Calgary Stampede announcer's career turns 40: 'Might as well do another 40'

Matthew Scace · The Canadian Press

· Posted: Jul 03, 2025 9:19 AM EDT | Last Updated: 2 hours ago

It was August 1983 astatine the Hand Hills Lake Stampede and Les McIntyre had conscionable fallen retired of his chuckwagon.

As helium remembers it, McIntyre had made a crisp turn, deed a competitor's wagon and tumbled to the crushed astatine nary little than 40 kilometres an hour. When helium deed the ground, different wagon pursuing down deed him, knocking McIntyre retired acold and resulting successful a career-ending backmost wounded earlier the property of 30. He spent the adjacent week successful a Calgary infirmary bed.

"That was the extremity of that party," says McIntyre, present 71. He'd dreamt arsenic a kid to 1 time vie successful the chucks astatine the Calgary Stampede.

Two years later, conscionable arsenic helium was preparing to statesman schooling to go an auctioneer, helium was asked if he'd beryllium capable to telephone the upcoming chuckwagon races successful Trochu, Alta.

"I lied done my teeth and said, 'Oh yeah, you bet.' I'd ne'er called 1 successful my life."

So began a vocation calling rodeos and chuckwagon races crossed Alberta, and yet astatine the Calgary Stampede — a vocation that reaches the 40-year milestone this summer.

"I fell retired of a wagon and fell into announcing," says McIntyre, reflecting connected his career-ending injury.

"Looking back, it was astir apt the champion happening that ever happened to me."

17th twelvemonth calling the Stampede

McIntyre's dependable volition flood the speakers astatine GMC Stadium this twelvemonth for each chuckwagon contention astatine the Calgary Stampede, which begins Friday. It volition beryllium his 17th twelvemonth calling the Stampede aft taking up the mantle from legendary Stampede announcer Joe Carbury in 2008.

In doing so, the lifelong nonmigratory of Vulcan, Alta., and longtime auctioneer volition proceed a four-decade-long streak successful which he's ne'er missed a job, whether it's for the Greatest Outdoor Show connected Earth oregon an aboriginal outpouring contention successful bluish Alberta. Early successful his career, helium would telephone much than 120 chuckwagon races and rodeos per summer, a fig that has dropped to astir 80 annually.

One of his archetypal lapses came conscionable a fewer weeks agone erstwhile helium slept done a greeting accumulation gathering successful Medicine Hat, Alta. "I missed my archetypal accumulation gathering successful 40 years, but I've ne'er missed a performance," helium says.

McIntyre credits his longevity to a fewer cardinal principles. He's ne'er been a smoker and seldom drinks intoxicant and coffee, to support his vocal cords healthy.

As for his earthy quality to telephone specified a fast-paced sport, McIntyre says his occurrence is partially owed to his inheritance successful auctioneering.

He grew up connected a cattle workplace and often delivered livestock to the High River auction marketplace and Calgary stockyards, wherever helium archetypal witnessed auctioneers astatine work. He got into the concern himself successful 1986 aft going to auction schoolhouse successful Billings, Mont., and was a livestock auctioneer until 2001.

The vocation talented him with the quality to deliberation and talk fast, helium says.

"If you ne'er merchantability thing successful your life, I ever accidental the champion nationalist speaking and nationalist relations people would beryllium to spell to auction schoolhouse ... They instrumentality the shyness retired of you."

Every rodeo helium calls is somewhat antithetic from the other. At the Calgary Stampede, helium says, astir spectators cognize small astir the sport, truthful helium often provides a little commentary connected the sport's history.

"[Spectators] think, 'What connected world are these coconuts doing retired there?"'

He's besides much keen successful Calgary to explicate to spectators what happens erstwhile a equine gets injured, oregon those horses' backgrounds anterior to chuckwagon racing. He describes the circuit arsenic "the largest equine rescue society" successful Western Canada, arsenic astir chuck breeds are retired from equine racing.

"I warrant you that we tin get a equine into the infirmary and dainty it a batch quicker than you tin get a quality being into the infirmary today," helium says.

Explaining the athletics isn't a occupation astatine agrarian rodeos astir Alberta specified arsenic the Ponoka Stampede, the last prelude to the Calgary Stampede that happens the week earlier successful cardinal Alberta, helium says.

"It's not arsenic overmuch explaining successful Ponoka," helium says.

McIntyre says helium has slowed down his beingness successful tiny ways. He's trimmed his workload successful caller years by handing disconnected the aboriginal day rodeo occupation to young announcers. But helium believes there's nary crushed his vocal cords can't past arsenic agelong arsenic his brain. He credits his wife, Kelly, with keeping him successful signifier and eating healthy.

And erstwhile asked if helium plans to discontinue immoderate clip soon, helium gives a level answer: no.

"I deliberation 40 is simply a bully number. Might arsenic good bash different 40."