By ANNA SMITH Local Journalism Initiative on July 30, 2024.

Charlatan Sandford (Princess) and Charlie Christie (Queen) were named Royalty of the 2024 Medicine Hat Exhibition & Stampede during intermission of Friday’s Professional Rodeo competition.–PHOTO COURTESY OF RANDY FEERE

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Competitors Charlie Christie and Charlatan Sandford emerged from the dust of the Medicine Hat Exhibition & Stampede Grandstand as the 2024 Stampede Queen and Princess and are looking forward to starting their year together. The coronation came as a complete shock, Christie said Friday night, immediately after receiving the honor. “I’m so excited, proud and very overwhelmed,” Sandford said. Both Christie and Sandford explained that the competition this year had been extremely close and that they went into the ring that night with the idea that literally anything could happen. “Everyone did a great job and it was a great group of girls to compete in,” Christie said. “We had some great memories and good times and definitely made some lifelong friends.” Christie and Sandford are both born and raised in and around Medicine Hat and are excited to take on the role of ambassadors for the Medicine Hat Exhibition & Stampede and introduce themselves to the city. “I come from a family with two sisters and my mom and dad, so I definitely have an overwhelming support system. I just started barrel racing a few years ago and I’ve really enjoyed it, my horse, my grandpa,” Christie said. She explained that she comes from a heritage of rodeo royalty, with three other family members who have been royalty for the Calgary Stampede in the past, and she’s proud to have the opportunity to follow in their footsteps for her hometown. “I think it’s a great honor to be able to do this, to keep the tradition going, and I hope that if I ever have a daughter, she wants to be a rodeo queen or princess too,” Christie said. Christie developed her passion for riding on a ranch in Brooks and has developed a love for barrel racing in recent years. For Sandford, also a lifelong Hatter, wearing the crown as Stampede Princess is a lifelong dream. “It’s an incredible dream that has just come true, and I don’t think my support system or I have really gotten over how incredibly awesome this opportunity is,” Sandford said. Sandford is a woman with big plans, she said, as she just completed her equine technician certification and will be attending nursing school in the fall. She added that she feels even more prepared for these goals and opportunities with her new “partner in crime” by her side, and is grateful to spend the coming year as a team with Christie. Both women expressed gratitude for the support of their families and fellow competitors, as well as their predecessors Stampede Queen Emma Atkinson and Princess Caitlyn O’Connor. The pair will soon hit the road for their first appearance as royalty at the Strathmore Rodeo, kicking off what they expect to be a busy but wonderful year full of personal growth and lifelong memories. 16
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