The celebrations were on for the Megeds on the Fourth of July.<\/p>\n
One set off by a win by local-lass Shelby in ladies breakaway roping at the Calgary Stampede.<\/p>\n
And another lit for the victory by her hubby, Haven, in tie-down roping at the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth.<\/p>\n
Yup \u2026 two bronzes made for quite the fireworks fest for the family \u2014 one that\u2019s freshly three now \u2014 to help celebrate the holiday.<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, yeah, yeah \u2026 it\u2019s a great Fourth of July, you know?\u201d said American tie-down roper Haven Meged, who\u2019s hitched to breakaway roper Shelby Boisjoli-Meged from nearby Langdon, Alta.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think we\u2019ve both won it the same day here,\u201d continued Meged. \u201cI won the championship here in \u201924, and she won in \u201925. So I think that\u2019s the closest as it\u2019s come, I guess, for us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Indeed, there was much joy last summer when Boisjoli-Meged made history last summer by lassoing the Stampede\u2019s first-ever breakaway roping title.<\/p>\n
Being a local cowgirl, she was kind of lifted up to royalty status by the fans at GMC Stadium.<\/p>\n
And this year, the breakaway queen has returned to Stampede with a prince in tow.<\/p>\n
The Megeds\u2019 little boy, Wylder, is just nine weeks old, but that didn\u2019t stop him from being up on stage to help mom and dad accept their bronzes Saturday.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow, we\u2019ll go to sleep,\u201d said Meged, when asked how they will mark the occasion beyond enjoying the limelight at the stadium. \u201cWe\u2019re sleeping. We\u2019re not out there partying.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd we\u2019ll buy some diapers with the money.\u201d<\/p>\n
Related<\/p>\n
First, it was Meged with the tie-down triumph \u2014 he took just 7.0 seconds to get the job done for the $7,000 first-place prize. That puts him on top of all ropers with a two-day total of $13,250 with Pool A\u2019s final day on tap Sunday.<\/p>\n
Then a little later on Saturday, it was Boisjoli-Meged with a lightning-quick 2.5 wrap for the victory \u2014 and another $7,000 \u2014 in the ladies breakaway roping event.<\/p>\n
For Boisjoli-Meged, she shook off a rough start to the Stampede that saw her calf get away on her in Friday\u2019s first go-round.<\/p>\n
But you had to know the defending queen would be back up to snuff on Day 2.<\/p>\n
At least, those in the stands figured she would.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t know,\u201d admitted Boisjoli-Meged. \u201cI was pretty nervous. I knew that I had a great calf, and I had a chance, but confidence-wise, I didn\u2019t know anything.\u201d<\/p>\n
Given she\u2019s a new mom and has just returned to her roping after her pregnancy and Wylder\u2019s arrival, her uneasiness is understood.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been pretty tricky coming back, especially trying to find my competitive edge,\u201d Boisjoli-Meged said. \u201cI\u2019m just kind of wired. I just worry about Wylder all the time \u2014 he\u2019s all I think about. So it\u2019s been hard of kind of just to tell myself to focus on my business here and my job.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m slowly getting back to that.\u201d<\/p>\n
It hasn\u2019t been a smooth road in their recent rodeo travels, either.<\/p>\n
Just last week, they were roping B.C.\u2019s Williams Lake Stampede when their vehicle broke down.<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah \u2026 the rig \u2014 our bus \u2014 broke down, when the DPF system clogged up,\u201d Meged said. \u201cBut we won in Williams Lake, so that money took care of it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to send a huge shout-out to Carleigh King and her family,\u201d continued Boisjoli-Meged. \u201cThey sent us with their pickup, and then they met Haven with the bus and got their truck back from him in the mountains, and he was able to get to the Ponoka Stampede, and we were actually able to get to this rodeo, too. So we wouldn\u2019t have been able to do it all this last week or so without really good people. They\u2019d never met us before, and they just brought their truck and gave it to us for the week.\u201d<\/p>\n
And here they were Saturday, celebrating two-fold at the Stampede.<\/p>\n
\u201cHer family\u2019s from up here,\u201d added Meged, of Miles City, Mont. \u201cSo it\u2019s great to have everybody up here and for us to both get a win in front of her hometown.\u201d<\/p>\n
tsaelhof@postmedia.com<\/p>\n