The air is painted with the scent of kettle corn, hamburgers, and the freshly worked arena dirt.
Breathe it in.
The ground shakes with the pounding of many hooves as horses and riders streak by holding banners in an array of colors.
Hear she comes!
The rodeo queen buzzes around the arena. Her curls flying behind her, the sparkles on her shirt and crown catching the arena lights. Her smile bright and inviting.
She looks so royal atop her horse, but when she dismounts she walks straight to the crowd and you stare up at her in awe. With a bend of her knee and a warm look in her eye she asks if you're enjoying the rodeo.
You nod and ask for an autograph, your eyes never leaving her. In that moment you know you want to be just like her.
One day you want to be a rodeo queen.
But how do you get there and how do you be like the queen you remember?
Indoor Pageant
The road to becoming a rodeo queen is not always an easy one.
Rodeo queens are expected to be graceful, knowledgeable, and poised. Essentially you are the face of the rodeo, county, and sanctioning committee you are selected to represent.
Not just anyone is ready for that job.
So even if an interview, modeling, speech, and impromptu question seem like a lot to ask of a rodeo queen contestant, just know that it is so that the committees selecting you know that you are a true and genuine representative for their sport and community.
Don't worry if you feel you lack in any or even all of these areas. As a rodeo queen who struggled in almost all of the indoor competitions at first, I can personally tell you that you can do it.
Interview
Interviews are simply a means of determining the knowledge, personality, and genuineness of a contestant. Rodeo queens are expected to interact with spectators, committees, and sponsors and so understanding not only the sport of rodeo, but politics, animal science, and the specific area you are representing is a must.
Modeling
The modeling portion of a contest is designed to show the poise of a contestant. As a rodeo queen, your crown and banner draw a great deal of attention to you and so you must represent yourself and the title in a respectable manner.
Speech/Impromptu
Speeches and impromptu questions can be difficult and nerve racking for more than just rodeo queens. Public speakers in all walks of life will confess to getting nervous when presenting to large crowds, but as a rodeo queen you never know when you might be called upon to stand before an audience or crowd and performing under this pressure is essential to the job.
Indoor Appearance
Don't for get the rodeo queen "look." From the curled hair and big wings to the shape of your hat, a rodeo queen can and should be able to be spotted from across the arena. As a representative of the sport and event rodeo queens are expected to uphold an image and tradition.
Outdoor Pageant
While other genres of pageants host a "talent" portion with an array of allowable skills, rodeo queen pageants boast one single talent shared by each contestant: horsemanship.
Most young cowgirls (myself included) consider that horsemanship is the best part of the pageant and while most believe that they know how to ride, rodeo queening is its own style.
Look like a queen and ride like a reiner.
Equitation (riding/pattern)
Rodeo queen horsemanship is its own distinct discipline with guidelines and standards. From the shape of the circles to the stops and spins, there is an expectation for horse and rider that varies from any other disciplines.
Horsemanship Appearance
"The look" of a rodeo queen horsemanship has been a tradition for many years and while trends and styles alter slightly, there are certain standards that are expected from the hair to the color of the outfit and tack.
Horsemanship Interview
As knowledgeable about political and current events a rodeo queen must be, she must know even more about horses and rodeo. Horse science questions are not always asked during a horsemanship pattern but being prepared is essential.
Buzz Runs (the Queen Run)
Too fast or too slow? The "buzz run" is not a ton of points in pageant but it is the most important as it is what you will be doing all year should you earn the title.
Title Holder Tips
After all the work and long hours put in you finally win that title.
What now?
Holding a title for the first or even fourth time can be intimidating, but it is also the experience of a lifetime.
Be an Advocate
Realize that with earning the title comes a great responsibility. You must now be ready and willing to advocate for the sport of rodeo, your community, and the sanctioning organization for your rodeo. Be knowledgeable and prepared to discuss aspects of each.
Know Your Royalty
Get to know your royalty. You will be representing with them for a whole year and they will become your second family. Get to know them and have fun. Take down contact information to coordinate colors, events, and pass along any information from directors.
Appearance Dos/Don'ts
When making appearances there is a list of things that you should be doing and things that you should not be doing, but mostly just always remember that you are a representative and you have many eyes on you now.
From Rodeo Queen to Life
Being a rodeo queen might be a childhood dream, a middle school goal, or a high school extra curricular, but the skills and knowledge gained through rodeo queening experiences has the potential to impact your life for years to come.
Remember you get out of it what you put in.
Skills
Shy, quiet, and reserved. This was me as a little girl, too scared to speak to her shadow. But I was also a stubborn and determined little girl. Once I decided I wanted to rodeo queen nothing could stop me and after years of interviews, public specking, and appearances I have seen the skills and abilities that I gained from rodeo queen open a wealth of doors and opportunities to me.
Networking
The rodeo and rodeo queen world is a tight knit community. From the girls that become your sash sisters to the rodeo announcers and committees, you will build a long list of friendships that will help broaden your network for years to come.
Confidence
Nothing builds confidence like winning so much as winning after loosing. Rodeo queening can be hard and emotionally draining at times but pushing yourself to get out of your comfort zone and seeing that pay off is the greatest feeling in the world.
Time to Saddle Up
Becoming a rodeo queen can be one of the most challenging journey's.
But it is so worth it.
From the skills and lessons learned through both the indoor and outdoor competitions as well as the friends and experiences gained through your time holding a title, becoming a rodeo queen is worth every tear shed and comfort zone shattered.
So Saddle up cowgirl.
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