As the current rodeo royalty for ‘The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth,’ Cochranite and 2024 Stampede Rodeo Princess, Brooke Fielding sat down with The Eagle to talk about her reign.
The following Q&A has been slightly edited for brevity and clarity.
The Eagle: Can you tell me a little bit about yourself? How did you become the Stampede Princess? That's a very prestigious title, I think. Not everyone gets to be called a princess.
Fielding: “Absolutely. So, my name is Brooke Fielding and I am the 2024 Calgary Stampede Princess.
I just received this title on November 1st, and then my official reigns started on January 1st. But I am a born and raised Albertan. Grew up in Cochrane and Calgary, and have been going to the Stampede my entire life.”
The Eagle: Prior to becoming a princess, what were you up to in terms of education or work?
Fielding: “I am a recent graduate at the University of Calgary from the Haskey School of Business. I have a Bachelor's of Commerce and I've taken my business knowledge about operations, marketing, finances, and I've currently am using them in my role as an office manager.
I work at a local company in Cochrane at a veterinary clinic, and I absolutely love it. It's amazing interacting with the clients and the patients. Getting to have that personal interaction with the community really helped me in this role, as well as stampede royalty.”
The Eagle: How does it feel to represent the Western Rodeo worlds of Cochrane and the Calgary Stampede?
Fielding: “Being in this role, I'm an ambassador for the Calgary Stampede and the surrounding area. But this role encompasses a lot of different aspects.
I get the pleasure of going to schools, going to seniors homes, getting to talk to different people who will be visiting Stampede during the 10 days that are visiting from all over the world.
I get to interact with them and be that friendly western face of hospitality, and I'll also be able to be touching multiple different communities, by visiting more of the local rodeos, so Cochrane, Airdrie, and Canmore.
So, I'm really excited to bring Stampede greetings and Western spirit.”
The Eagle: Upon graduating from your role as the Calgary stamped Princess, what are your plans for the future?
Fielding: “So, the Calgary Stampede Royalty is a youth development program. In the year that I will be going through my reign, it's an incredible chance for me as a young woman to personally develop, gain skills, public speaking, getting to interact with different people, the connections I'm going to make, and the many different events that I'll be able to attend.
I really hope to take these skills that I'm going to learn, to be able to apply them, hopefully to veterinary school, or potentially another career in the business sector as well.
But medical school and veterinary school is very competitive, so it's sort of looking for that element that differentiates an individual. And I do really think that being part of the royalty program will give me that advantage and unique perspective that I can give, and the ability to connect with people, which I really hope will help me in my future career.”
The Eagle: Overall, what are your thoughts on being the Calgary Stampede Princess?
Fielding: It's an incredible honour and I am very proud. I have been going to the Calgary Stampede since I was a little girl, and I grew up watching the parade.
And even sort of my journey in the horse world. I started English riding lessons with my pony at about eight years old.
And then from there I sort of transitioned to joining the youth development program, The Calgary Stampede Show Riders. It was incredible getting to ride with a team of 16 girls. It got me a little bit closer to the royalty, and really made me realize that this is such an incredible opportunity and I couldn't wait to be a part of it.
The Eagle: So far, what has been your favourite part about being the Calgary Stampede Princess?
Fielding: “Honestly, my favourite part so far has been the learning opportunities and being able to be challenged as a young woman.
I'm seeing the ability that this position gives me as a platform to be a role model. I even think of my younger sisters and some of the people that I know.
I really want to grow as a young woman and to inspire other young women to do the same.”
The Eagle: Do you have a message you'd like to give to future young women who are looking to fill the same shoes as you?
Fielding: I think as anyone who is interested in pursuing Stampede royalty or is even just a youth in either in the western world or the English riding, it is an incredible confidence booster and it is an incredible opportunity.
It's going to push you out of your comfort zone and out of your boundaries, and I just really want to encourage other young women to take that step. I learned so much throughout the competition that I was a part of,
It was a really intense month-long competition, and there were a lot of different aspects that I was challenging, but it was super exciting. Anywhere, from the equine side of it, to riding multiple different horses in front of an audience, or to the mixers where I was getting to meet board of directors or stampede committee members, never having met these people before.
It really challenged me as like a young woman to step out of my comfort zone. Also, my social media aspect. I was learning all the different techniques and kind of being challenged there as well. So, it was an incredible experience regardless, and it really taught me a lot.
The Eagle: Is there anything I might've missed or anything else you'd like to add?
Fielding: I'm very proud to be a Cochranite and a local from the community. I do live and work there, and it is such a beautiful community to be a part of.
I'm really honoured and it's actually home to a lot of the Calgary Stampede, past alumni royalty. It's an honour to continue this legacy, and to be able to have some of those women watching as well.
I really hope to see a lot of friendly faces in the community and at the 2024 Calgary Stampede.
