, I actually hope to get more experience working with large animals, so equines, and in small animal emergency medicine,” Fielding said. “That’s my own personal goals, but in terms of the Calgary Stampede, I’m actually excited to stay volunteering with the Calgary Stampede Queens Alumni, which is a group of past women who have all held the title as either being Stampede Queen or Calgary Stampede Princess.
“They have a mission to help disabled children in Calgary and their families, so that’s where I’ll be volunteering next.”
Fielding is excited for her successor Breanna Correia, a former Cochrane Lions Rodeo Princess, to wear the crown, adding that she looks forward to seeing her reign.
“I am very excited for Breanna,” she said. “I am very honoured that I got to spend a lot of time with her this year, and on just a personal note as well. I’m really excited that she is now representing the Calgary Stampede for 2025.
“She’ll definitely bring her own unique perspective and strength tot his role, and I know she has a lot of experience in the Western world as well.”
She would also like to congratulate the upcoming Stampede First Nations Princess.
“I had the opportunity to meet with her through the competition, Pacey Strangling Wolf, I’m really excited to where she is going to take her role as well,” Fielding said.
Fielding said it was always her lifelong goal to become Rodeo Royalty, and is very grateful for the opportunity to live her dream.
“There are a lot of people that made that possible,” she said. “So, definitely my family, my parents, my friends, my partner at home who supported me throughout this, and the Calgary Stampede Royalty Committee, which is all volunteer based, as well as the 3,000 volunteers of the Calgary Stampede, the employees, and the Board of Directors of the Calgary Stampede that have trusted me in being an ambassador for this organization.”
At the time of the interview, Fielding and Holloway headed out to Las Vegas for the National Finals Rodeo. As she wraps up her year, she thanks the community of Cochrane for their support.
“This year has really given me the opportunity to have so much appreciation for where I grew up in Cochrane, and the strong Western heritage and agricultural roots that our province has,” Fielding said. “I’ve definitely learned a lot about community, I’ve learned about hard work, and I really do hope to bring that into my future career and giving back to our communities.”
