Driver and new truck making magic in Monster Jam

Calgary’s setting for “the greatest outdoor show on earth” is hosting “the greatest show on dirt."

Monster Jam takes place September 13 and 14 in Calgary debutting a brand new truck, Sparkle Smash. 

“We're going to shoot confetti out of the horn of this unicorn,” said the driver, Kayla Blood. 

A blend of mean and majestic, the pink and purple shimmery truck first hit the circuit in May and has been a hit with little girls, boys and adults. 

"When you are out there as a female competing in a male-dominated sport that speaks volume to them and then can go out there and be succesful in front of them, that means everything in the world,” said Blood. 

 She said it’s also important how you react when you aren’t successful.

Blood used to race on her feet in hurdles (track and field).

 

Monster Jam driver Kayla Blood in Calgary, Alberta on Sept. 13, 2024

"(I had) aspirations to be in the Olympics but that didn't really work out,” she said, “so I had to redirect (my energy)," she said.

"The right mindset and attitude can get you far," she added, "and that's just like these Monster Jam trucks you know: one day you're a hero and one day you're a zero."

 Along with races, the drivers also perform stunts in their spectacular rides.

Sparkle Smash is the first Monster Jam truck to be inspired by the toy version.

It was a different toy truck that sparked a career for Ryan Albin.

"For my sixth birthday I got a Monster Jam gravedigger truck and from then on, Monster Jam has been a phenomenon in my life that never went away."

 He’s now their production stage manager.

Seventy truckloads of dirt are brought in for the unique show.

While it’s another kind of horsepower taking over Stampede Park, the Monster Jam Competition has parallels with Calgary’s rodeo and chuckwagon races. 

Along with races, the drivers also perform stunts in their spectacular rides.

“We have generations of families that continue to drive,” said Albin.

“Monster Jam isn't scripted. When I send these trucks out I don't know what they're going to do, they could do a backflip, bicycle, they could create a new trick -- I don't even know they're planning to do."

Monster Jam starts at 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Starting at 12:30 p.m. each day, there is a pit party where you can meet the drivers and see the trucks up close.

For more information about Monster Jam, go here.