Boisjoli-Meged Gets Breakthrough Moment, Hopes To Keep Building Momentum

The defending world champion breakaway roper battled through adversity to win Cheyenne Frontier Days, a moment she hopes sets the tone for the final weeks of the regular season.

Shelby Boisjoli-Meged was all smiles after winning the breakaway championship at the 2024 Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo. Throughout the competition she earned $16,280. / PRCA photo by Click Thompson.

Shelby Boisjoli-Meged beamed from ear-to-ear galloping through the Frontier Park Arena, waving to fans during Sunday’s short round at the Cheyenne (Wyo.) Frontier Days Rodeo. 

Her time of 3.7 seconds in the finals was easily the fastest run of the day, and the second quickest of the entire rodeo. Her celebration ride around the arena left the Calgary, Alberta native smiling as onlookers applauded. 

It was a moment the defending world champion breakaway roper had been longing for. So far, her summer run had seen success, checks here and there, but nothing substantial. It’s been enough earnings to keep her uncomfortably in the top five of the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association World Standings. 

Shelby Boisjoli is going to put this Cheyenne buckle right next to that Gold Buckle of hers! pic.twitter.com/TiGznTjvAU

— The Cowboy Channel (@Cowboy_Channel) July 28, 2024

But this moment, the one she’s been searching for, was made possible by the other moments. 

Boisjoli-Meged’s appearance in the finals happened because of some fortuitous circumstances and a lot of gumption in the wild card round at Cheyenne. Her initial throw was slightly off the mark, landing on the calf but it wasn’t a clean catch. 

“I had to kick my horse up and push my rope back on to catch. I feel like just a little bit of cowgirl try took me a long way,” Boisjoli-Meged. “I guess I’m proud of myself for not giving up on that run – it paid off.” 

That might be an understatement. 

Because she was able to survive the wild card round, Boisjoli-Meged advanced and kept chipping away. She placed third in the first semifinal and then capped her appearance at CFD with the win on Sunday. All told, her time in Cheyenne was worth $16,280. Outside of Frontier Days, the rest of the entire month of July brought in just shy of $17,000 towards Boisjoli-Meged’s season, making the win at CFD a significant and much-needed jolt.

“It means a lot because I’ve been struggling so hard this year. It has not gone my way. It’s been everything in me to say, ‘Don’t give up. Don’t go home,’” Boisjoli-Meged said. “This is like the first rodeo that I’ve really done good at this summer. For it to be such a big rodeo and such a big win, it means a lot to me and it’s definitely giving me the confidence to keep going and trucking forward.”

As much as she’d like to, Boisjoli-Meged can’t pinpoint one specific thing that has caused her lackluster summer until recently. 

Sometimes, it’s been a bad throw or poor conditions, things that can impact any rodeo competitor. Both she and her horses have remained relatively healthy, so there’s not much to point to there. 

Ultimately, Boisjoli-Meged is trying to navigate herself and the pressure to be the sport’s best. Last year, she set the WPRA regular season record with more than $165,500 in earnings. Prior to the CFD win, she had less than $70,000 won so far this year. 

While things have been vastly different this time around, the goal remains unchanged. Boisjoli-Meged knows she has to clear whatever mental and physical hurdles arise in the coming weeks if she wants to lock up her fifth straight appearance at the Wrangler National Finals Breakaway Roping later this year. 

With a refreshed mindset, Boisjoli-Meged hopes the return to form is coming for the final push of the regular season. 

“Sometimes it does feel like people are expecting a little bit more of you, but I feel like I’ve done a good job of blocking that out and just being me,” Boisjoli-Meged said. “Being me was good enough to get me my gold buckle, so I just have to remember that what I do is good enough out here and don’t try to be anything more than that.”