Royal, memorable year comes to an end

Times Reporter 

 

It was only one year ago when Rockyford resident Dani Gariepy was crowned as one the Calgary Stampede 2012 princesses. She had the honour of being a member of the centennial royal party and was also one of the first to wear the new crown after the 1996 design was retired.

Now the time has come for Gariepy, fellow princess Jessica Manning, and queen Candice Lee to pass their crowns on to the newest members of the royal family. 

“This past year has been more than I ever imagined it would be. The centennial was something so special to be a part of. It gives me shivers when I think about how lucky I was to be a part of 100 years of Stampede, to be a part of history,” said Gariepy.

“We broke records at the Stampede, brought in more international guests for the 10-day celebration and reached out to the entire city of Calgary and the surrounding areas all year.”

Being forever known as being a member of the centennial royal trio is something Gariepy says she will treasure for the rest of her life. 

“No matter what year it is for the Stampede, being a princess or a queen means that you get to become a part of the Stampede family. There is so much support, love and encouragement from everyone involved that it’s overwhelming. I can’t wait to be a part of the Queen’s Alumni committee and start giving back and helping out with many more Stampedes to come.”

The year was full of memories that will never leave Gariepy and the other two members of the royal trio. One of the first highlights of the year for the girls was a trip to Vancouver last November for the 99th Grey Cup celebration. Gariepy said the trip was about more then just fans and football, the trio also visited an underprivileged school in Vancouver, flipping pancakes and doing some good old-fashioned line dancing. 

In March the trio attended a Calgary Flames and Anaheim Ducks game while promoting the Calgary Stampede, and while in California the trio made a stop in Disneyland. Also in March the girls continued to promote the country, the province and the city when they traveled to Berlin, Germany to the world’s largest travel and tourism tradeshow. 

Gariepy said it was fascinating to meet people from all around the world. 

“Amelia, the Indian Princess was also traveling the same time we were; only she went over to China. So between the four of us, we managed to reach out to many potential international travelers and convince them to come and experience the greatest outdoor show on earth,” said Gariepy. 

“Lastly, Stampede was a full 10 days of excitement that I will never forget. We met the Prime Minister Steven Harper and his wife, Paul Brandt, became close with Mayor Nenshi and of course met Garth Brooks. What a surprise that was, he even gave us tickets to the show.  Overall, Stampede was fantastic. The weather was perfect, the grandstand was full and my adrenalin was pumping every time I entered the area on horseback or spoke in front of the entire grandstand.”

Now that her year of living as royalty has come to an end, Gariepy plans to return to Mount Royal University and finish her degree in nursing. She has one year left before finishing her degree in nursing. Initially she plans to travel with her career, but does eventually plan to come back to the ranch and continue breaking horses and volunteering for the Stampede. 

Gariepy encourages any girl who dreams of one day becoming a member of the royal trio them to go for it. 

“As long as you go into it knowing how to be yourself, have fun, it’s a great experience. You grow so much and learn valuable things that can never be taught in school,” said Gariepy. 

“Just practice up on your riding skills, have an open mind and be confident in yourself. You never know where you will end up or what you will be doing. I never thought I would be a Stampede Princess, but I guess I proved myself wrong.”