By: Clare T.
Pull out your cowboy hats and dust off those leather
boots...it’s time for a week of wild fun!
Western Week has been a tradition at Western Canada High School
for the past twenty years. Like many school functions involving the difficult
task of bringing together our diverse student body, this four day event is
organized by our very own Student’s Union, who put in a great deal of time and effort
into making sure it goes off without a hitch!
The purpose of the event is to offer students a break during a
long and tiring semester with a bit of lighthearted fun celebrating the
culture that has made Calgary famous. Every day at lunch hour from March 12th to
15th, the Main Gym is transformed into an arena reminiscent of the Wild
West. This is where a variety of rodeo-themed events are held. The events vary
from year to year, but usually involve a relay, a test of coordination, a
test of dancing skill, and a challenge that focuses on team work. To compete in the
western-themed events, students create teams of ten, called Ranches. Ranches
compete against one another for prizes in each event. All the challenges
that take place in the arena are intended to be entertaining for the cowboys and
cowgirls competing, as well as for the spectators.
What’s the best way to describe Western Week? According to
student Graeme McConnell, the word is “rowdy”. “Announcements are louder and
all you hear in the hallway on your way to class are students cheering. The
noise level is incredible! Everybody breaks social norms and just go crazy.”
Graeme has participated in the event since coming to Western three years
ago. To him, Western Week is about going back to the school’s roots and
celebrating what Calgary is all about. “My favorite memory of Western Week is of
my first year being part of a Ranch,” says Graeme. “One of the challenges I
had to do involved eating refried beans without using your hands. During
the middle of the task my nose started bleeding right into the beans. I didn’t
notice it at the time,so I just kept going and finished the entire plate of food. It
wasn’t until after I was done that I realized what had happened. I didn’t win the challenge, but I did receive an honorable mention!” Bad luck in
one of his first challenges hasn’t stopped Graeme from taking part in the event
year after year! What he’s most looking forward to about this year’s
Western Week is just being part of the experience. “I can’t wait to see everyone
break out their cowboy hats and their big belt buckles. Some students really go
all out! The competition is good fun all around.”
So what should we be expecting from this year’s four day Wild
West competition? In the words of a true cowboy, “Get ready for a
foot-stompin’, yee-hawin’ good time!”
