Miss Rodeo Wyoming

Thank you Wyoming, and Goodnight!

2011-12-23T21:44:00.000-08:00

The snow is piling up high and I'm glad I made it to the warmth of my home in time. I just made my final ride across the state of Wyoming, into Utah, Arizona, Nevada, and back again. I step down off my Courts Saddlery saddle, and tie my American Quarter Horse mare to the rail. My Dan Post boots keep my feet safe from the ice and snow beneath them, and my Star of the West Hat helps keep my body warmth in as I face the bitter wind that blows across this state.

Thankful I actually didn't make the trip on my horse, but instead in my "Live The West" Albany County Tourism decal truck. I can imagine though what the final journey would have been like for the cattle drives of the Wyoming Territory. Seeing the glowing lights of home welcoming you with warm arms, but the acknowledgment that the final drive is done. The thought tightens my throat, and my heart beats just a little faster. So, as I pulled into the drive way, my truck turns into my horse, and the garage slims down to a tack room where my saddle will be stored until the next I might be asked to join a drive across the territory. I make my way inside and settle by the fire, thinking back to my latest journey, a drive to "Sin City".

My trip to Las Vegas was an amazing way to conclude my year as Miss Rodeo Wyoming 2011. I had a reunion with 26 of my very closest friends! We spent a week taking in the sights of the MGM Grand Hotel and a few other attractions such as the Tournament of Kings in the Excalibur. We watched the 6th performance of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo where I cheered on the 7 Wyoming representatives. It was so much fun dressing in vintage outfits with these girls, each giving an amazing display of the early cowgirl styles. We danced on stage to various movie theme songs, and most of all, we all shared these experiences together! Did I forget to mention that while we were having the time of our lives, we were also competing in the Miss Rodeo America 2012 Pageant. The pageant was a great time, and congratulations to MacKenzie Carr, formally Miss Rodeo Oregon, for winning the title! I know she will represent rodeo great this coming up year and I'm excited to help host her in Cody, Wyoming. I may not have brought home an award from the pageant, but I know that I upheld Wyoming's Cowboy Code Of the West this past year and while in Las Vegas. I lived each day with courage trying new things, meeting new people, and becoming a better person. I took pride in the work I did this year and in Las Vegas, not wanting to change a thing. I finished every job I started, never breaking my smile, or stepping out of my saddle when I needed to be in it. I did what had to be done and I did it without being asked. I was tough this year, as many of my fellow queens would agree to, but I was fair knowing that not everyone was exactly like me. When I made a promise, I kept it even if it meant staying up late or waking up early to do interviews and autograph signings. I rode for the brand of Wyoming and all of my sponsors. I tried to talk less and say more, and I did that by just smiling at every person I could. I know that some things aren't for sale, but when they are, find the best price you can! And know where to draw the line.

My line is drawn December 31, 2011 at 11:59 p.m. At the moment I will be at the Miss Laramie Jubilee Days 2012 Queen Coronation and Fundraiser. I will have been introduced for the final time as Miss Rodeo Wyoming 2011, and I will have watched Kodie Lester become the new Miss Laramie Jubilee Days Queen. Laramie Jubilee Days holds a place in my heart, especially New Year's Eve. I was the first queen for Jubilee Days to have her coronation on New Year's Eve. On December 31, 2005 I started my journey to become Miss Rodeo Wyoming by being crowned Miss Laramie Jubilee Days 2006, and exactly 6 years later, my journey comes to an end. My line is drawn. As soon as the clock strikes midnight, as if living the tale of Cinderella, my crown and title will be passed to the best person I can think of, Kimberly Kuhn. She will begin her year and she will live by the Wyoming Code of the West, and she will have the most amazing experience of her life, just as I have.

So as that night draws near, I sit by the fireplace, dog sleeping at my feet, stars shining through the window panes; my pony is in the corral, my saddle is put neatly away, and the tack room door is shut one final time. I will make my way out into the crisp Wyoming winter air, and I will say one last time, "Thank you Wyoming! Thank you for letting me take this ride of my life!"

Ate breakfast at the Cracker Barrel in Springville, UT

One of many carts with my stuff being moved into the MGM

My parents and I watched the 1st performance of the WNFR in the Hollywood Theater at the MGM Grand.

Thank you Sharil Palaggi with MGM Grand for giving my parents and I the VIP treatment that night! What a great start in Las Vegas!

Being introduced during the sponsor break at the live feed of the WNFR in the MGM Grand.

Tyler Willis, PRCA Bullrider, and I were "Team Albany County". This was his first year competing at the WNFR, and certainly not the last!! Great Job Tyler!
~Live The West!~

Talking with my Cody Stampede crew at the Team Wyoming Breakfast.

Wyoming Governor, Matt Mead, wishing Tyler and I the best of luck during our week in Las Vegas.

Talking with the Richard family from Cody. They are again reminding me that I am spelling my last name wrong. I love these people and can't wait to see them next time I'm in Cody.

Talking with Guy and Marci Warpness from the Laramie Jubilee Days Board. Congratulations to them and the LJD Board for being voted the Most Improved Rodeo in the Mountain States Circuit.

My dad and I talking with MRWA member and Wyoming State Fair Director, James Goodrich. Make sure to join us in Douglas, Wyoming in August of 2012 for the 100th Anniversary of the Wyoming State Fair.

With Siri Stevens, Rodeo News, and Kimberly Kuhn at the Team Wyoming Breakfast. She was fun at every rodeo I saw her at! She loves her job!

With Fred McClanahan, an amazing rodeo photographer I had the pleasure of working with this year, and Kimberly Kuhn at the Team Wyoming Breakfast the day before the pageant started.

I had the pleasure of signing autographs at Cowboy Christmas with Tyler Willes and Seth Glause. These guys were a hoot! Seth had won the round the night before, and Tyler won a paycheck too!! They were on cloud nine that afternoon! Good Job Boys!

Kim even found Tuff Hedeman at Cowboy Christmas!

We rehearsed right out of our boots! But don't worry.......

....Dan Post had our feet!
(Thanks Greg for EVERYTHING!!!)

The "Prince" from the Excalibur Dinner Show

"RUSSIA!!!!" Was sad the rider from my home wasn't riding, but our rider was a blast. I think he really enjoyed have 13 rodeo queens scream "RUSSIA" each time he rode by.

Ta Da!!!

2011-12-10T10:47:00.000-08:00

Thursday, we were off to the President's Breakfast to see Brittany carry in our beloved Wyoming flag. She wore a gorgeous royal blue outfit with white flowers to accent, and looked very professional for the event. She had to answer a current event question and managed to bring light to the answer to give everyone a giggle!

Brittany was first out in speeches following the breakfast and did a great job in her beautiful green dress that accented the Wyoming crown. We were then shown the media interview the ladies had to do on the first day.

Friday, we watched the second round of speeches, then headed off to Cowboy Christmas to watch Brittany sell her Wyoming purse. She brought Wyoming to Las Vegas and even included a jackelope antler! Brittany has managed to be very light hearted at and ease bringing a smile to the audience.

Today the coronation will begin at 1:30!! Brittany has made Wyoming proud so any nice comments you would like to post on the facebook page would be greatly appreciated.

Cannot wait to see you all back home for the holidays!!!!

God Bless and keep the positive thoughts coming!!!

Signing out, this is Kimberly Kuhn! xoxo

Fashion Show Delight!

2011-12-07T22:55:00.000-08:00

Last night Brittany and the other Miss Rodeo America contestants were able to go to the 6th round of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. Brittany looked great in her Live the West vest as she cheered on Wyoming's finest cowboys especially in the bull riding with Clayton Savage winning the Go Round!

Today Brittany came out like a shining star in the fashion show. She wore outfits that were donated by the PRCA Exclusive Sponsor, Wrangler, as well as her beautiful purple leather dress with a very neat design that looked great on the Hollywood Theatre Stage. The theme was "A night at the movies," and the girls danced to music from popular movies such as Pretty Woman, Top Gun, Risky Business and Dirty Dancing. Brittany was graceful in her modeling and did well with all the stairs she had to make her way down to model.

Following the fashion show was a great after party in the Crazy Horse theatre. The pictures were taken there and we even had the chance to visit with her for a little bit. Brittany will have the President's Breakfast in the morning where she will carry our wonderful state flag and answer a current event question. First round of speeches is also tomorrow. Looking forward to what is ahead!!! Please keep sending positive thoughts Brittany's way as she has done a great job representing Wyoming!!!

Thank You for Supporting Miss Rodeo Wyoming Brittany Richards!!

Retro Cowgirls, Fun Horses, and PRCA Rodeo

2011-12-07T00:39:00.000-08:00

The Cowgirl Kickoff party was a really fun event at the start of the Miss Rodeo America Pageant to allow the girls to design their own retro outfit and describe it. Brittany definitely made a statement, in her ALL OUT retro cowgirl look. She was adorable and noticed by everyone! As seen in the picture, her parents have been great support. There was a live band at the event, and everyone had a really great time!

Brittany was up bright and early Monday morning in her beautiful red horsemanship outfit with gold accent. It looked great in the arena at the Excalibur. She rode two different stock contractor horses and drew really well for both her set pattern and her freestyle pattern.

After a tough morning of competition the MRA contestants were able to have a wonderful time all dressed up at the American Country Awards in the MGM. They were among true country music celebrities as they enjoyed this once in a lifetime opportunity, much like the journey of this week. Brittany is having the time of her life, all while representing her state with Wyoming pride!

Brittany showed her Poke Pride at the Wrangler National Finals Luncheon on Tuesday where she modeled her chaps and was able to describe them. She thanked Tim Bath for his great work and wonderful support for the past several years and described the word given to her to speak on, Riggin. Brittany has done a great job of bringing her love of Wyoming and its heritage into her answers and introductions this week. Tomorrow, I really look forward to cheering her on at the fashion show and keeping the wonderful Miss Rodeo Wyoming fans informed. Please keep good thoughts headed this way!! God Bless and stay warm if you are back home!

<3 Kimberly Kuhn

Viva Las Vegas Baby!

2011-12-03T23:35:00.000-08:00

Brittany Richards has made it to Las Vegas and alongside the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, she is well on her way into the Miss Rodeo America Pageant. Brittany started off her journey yesterday morning with the Team Wyoming breakfast hosted by Wyoming Tourism at the Gold Coast Casino. It was a great morning as it showcased the true talent we have in our Cowboy State when it comes to rodeo. The guest speaker at this event was the honorable, Governor Matt Mead, he gave everyone who attended the breakfast kind remarks. Brittany then made her way over to Cowboy Chirstmas at the Convention Center to sign autographs alongside a few of the Team Wyoming cowboys. She met with many different people and was even able to see a few familiar faces.

Today was the official start of the Miss Rodeo America Pageant. Her scrapbook was turned in as she made her way to the Hollywood Theatre at the MGM Grand to receive her banner and attend orientation. "Pinky" (Brittany's favorite pink hat) made a special appearance at the orientation as she answered a question from her application.

Brittany was able to get settled into her room in the Grand Towers at the MGM and from this point forward, she will not have access to her cell phone or internet. If you would like to send Brittany words of encouragement, please do so by e-mailing missrodeopageant@yahoo.com type WYOMING and BRITTANY RICHARDS in the subject line and one of the chaperones will be sure to get it to her. Also, if you would like to keep an "eye" on Brittany this week, do so by looking at pictures posted by the official pageant photographer, John Shooter, at www.shooterenterprises.com. He will be taking pictures at all of the Miss Rodeo America events.

On behalf of Brittany I would like to thank you for your support of her as Miss Rodeo Wyoming. Your thoughts and prayers are truly appreciated throughout this week and please tune in for more details to come!

God Bless each of you!!~

Kimberly Alexis Kuhn

Miss Rodeo Wyoming 2012

Miss Punctuality at your service!

2011-11-29T12:58:00.000-08:00

Well, my bags are packed and I’m ready to head to Las Vegas. I can’t believe that I will be heading south in 24 hours. So many people made this adventure possible that I can’t begin thank everyone enough. The past few months have gone by so fast, which is why I haven’t been able to update the blog. It’s a little late, but here goes.

James Goodrich from the Wyoming State Fair called me and asked me to ride in University of Wyoming Homecoming Parade. The Wyoming State Fair will be celebrating its 100^th Anniversary this coming summer and had a wagon advertising the centennial in the parade. It was fun riding along side James in the parade. It was my last as Miss Rodeo Wyoming, and while it was a little sad to close that chapter of my year, James made it fun with his smile and laugh. Thank you, James!

Miss Rodeo Colorado, Kellsie, and I made our way to Rock Springs, Wyoming for the Mountain States Circuit Finals Rodeo. The Finals rodeo made the move from Denver to Rock Springs this year. It was very well attended and the stock contractors brought some of the best stock I have seen all year! Kellsie and I carried our state flags and the American Flag for the openings, led the victory laps, and cleared cattle during the event. Congratulations to all of the contestants and to the Champions who will represent the Mountain State Circuit in Oklahoma City at the Ram National Circuit Finals Rodeo.

And the race is on!

Thank you Cody Brinton for the photos from the finals!

Martendale’s Western Wear of Laramie asked me to be a model for their store during the ZONTA Fashion Show. I was able to pick out my outfit and had fun accessorizing to match the blingy boots I chose to wear that night. I was joined by 75 other models to walk the runway. It was a fun evening that raised a lot of money for local groups.

Before the show with the Jubilee Days royalty

The next morning I packed up and headed to Sheridan, Wyoming with my parents for the Miss Rodeo Wyoming 2012 Coronation and Fundraiser. That evening I placed the jade and gold crown on Kimberly Kuhn’s white hat. It was a great evening and Kim had so much support from the Sheridan/Buffalo area and even folks from Cheyenne were able to make it up. Kim was given so much love that night that I know her year as Miss Rodeo Wyoming, starting January 1^st, will be amazing!

With Alton Miller, he provided music at the beginning of the night

The next weekend I went to visit my grandparents in Sundance and made a trip across the border to Rapid City, South Dakota to see my hat sponsor, Brad, at Star of the West Hats. Brad shaped every hat I own and got me all set up for Las Vegas! Thank you Brad! You are an amazing sponsor!

Before heading home I went to Casper for A Tribute to the Great American Cowboy. Dona Vold with Triple V Rodeo invited me and the Cheyenne Frontier Days Queen and Lady-In-Waiting to be a part of the art show and rodeo. We had a great time getting to know Kolton, the Children’s Western Wish Foundation recipient. Kim Kuhn arranged for me to use her horse and I greatly appreciate it! This was my last time in a Wyoming arena as Miss Rodeo Wyoming, but I had a blast, made some great memories, and closed yet another chapter in my rodeo queen year in fine style.

With Kolton, the Children's Western Wish Foundation recipient, his brother, and Kim Kuhn

Right after the rodeo I headed back home to prepare for my Send-Off Party. I got a few hours of sleep, thank goodness for Daylight Savings Time, and then started moving my mass of a wardrobe to the University of Wyoming Hansen Arena meeting room. My best friend, Stacie (Kline) Thompson, Miss Rodeo Wyoming 2006, served as emcee. Some of my closest friends and supporters joined us for an afternoon of viewing my clothes for the Miss Rodeo America pageant, listening to what the pageant will be like, raising some money, and eating homemade chili. It was so much fun and it really helped me get prepared for the fast approaching trip to the bright lights of Vegas! Thank you to my mom, dad, Dusty, Aaron and Stacie (Kline) Thompson, Justin Tarr, and Jerry and Nola Hoff for helping me with this event!!

Stacie (Kline) Thompson and her husband, Aaron

My last event in the state of Wyoming before my 13 hour drive to Las Vegas was the Carbon County Royalty Fundraiser in Baggs, Wyoming. It was great supporting a local queen program and getting to know the girls who will work very hard next year for the sport of rodeo! We had a great dinner, live and silent auctions, and danced to the music of Trainwreck. The queen and I were auctioned off for the first dance. My friend Justin was the big bidder for my dance, while the queen’s dad was pretty happy to get the first dance with his daughter. It was a wintery event, with the interstate closing and everything. I had to drive 7 miles east to Dixon, Wyoming to find a hotel to stay at until the roads opened the next day. It was a slow drive home, but I made it!

That brings us to the countdown! It went from months, to weeks, to days, and now to hours! I can’t believe how fast this year has gone! It has been amazing, beyond words, more than life changing! I would love to talk more about my year, but I have shirts that need ironing, vests needing even more rhinestones, and a trailer that needs packed!

For those of you who want to follow the Miss Rodeo America pageant, Kim Kuhn (Miss Rodeo Wyoming 2012) will be posting updates on this blog through the pageant which starts December 3 and ends with the crowning of the new Miss Rodeo America 2012 on December 10. There may also be updates on the Miss Rodeo Wyoming Facebook page if you have Facebook.

If you would like to send me an email during the pageant, the Miss Rodeo America association has set up a process to do that. From the Miss Rodeo America media chairperson:

Pageant contestants can be sent messages of encouragement while at the Miss Rodeo America Pageant. During the pageant they will not have access to their personal e-mail addresses or phones.

The e-mail rules are as follows:
>e-mail address: missrodeopageant@yahoo.com
1. We will start accepting messages on Saturday, December 3, 2011
2. Please include the State in the subject line.
3. All messages are read prior to printing to ensure appropriateness of the message. The committee reserves the right to not deliver a message they feel is inappropriate.
4. Messages may not be printed after Friday, Dec. 9th
5. Messages received after the pageant cannot be sent to contestants, we have no means of doing so.
6. Contestants DO NOT have access to e-mail during the pageant, please do not expect a response.
7. Due to circumstances beyond our control, messages may not always get to us. We try very hard but technology is not 100% accurate.

I would love to receive emails from you all throughout the week! You can also order flowers for me to help brighten my day by calling A French Bouquet in Las Vegas at (702)739-8484 or by visiting http://www.vegasflowers.com/.

I am excited to wrap up my year as Miss Rodeo Wyoming 2011 by competing for the title of Miss Rodeo America 2012. It’s been a long road here, competing three years for the title of Miss Rodeo Wyoming, winning 1^st runner up all three tries, overcoming obstacles in my life, discovering so many new life-long friends, and most importantly, finding out who I am and what I stand for. This year has made me strong and confident and I am proud to be known as Miss Rodeo Wyoming 2011.
Thank you Wyoming, Let’s Ride!

Make your Voice Heard!! VOTE!!!!

2011-10-31T09:51:00.000-07:00

Voting beings today, Halloween, at noon for the Miss Rodeo America 2012 Pageant People's Choice Award. Today is the day to show the World how Wyoming is just as strong at the other states. Let's show them even though we are small...we are mighty. Go to VOTE (the Miss Rodeo America Facebook page) and "like" my photo. That is how simple it is to vote for Miss Rodeo Wyoming! Voting begins today at noon!! Tell you friends and family! Powder River.. Let'er Buck! VOTE!

Late Nights and Early Mornings!

2011-10-02T13:42:00.000-07:00

Did September even come this year? Before I knew it, it was already October! and what a beautiful month it is turning out to be! It's why I live in Wyoming! The Aspen leaves turning colors, the nights are cooling down, and the citizens of Laramie have donned their fall wardrobe, which is Wyoming Brown and Gold! GO POKES!

Aerial view of the Wyoming Vs. Nebraska Football game

I last left you wrapping up the Miss Rodeo Wyoming 2012 Pageant. Once I returned home, I just kept my bags packed since I headed back to my second home of Wyoming, Cody. I was on hand during the Cody Nite Rodeo Finals. For those of you who have not experienced this summer tradition in Cody, a community is formed every night at the Cody Stampede Rodeo grounds. Cowboys and cowgirls move their campers, trailers, and horses to Cody for three months while they compete in 90 nights of rodeo. Nikki and Maury Tate of Mo Betta Rodeo produce the rodeo, and every night they bring in stock that would challenge the toughest rodeo athletes. The best part of the Cody Nite Rodeo is the bond that everyone there creates. At the end of August, the top athletes in each event compete for the Average title and secure the year end championship. They competed in a three day finals, and the last night ended the rodeo just as they started, freezing cold temperatures and wind that would put the "Windy City" to shame! After each event I interviewed the Average Champion in the arena presenting them with their trophy belt buckle. The pride and sense of accomplishment was shared by everyone in that arena. Congratulations to all of the contestants this year, and we will see you next year, June 1st for the 2012 Cody Nite Rodeo season.

Talking with Nikki Tate about the opening. All the contestants were riding in just like the WNFR! It got a bit wild at times!

It's always an honor to carry the American Flag into the arena that means so much to me!

Team Roping brothers, Rider (left) and Roper (right) (my mom was Rider's teacher)

Laramie Collins, Saddle Bronc and Bullrider (also served as a bull fighter a few times)

Hadley Tate, Jr. Barrel racer (watch out for this girl in the pros!!)

Chance Madsen, Bareback rider

I then trucked my way back across the state to Evanston, Wyoming for the Cowboy Days Labor Day Weekend rodeo. My sponsor hotel, Days Inn of Evanston, took amazing care of me while I made Evanston my home! The first morning, I met up with the royalty members, bullfighter Marc Gill, barrelman Randee Munns, announcer Mike Brems, and members of the rodeo committee. We made our way to various elementary schools explaining the sport of rodeo to the kids, and giving them each a free ticket to the rodeo. I also had a chance to have a radio interview with Mike Brems and the president of the committee. It is always fun getting a chance to do promotion work for rodeos! It was also pretty fun getting to see my cousins at their school! I made sure to pick them out and say hi. I think their classmates were pretty jealous of them. All morning, Marc Gill reminded me that Miss Rodeo Wyoming is the first one to get dunked at the live fish catch later that weekend. And he continued to remind me all weekend! Finally came the time for the live fish catch. With our tiaras and matching shirts, the royalty members and I plotted against Marc. We were all on our toes that morning! Two girls let their guards down, but then, after one failed attempt to get Marc soaked, we all grabbed the bags the kids were using to catch their fish, we filled them up with water, as if helping the kids catch the fish, then ran over and dumped all of our bags onto him. SUCCESS!! Marc was drenched from head to toe, and believe it or not, I was still dry! It wasn't until I let my guard down on the LAST child in the pool, helping her catch a fish, that Marc got me. He very nicely placed me face first in the pool. Even though I ended up in fishy water, I feel I won since instead of being the first one wet, I was the last one! The rodeo that weekend was great! Everyone was so nice and I really bonded with the royalty there. Thank you to everyone who worked so hard at making this such a treasured community event. After the last rodeo performance I said my goodbyes and prepared to head home. I waited at the gas station for 45 minuets waiting to fuel up, but finally made it out of town. It was sad leaving Evanston, but I know, I will be back!

Pre-Fish Catch
Top Left to right : Indy Anna Jones, Me, Shawnessa Soule
Bottom Left to right: Crystal Schleichardt, Katelynd Kallas

Group Photo (See Marc plotting?)

Learning how to catch the fish, RIGHT after this photo I caught a fish then it jumped out of my hands and hit Indy right in the face. Great way to start!

Sunday Night Rodeo with Queen Crystal Schleichardt

Labor Day Rodeo Grand Entry

When I was in high school, I participated in GAPP, German American Partnership Program. It is an exchange program where a group of about 20 American students from Laramie visits a school in southern Germany for a month, and then the following year a group of 20 students from that German high school visit our high school for a month. My family has been a host family for over 10 years. This year, the German students were visiting Laramie. I had actually met one of the exchange students in Evanston at the rodeo! I was asked to come in and teach the kids about rodeo, so I gathered up three of my rodeo friends, Trey Wasserburger (bareback rider), Travis Darling (saddle bronc rider), and Cody Tarr (bull rider), and we explained rodeo. They brought in their gear and I showed them photos of each event. The kids could not understand why these guys would want to compete in rodeo after all the injuries they had. They enjoyed it though, and I now think rodeo has 20 more fans!

While the rodeo community was heading to Omaha, Nebraska for the Justin Boots Championship, I headed back to Cody, Wyoming and my home at the Antler Inn. They have graciously donated a hotel room to me each time I have come to Cody since the Fourth of July. This trip to Cody wasn't for a rodeo, but for the Cody High Style Fashion show. I was honored to wear the designs of Rockmount, Kippy, and Tasha Polozzi. It was pretty scary stepping out onto that stage for the first show! Ask me to hold a microphone and talk to these people, no problem, but they wanted me to walk in front of them! I almost thought I couldn't do it! And when I turned away from the stage, I saw my two news friends there and I knew I could do it! I walked that runway like crazy! And had a blast doing it! The next day I was able to walk in the downtown fashion show. I was asked to wear an original 1948 rodeo queen outfit from one of the museums downtown, The Red Pony Museum. It was pretty fun walking down the runway in a metallic orange outfit and wooly orange chinks. I then made a super fast outfit changed and walked the runway for the Col. Cody's Wild West Gift Emporium. I had so much fun! Thank you Kim Richard for including me in on this event. It is one I will ALWAYS remember!

Rehearsal (Thank you Dewy Vanderhoff for the photos!)

Rockmount

Tasha Polozzi coat

My two new Cody Friends, all wearing Kippy

Needed help getting into the outfit!!

Dewey thought this was a GREAT time to get as many pictures as he could of this!
But the work was all worth it!

Outfit for Col. Cody Wild West Emporium

Up next on the Miss Rodeo Wyoming calendar is Kimberly Kuhn's Miss Rodeo Wyoming 2012 Coronation and fund raiser in Sheridan, Wyoming. It will be held October 29th, 2011 at the Holiday Inn Hotel Sheridan. If you have any questions or to RVSP contact Kimberly at missrodeowyoming2012@yahoo.com as soon as possible!

Then, on November 6th, 2011 at the University of Wyoming Hansen Arena, in the meeting/dining room, I will be having my Send Off Party. Things will begin at 2pm and include showing of my outfits for the Miss Rodeo America pageant, presentation of my speech, and numerous impromptu questions. I will also be having a small auction featuring Wyoming Made products. There will be a $5 donation at the door, appetizers, desserts, and a cash bar. I am accepting RSVPs to the following email address, missrodeowyoming2011@live.com.

Offical Miss Rodeo America contestant photo
For more information on the Miss Rodeo America Pageant go to: Miss Rodeo America Pageant

I am now busy getting things ready for the Miss Rodeo America pageant held in Las Vegas December 3-10, 2011. I am studying, riding, working out, curling my hair, and remembering how much I have loved my journey this year. It was been worth every late night and early morning!

My Farewell (with sound)

2011-08-27T15:22:00.000-07:00

This is a SUPER long one!

2011-08-27T12:08:00.000-07:00

“And crossing the finish line with a smile and only one bruise is…..Brittany Richards, Miss Rodeo Wyoming!” I made it through my race, and I’m still standing to tell about it!

After Laramie Jubilee Days, I set north for the Sheridan WYO Rodeo. This was the first time I had been to their rodeo, and everyone I talked to told me how great it was going to be! My adventure began before I even got to Sheridan. As I made my way north of Casper, I saw a black Ram dually come up behind me very fast! My first thought was, did the Wyoming Highway Patrol get new vehicles, and was I speeding? As the truck came around me to pass me, I noticed from the corner of my eye, that they had slowed down and were driving beside me. I remembered at that point my name was on the side of my truck, so they were going to know who I was. I quickly glanced at the black Ram beside me to wave, and when I did, I saw it was Kelly Timberman and one of his traveling partners waving at me. It made me feel a bit better knowing at that point I was going to make it to Sheridan following Wyoming’s most well-known Bareback rider. I made it into Sheridan, following the directions of my GPS, “turn left onto…”, but since I hit Sheridan during their “rush hour”, I could not turn left because the town has installed “No Left Turn” signs they turn on during this time of day. I eventually made it left, and headed to my host home, 8 miles outside of town. When I got out to the house, I realized I had no cell service. I was actually a bit relived at this knowing I would have a bit of peace and quiet from this piece of technology I seem to always have with me.

My first night in Sheridan started with the first performance of the Sheridan WYO Rodeo. Tamara Mann gave me some amazing horses to work with during the weekend! She even gave me coaching after the rodeos! After our grand entry, I settled into the back alley to watch the famous Indian Relay Races. Another first for me, and I was amazed! The ability of the riders was remarkable! They took daring leaps from a running horse onto a horse rearing into the air. Kimberly Kuhn, Miss Sheridan WYO Rodeo had to remind me to shut my mouth as it was open wide with awe. At the end of the rodeo, I headed back out to my host home. It was close to midnight by the time I got on the road. I couldn’t find the turn, and my phone had died, but I wouldn’t have had service anyway. I was afraid I was going to have to sleep in my truck that night! But I finally found my way home!

The next morning the queens and I joined a group of children to go fishing. I was so fun and relaxing out at the Eaton Ranch! I miss fishing! After lunch at The Pony, we took a tour of the Tom Balding shop. Tom gave us the tour himself. Such a great sponsor of Miss Rodeo Wyoming! Thank you Tom! We then went and visited RENEW where we made trail mix and bandanas with the residents. The rodeo went great and we even made it back to the house before 11pm! This time, I had Miss Cody Stampede, Bailie Allshouse with me, so if I did get lost, I wouldn’t be alone.

Friday morning was the parade. My parents left Laramie at 3am to make it up there in time for the parade. It was so good seeing them on the sidewalk! After the parade, we met up for pizza at Powder River Pizza. The queens and I then visited some sponsors on Main Street and thanked them for their support. That night was TETWP at the rodeo, so “Pinky” and I got ready and headed for the arena. I was asked to tape an interview for the big screen at the arena, so Bailie and I got to the arena early for my interview. That night, I was in awe still of the Indian Relay Races. Another great night of rodeo!

Saturday morning we were treated like true royalty. We were able to sleep in, and then sit by the pool at the country club. They even donated lunch to us! It was fun getting to know the other queens in such a relaxed setting. Bailie and I then headed back out to the house and got ready for our last night in Sheridan. Again, another absolutely amazing rodeo put on by Ike Sankey and the Sheridan WYO Rodeo Committee!! They also become a sponsor of Miss Rodeo Wyoming!

On Sunday, Kimberly headed south to Colorado Springs, CO for the Miss Rodeo America Seminar, so I was asked to carry the America Flag at the polo game. I had never watched polo before, and I tried to understand what was going on, but I think I will have to watch a few more matches to actually know what is happening. While at the polo game, my mom’s camera got super hungry and ate all of the pictures she had taken in Sheridan. So if any of you happen to have photos, if you could get them to me that would be awesome!

Thank you Diana Volk for this AMAZING photo!!

Parade In Sheridan

Relaxing before the polo game with my dad

On the field with the American Flag. I had to dodge the players!

I followed Mom and Dad back to Laramie where I was given a few days rest before the long stretch to the finish line. Cheyenne Frontier Days was my next stop. I was there for 7 days and so much happened in those 7 days, I’m afraid I’m going to miss some of it. I stayed at the home of Ester and Daryl Moore. Miss Rodeo Canada joined me the first three days. I arrived in Cheyenne on a Thursday, and it was my job to get Miss Rodeo America and her luggage. Well, she made it to Cheyenne, but with her luck in flying this year, her luggage did not join her in Cheyenne. Later that night, I took her back to the airport so she could great her luggage. Friday we had the Queen’s Luncheon hosted by Amy Berry, Miss Frontier. It was well attended by queens from all over! Saturday was the first parade, and the first time on the Vold’s black horses. We made it through without any huge problems. After lunch we got ready on our horses for the famous Fly Bys. We were all so nervous, making sure we stayed on the right place on the track, not running into the herd of ropers on the other end of the track, and stopping at some point! It was AWESOME!!! The horses knew just want to do! Sonny (one of Vold’s horses) and I ran on that track for 5 days. We were quiet the team! That night we got to watch Jason Alden at the concert. Sunday McKenzie (America) , Kezia (Canada) and I went to cowboy church and then had a few photo opts in the arena. After the rodeo, we all went to Arlene Kensinger’s house for a Taco Johns party. Arlene has so many stories and has done so much in her life, I told her she needs to write a book or make a movie of her life! Great woman! Monday morning was the first pancake breakfast, where I learned how to flip pancakes! We were then invited to the Cowgirls of the West brunch where we watched a portion of the fashion show. Another Fly By and autograph session at the rodeo, and then we watched the bullriding that night. It was a night off much needed. Tuesday was the second parade, and my mom made it to watch. My brother was there too, but he stayed in his office and looked at the window! But I still looked up and waived at him. So much happened in Cheyenne I know I am forgetting stuff, and skipping things, but just know, it was amazing! Wednesday after the pancake breakfast we watched the Thunderbird show. There is NO way I could ride in a plane while they did the things they did! I left Cheyenne Thursday after the parade and come to Laramie. I figured I had two hours to relax at home, and that is what I did. I fell asleep on the couch for an hour and 45 minutes while my mom sat across from me waiting for me to wake up and tell her how Cheyenne went. But when I woke up, I had to leave and head to Rock Springs.

All of the queens at the luncheon!

After the luncheon we went to the museum!

The first parade of CFD!

We helped picked the dancing contest winner with JW!

At the Jason Alden concert

We wore aprons at the pancake breakfast. It's like the knew we would make a mess!

Photo Opts!

Warming up with Miss Rodeo Queen of Australia , Stacey Lambert

And we're off!

Before the bullriding

Thunderbird Air Show

I arrived in Rock Springs, home of the Red Desert Round Up and checked into my hotel. My room was a suite! “Pinky” and I met up with Laurie Thoman-Hernandez, queen coordinator. She put me on her horse, Pickle, but I still think that he is Taylor’s, Laurie’s daughter, horse. I was honored to work with Lori and Hank Franzen again of Powder River Rodeo Company. Punkintown and Chad Nicholson entertained the audience, and myself! Laurie let me sleep in on Friday, setting up our first autograph signing at Fremont Dodge in the afternoon. The royalty in Rock Springs were so much fun and really enjoyed representing the rodeo! The rodeo that night supported the troops, and the local guard unit presented the colors. It was overwhelming watching the crowd stand in honor of those who were serving or had served our country. Saturday morning was the parade, and besides one of the queens getting sprayed with silly-string by a stranger, it went well. So well, I even won first place for the mounted category! What a surprise! The queens, Laurie, and I then went to lunch. Again, these girls were so much fun! We went to Boot Barn to sign autographs, but I think we spent more time shopping and shaping hats. It was sad being at the last rodeo in Rock Springs, but I knew I have so much more on my travel list!

"Pinky" and I ready to Rodeo!

Fremont County Royalty and I at Fremont Dodge

Sunday morning I headed to Riverton. But I had to stop in Farson for a “big cone”. It took me almost an hour and a half to eat my ice cream on the porch, but it was so good! I made it to Riverton and checked into my hotel. I joined the members of Powder River Rodeo Company at the ranch rodeo that night to cheer on the team. They were one spot out of the money, but still had a blast!

My first duty in Riverton was signing autographs at my hotel. I was joined by the Fremont County Fair and Rodeo Queen, Jeri Kay Jacobson. This was my first time getting to talk with her. What a doll! That afternoon we had the production meeting and rehearsal. We waited to get onto our horses due to the huge windstorm that rolled through leaving visibility at zero. At the rodeo I carried the America Flag with honor and helped clear the arena during one of the roping events. The Fremont County Fair and Rodeo Royalty has six members and they all had a job. The best part was, they all were excited to do that job and wanted more! Tuesday morning I joined Pam Rivers at the radio station to talk about the royalty program and the events happening at the fair that day. After my autograph session at my hotel, I helped with their royalty clinic. That night was TETWP and “Pinky” and I were ready! I hope Brad at Star of the West Hats understood that when he let me borrow “Pinky” I was going to wear it a lot!

The auctioned off a pair of chaps and a pair of chinks

I had a few days of down time after Riverton and before Afton. I thought that since I was near Lander, I would visit my friend Stacie Kline-Thompson, Miss Rodeo Wyoming 2006. Her and her husband just moved there from Washington, and I was excited to see her and spend her birthday (one day late) with her!

Stacie and I at the Miss Rodeo Wyoming 2007 Pageant!

After my R&R, I made the journey to Afton for the Lincoln County Fair and Rodeo. This was my first time ever to that portion of Wyoming. That is one of the coolest things about my job! I get to see new parts of the state! It was absolutely beautiful! The Star Valley is breathtaking! I checking into my hotel and got ready for the rodeo. I met up with my friend Heidi, and she was willing to be my photographer during my stay. Thank you Heidi and Jackie, for taking pictures while I was there! I gave a shortened version of my “T.A.C.K.” program to a few of the royalty members. I then went to meet my horse, who I was told was very well trained. They were right! Kadi Erickson let me borrow her horse, Royal. He was AMAZING! When I wasn’t in the arena, I was in the warm up arena doing reining maneuvers. She thought it was funny how excited I was to be on a horse that could spin, slide, and do all the things a world class reining horse can do! The royalty court did a tribute to the America Flag at the beginning of the rodeo. They all rode with American Flags and performed a drill routine. They are all amazing riders and controlled their horses with grace. I then brought in the large American Flag for the National Anthem. When the #1 Song in the Nation started, I realized that it wasn’t a cd playing, it was the audience singing, and we were in God’s arena, and the angels were lifting the voices! I have only cried twice while in the arena with the American Flag, and this was the second time! Unbelievable! The next day I helped out during the livestock auction. Again, I was amazed by the community! They all joined together to help out a rancher who was severely injured just two days prior to the auction on some baling equipment. That night during the rodeo, “Pinky” and I were joined in the arena by all of the royalty for a “presentation”. As the announcer started speaking, I realized they were honoring ME! They presented me with flowers in the arena during the rodeo. I felt like I should have given flowers to each person who worked putting on the rodeo, to the audience, to the royalty and their director, and to every person I met in Afton! It had been quite a few years since Miss Rodeo Wyoming had been to Afton. I am SO glad I went there! It was amazing, unbelievable, and marvelous!

There were flyers EVERYWHERE about my "T.A.C.K." presentation!!

Thank you Barb Burns from Burns Rodeo Company for the photo opt!

Royal knew JUST want to do when a camera was there!

"Wyoming Made!"

The next morning I hit the road for my 6 hour drive home. I spent that time to reflect on my 20 days on the road. I still can’t believe I have been given this opportunity to share the sport of rodeo and the beauty of Wyoming with so many! This year has changed my life, my personality, and my goals. I know that no matter what I do in my life, or where I hang my spurs, the entire state of Wyoming will be my home. It is where my heart found its beat, where my dreams take me at night, and where my life began.

After my long stretch on the race track, I knew I had one last hurdle. I would be crowning Miss Rodeo Wyoming 2012 in a matter of days! I quickly washed my clothes, took my horse to the vet, and packed for the Wyoming State Fair and the Miss Rodeo Wyoming 2012 Pageant in Douglas, Wyoming. We had four incredibly qualified contestants competing for the title, and I was sure glad I didn’t have to judge! It was a quick week for me, but not for the contestants! They were put through two interviews, three rounds of horsemanship, modeling, a “fitness “/dance routine, a speech, numerous impromptu questions, a written test, and two grand entries. It was 5 days of extremely close competition, and on Saturday night, I gladly place the jade and gold crown on the hat of Miss Sheridan WYO Rodeo, Kimberly Kuhn. Here are the full results of the pageant:

Speech: Kimberly Kuhn, Sheridan WYO Rodeo Queen

Knowledge: Kimberly Kuhn, Sheridan WYO Rodeo Queen

Photogenic: Kimberly Kuhn, Sheridan WYO Rodeo Queen

Sales Achievement: Kimberly Kuhn, Sheridan WYO Rodeo Queen

Program Sales: Holly Kennedy, Miss Laramie Jubilee

Scrapbook: Bailie Allshouse, Miss Cody Stampede

Congeniality: Bailie Allshouse, Miss Cody Stampede

Horsemanship: Holly Kennedy, Miss Laramie Jubilee

Personality: Kimberly Kuhn, Sheridan WYO Rodeo Queen

Appearance: Kimberly Kuhn, Sheridan WYO Rodeo Queen

2nd Runner-Up: Desiree Bridges, Miss Teton County Fair and Rodeo

1st Runner-up: Holly Kennedy, Miss Laramie Jubilee

Miss Rodeo Wyoming 2012: Kimberly Kuhn, Sheridan WYO Rodeo Queen

Congratulations to all the girls! You should all be proud of your success that week!

When I got to the fairgrounds on Monday, I took a tour of the Captain USA Monster Truck. The ONLY injury I got all year was a bruised knee from climbing up into the truck! I better go find a tree so I can knock on wood!

The crew went and put on their shirts JUST so we could take a picture!! Great guys!!

Breakfast as Village Inn

Rehearsal for our dance

The Little Miss Contestants

The contestants with the Judges

Becky Grimm, Miss Rodeo Nebraska joined us for a few days!

Former Miss Rodeo Wyoming's and Arlene Kensinger

Miss Rodeo Wyoming Sponsor of the Year, Albany County Tourism

Miss Rodeo Wyoming Association Sponsor of the Year, Wyoming State Fair

Crowning moment!

Kimberly's proud parents!

My proud parents! My brother left too soon, he missed the picture, but I do promise, I have a brother!

I only had a little bit to do with the fact my dad's pockets were empty!

Kimberly and I then headed to Casper to K2 News for her first interview at Miss Rodeo Wyoming. I was happy to join her and get to talk to her one on one about what to expect. She will do a great job at Miss Rodeo Wyoming 2012 when she starts her rein in January.

Kim at the News Desk

Me at the News Desk

Kimberly is now working hard getting her coronation scheduled and more information will be posted as soon as details are confirmed. I am also busy planning my send-off party. This is where I will be showing off some of the clothes I will be wearing at the Miss Rodeo America pageant in December down in Las Vegas. Again, when more details are set I will post information. I hope you all can join Kimberly and I as I prepare to represent the state of Wyoming at this national pageant!

I crossed the finished line! My summer has been completed and now my Fall cool down will begin. I will make stops in Cody, Evanston, and Rock Springs before my victory party in Las Vegas. It was quiet a race, and I have become stronger, wiser, and faster because of it!

And We Are Off!

2011-07-12T16:07:00.000-07:00

My “Cowboy Christmas” race has begun! As the gun sounded to start my travels, I made the straight stretch to Casper, Wyoming to join the Casper Boys and Girls Club as they received an award for their summer food program from the USDA. The Boys and Girls club offers healthy lunches to children in the summer. I was joined by rodeo barrelman, Marvin Nash. We both talked to the kids about why it’s important to “Eat Smart and Play Hard”. After the award ceremony, we joined the kids for lunch and I signed autographs. The kids were so excited to have guests at the club and were eager to show us everything they do there.

Talking about what rodeo cowboys eat

In line for lunch!

Eating our healthy lunch!

I then made my way over my first set of hurdles as I went to Thermopolis for the Cowboy Rendezvous. This was the first opportunity I had to work alongside Donna Vold Larsen. What an amazing set of women she and her daughter, Tami, are! Donna allowed me to carry a few sponsor flags and help clear the arena. I met some great people in Thermopolis, including a couple from Australia who planned their trip to the states around the Thermopolis rodeo. They are what I call true rodeo fans! I also rode in the parade with the other royalty. After the parade, we waited with Donna and Tami for the herd of steers that were making their way down the parade route. I was told last year the steers had a different plan and scattered into the streets of Thermopolis. This year, Donna must have had a talk with them because they stayed together and on the street, except for one small detour into a neighboring yard.

After the parade

I was sad I had to leave the fun being had in Thermopolis early, but was excited to visit one of my long-time favorite rodeos, the Never Summer Rodeo in Walden, Colorado. I have been attending this rodeo for years as royalty, and promised them that if I ever won Miss Rodeo Wyoming, I would come back. As soon as I entered the small town nestled between the Colorado Rockies and sand dunes, I was greeted by a few familiar faces. Greg and Angelique Dieker from the Elizabeth Stampede were standing at the beginning of the parade line up. It was great getting to chat with them and share our stories from the weekend we spent in Elizabeth. I saw a few more members, of the Elizabeth Stampede board and committee, the Swisher family, there as well. I rode in their parade, which is up Main Street, turn around, and back down main street; attended their queen’s luncheon, and rode in the grand entry of the rodeo. My parents and brother also joined me. It was fun hanging out with them during the rodeo. It’s something I don’t get to go much anymore.

Headed up main street

Coming back down main street

The grand entry

I entered into a straight stretch of my race where I was able to have a few days of a break. I added one more sponsor logo to my truck. I will be sporting the Dan Post logo as I travel this summer and winter. Greg Hensley with Dan Post has been an amazing help to the success of my year with regards to my feet! I never wore Dan Post boots until this year. But after he got me in my first pair, I’ve been hooked! I can be on my all day feet, running through the arena, walking from one autograph signing to another, and at the end of it all, my feet still feel like they can run a mile, which is helpful during my “Cowboy Christmas” race! Thank you Greg and Dan Post for everything!

At the Chris LeDoux Memorial Park in Kaycee, Wyoming

I turned my newly logoed truck north and made the journey back to Cody, Wyoming for the Cody Stampede. I was fortunate enough this time to travel with company! Miss Rodeo New Mexico, Kaycee McDanial, drove to Laramie and we headed there together. She did ask if we could take a side trip to Kaycee, Wyoming just so she could get a picture with the Kaycee, Wyoming sign. Since I am always looking for adventure, we took a two hour detour to Kaycee, and then headed up over the Big Horn Mountains above Buffalo, Wyoming to get to Cody. It was a wonderful and beautiful drive! In Cody, we started the official Cowboy Christmas with the committee breakfast. I was presented with my Miss Rodeo Wyoming official Cody Stampede jacket. I am the only one to have two royalty jackets from the Cody Stampede, Miss Cody Stampede 2008 and Miss Rodeo Wyoming 2011. Kaycee, Miss Teen Rodeo Florida (Kelly) and a few of the Cody Stampede royalty and I then took the famous Cody Trolley Tour. We learned about the area and the history of Buffalo Bill Cody. After a pedicure and quick nap, we signed autographs at the historical Irma Hotel with some of the Xtreme Bulls bullriders. We then made our way to the arena to watch the Xtreme Bulls. Day two of the Cody Stampede, Miss Rodeo Illinois, Brooke M’lynn Owen, joined us. We signed autographs at the Buffalo Bill Historic Center in the morning, and did some shopping in downtown Cody. We then went to the arena for grand entry practice. Ike Sankey set us straight on what we were doing during the four rodeo performances. We were all a bit nervous but were excited to witness the Cody Stampede Rodeo! The first night went great! My parents also came and were there to enjoy the fun. Day three in Cody was TETWP and I sported “Pinky” from my sponsor Star of The West Hats. We watched the Kiddie Parade then joined the bullfighters, and barrelman for an autograph session at the Yellowstone Gift Shop. The United States Marines Corps Mounted Color Guard did join us for a short time. The queens then made our way across the street to Wayne’s Boot Shop for some more autographs. After a quick clothing change, we went to Wyoming River Raft Trip to enjoy the great weather on a rafting trip. I picked the best place in the boat….to get soaked! I sat in the front! It was fun and relaxing, especially when Kim Kuhn, Miss Sheridan Wyo Rodeo sang to us as we floated down the river. We cleaned up and headed to the arena for the second performance of the rodeo. Miss Rodeo America was supposed to join us; however, because of a missed connecting flight in Denver, she was delayed until the next day. On July 3^rd, we started our day with one of two parades in Cody. The parade had a great crowd, but I knew the next day, July 4^th, would be bigger! After the parade, we spent some time at Boot Barn signing autographs. It’s always fun visiting local sponsors and thanking them for supporting the rodeo. We then attended the VIP lunch at The Terrace. We had great food and great company. I was able to stand before the board, committee, and sponsors and thank them for everything they have done. When I was Miss Cody Stampede 2008, they helped me understand rodeo and truly love it! They also do so much for their royalty and the visiting royalty. They made us feel so welcomed and apart of the group! Miss Rodeo America then joined us later that afternoon. My parents stepped up and were willing to drive from Cody to Sheridan to pick her up from the airport. That night at the rodeo, we could feel the energy from the crowd as we entered the arena. The Fourth of July had even more energy and patriotism then the day before! The parade route was packed with people, the autograph session at Sierra Trading Post was visited by many, and the rodeo that night was close to sold out, if not already! It was sad having to pack up and leave the next day, but I knew Cody Stampede will always be #1 in my book!

Rafting crew

With GySgt. Michael Bate with the United States Marine Corps Mounted Color Guard

With Mr. Kiesner and Roper Kiesner

July 3rd Parade

Signing autographs at the Irma

TETWP (wearing "Pinky" the hat) Signing autographs at the Yellowstone Gift Shop

Bailie Allshouse, Miss Cody Stampede 2011

Autograph Signing at the Buffalo Bill Historic Center

July 2nd Grand Entry

Miss Rodeo America FINALLY got here!!

July 4th Grand Entry

July 4th Parade

Having a bit of fun on the Cody Trolley Tour, its not real!

Miss Sheridan Wyo Rodeo, Kim Kuhn, met our biggest fan, Gabriel!

I made my actual homecoming to the Laramie Jubilee Days my next trip. I was invited to carry the Wyoming State flag for the first performance of the PRCA rodeo. I also helped Miss Laramie Jubilee, Holly Kennedy, and her Lady-In-Waiting, Kodi Lester, clear the arena during the rodeo. I was excited to be home and show my community the hard work I had done to get to where I am today. Saturday morning we started with the parade, followed by the queen’s luncheon. I was asked to speak on my travels and journey thus far. I was happy to share my adventures and bits of wisdom! After the luncheon, Miss Cody Stampede, Bailie Allshouse and I made a quick trip to Cheyenne, Wyoming. While in Cody, Marlo Ward, wife of pickup man Billy Ward, had lost her wedding ring. Someone found it and returned it to the Cody Stampede office after the rodeo. Since Bailie was coming to Laramie for Jubilee Days, she brought the ring with her, and we hand-delivered it to Marlo in Cheyenne. She was so happy to be getting such a meaningful and beautiful piece of jewelry returned! We made it back to Laramie in time for the TETWP performance of the rodeo. The night before we had been drenched with rain, so “Pinky” stayed at home for this rodeo. The evening turned out beautiful! I carried the Laramie Jubilee Days flag, and helped clear the arena. Sunday was an easy day for us. We had the chance to sleep in and relax a bit before the afternoon performance of the rodeo. The rodeo started with me helping with the stick horse rodeo, carrying the Laramie Jubilee Days flag, and ended with me finding out my horse, Cookie, who I had been riding all weekend, likes to cut steers! We had one get away from us, but she went to work getting it back in the pen! I only broke one nail in the process.

Clearing the arena with Miss Laramie Jubilee, Holly Kennedy

Sunday's Grand Entry

Cookie did so well standing still!!

Parade on Saturday with the Wyoming High School Queen

Military Night Grand Entry

Helping with the Stick Horse Rodeo

So with a trip to my sponsor, Absolute Acrylic, to fix my nail, I am starting to prepare for my next set of hurdles, Sheridan WYO Rodeo, Cheyenne Frontier Days, Red Desert Round-up, Wind River Roundup, and hopefully Lincoln County Rodeo. It’s a tough race, but I’m keeping pace! Wyoming, Let’s Ride On!

On your Marks! Get Set......

2011-06-20T15:14:00.000-07:00

It's the middle of June, I am lined up at the starting line, in ready position. I am getting set to start my race across the state of Wyoming to visit it's PRCA rodeos. My heart is racing, my palms are sweating, my camera is charged, and my smile is shining.

I warmed up for my race with some appearances in Laramie. I was a celebrity reader for the Wyoming Reads day. Every first grade classroom in the state of Wyoming traveled to their public library on May 17th to hear a story, see a play, and receive their very own hardback book. This program was started by the family of a Casper teacher who was killed in a car accident years ago. It was fun getting to see the kids so excited to be getting a book with their very own name on the inside cover.

Reading "The Monkey Who Swallowed A Fly"

Handing out books

My next warm-up exercise took me to the Summer Wyoming Special Olympics here in Laramie. I kicked off their games by being emcee during the opening ceremonies. I was joined by numerous guest speakers and all of the athletes. I also presented medals during the gymnastics, track, and swimming portions of the games. The sportsmanship these athletes showed made me honored to be there! Not only were they happy when they received a medal, but they were happier for the others standing next to them on the award blocks. The hugs they shared and the laughs they had made it so much fun!

One of the athletes and I laughing before the Opening Ceremony

The crowd!

These kids have FUN!

Max Maxfield

Bringing in the torch!

I warmed up my driving legs by driving up to the Snowy Range on Memorial Day with my parents. If you don't know, Laramie still has alot of snow on the peaks above town, so much that the road was still closed until a few days ago! As you can see, there was a lot of snow up there still! That means flooding is a big concern for the valley!

I had a chance to do a little work for one of my big sponsors, Albany County Tourism. I taped a "commercial" for their website. I urge you to check it out! Go to www.visitlaramie.org , turn up the volume on your computer, and wait.

Jamie and Fred from the Albany County Tourism office

I made a few "test" runs before my big Race Across Wyoming. I made a run to Elizabeth, CO for the Elizabeth Stampede. It was my first outdoor rodeo as Miss Rodeo Wyoming, and I want to thank Colorado for reminding me why I need to pin my hat on! The wind the first night during rehearsal was so strong, I had to switch hats! I had alot of fun hanging out with Miss Rodeo Colorado, the outgoing queen, Victoria, and the two new royalty members Tori Jo and Caroline. I also had the chance to get to know Kathy Sabine from 9News. Her and I rode together in the parade and rodeo. She really is as tall as she looks on TV. During the queen's luncheon, I received the award for Best Pink. Thank you Victoria for being an amazing queen! I also want to thank my host home, Dana Asbridge. She was great to stay with, and shopping with her was so much fun!

Kathy Sabine from 9News and I before the parade

Best Pink Award

I then traveled to Cody, Wyoming to be on hand during the Cody Nite Rodeo PRCA show. Maury and Nikki Tate of Mo' Betta Rodeo are the stock contractors for the Cody Nite Rodeo, which is a rodeo held every night June 1-August 31 (expect during the Cody Stampede). Contestants for the Nite Rodeo do not have to have their PRCA card or permit. However, to be eligible to have stock at the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas, the Tates had to hold a PRCA rodeo. They asked me to be apart of the weekend, so I loaded up and headed north, in the rain. When I got to Cody, I learned that the rodeo that night was cancelled due to the pouring rain and mud hole the arena had become. The next morning the tractors and trucks were at the arena digging out the mud, and replacing the mud with dry dirt. The rodeo that night went off without a hitch, well except for me crying in the middle of the arena during the National Anthem holding the American Flag. This is the arena that helped mold my desire for being Miss Rodeo Wyoming, and to be there holding the most beautiful flag as Miss Rodeo Wyoming, I knew my dream came true!

Glad I don't need this kind of equipment to clean my room!

The mud is all gone! But so is the dirt!!!

My first two trips went so well I decided to take a long test run, this time, I combined two trips into one! I started the biathlon with a trip to North Platte, Nebraska. I joined 11 other state rodeo queens for the Miss Rodeo Nebraska pageant, NebraskaLAND Days, and one performance of the Buffalo Bill Rodeo. We started the week with horsemanship and the pageant BBQ. After the BBQ we had a stick horse ranch rodeo. I'm proud to say, my team won! Day two was started with a brief sponsorship tour followed by the Kid's Parade. We walked with hundred of children dressed up in costumes. After the parade and signing enough autographs for everyone, we toured the Golden Spike Center. I learned alot about the railroad which was pretty cool since my dad worked for years with the railroad. After more autograph signings we had an evening on the lake. It was great to relax and get to know the other girls, the contestants, the judges, and the committee. Day three was just as busy as day two! After having our donated Starbucks Coffee, we signed autographs at one of the banks, ate KFC, then had a practice for the style show to be held that night. Before we could get ready for the show, we had two more autograph signings. And in true rodeo queen tradition, we signed autographs at Walmart. The style Show that night was a blast. The state queens modeled dresses and danced with the contestants. We started day four with the queen speeches and crowning of the new teen queen. The state queens were escorted by some of the little queens. We rounded out the last day in North Platte with more autograph signings, bowling, and the rodeo. We watched as Sierra Patterson was crowned Miss Rodeo Nebraska 2012. Thank you to Sue and Corby for being wonderful hosts and to the Miss Rodeo Nebraska Association and Pageant Committee for letting us join in on the fun!

Stick Horse Ranch Rodeo- Dressing Race

Stick Horse Ranch Rodeo- Rescue Race

Stick Horse Ranch Rodeo- Water in a Cup with Holes Race

The winning team and the plaque!

A night at the lake.

The bus the drove us around!

Miss Taylor joined us in North Platte (Actually Laurie was a judge, so Taylor was there too!)

Wyoming Flag at the Golden Spike Center

How many rodeo queens can you fit in the kiddie Farris Wheel in the city park?

My escorts for the speeches

My Host home!

My pit stop after Nebraska was a three hour visit to my home. It was enough time to unpack, repack, and hug my dog! I then set north for Casper to serve as a judge for the Lil' Miss Wyoming pageant. I was joined by three other judges, Mrs. Wyoming Galaxy 2011, Sager Rhodes, and Jenny Martoligo, and we had the near impossible task of judging girls 3-15. It was so hard, but a learning experience! I know have a whole new respect for judges! The girls were all so cute and funny! I was honored to be apart of that pageant. Congratulations to the new royalty and I'm looking forward to seeing them this summer around Wyoming. On my way back from Casper, I was just leaving the quiet town of Rock River when I saw a bright while line against a dark blue sky. A TORNADO!! After I made sure I was safe, and pulled over to the side of the road, I grabbed my camera to got a shot of the last little column of white.Three of the royalty judges

One of the contestants and I at the Party In The USA Party!

The very end of a tornado (It's right in the middle going like / )

I have returned home, my racing boots are on, and I'm ready for the gun to go off! I will make the turns on the track from Casper, to Thermopolis, to Walden, Colorado, to Cody, to Laramie, to Sheridan, to Cheyenne, to Rock Springs. Yes, I am ready for my race!

The Calm Before the Storm

2011-05-06T14:40:00.000-07:00

Since I last checked in, I have been able to have a few quiet days at home. I am using this time to prepare for my summer travels, the Miss Rodeo Wyoming pageant and the Miss Rodeo America pageant. This year's trip to Vegas for the Miss Rodeo America pageant has a few changes that I would like to share with you. First off, the host hotel and location for a majority of the pageant will be the MGM Grand. The dates have also changed. We will begin the pageant December 3rd and crown the new Miss Rodeo America 2012 on December 10th. Detailed information can be found on the Miss Rodeo America website. I am excited for the "Whole New Pageant".

Shortly after returning home from Oklahoma City/Pocatello, it was time to crown the new National Circuit Finals Steer Roping (NCFSR) Champion. This is the second year that there has been a circuit finals for the steer roping, and Torrington, WY has been the home of the championship. The NCFSR Committee provided me with a hotel and meals during the weekend. One of the committee members, Larry, lent me one of his horses to ride. My horse, Dooley, and I carried the American Flag following the introductions of the contestants and assisted the arena usher, Jeff Rector, in clearing the steers. It was a great opportunity to participate in a true Wyoming tradition. Congratulations to all of the contestants and to Trent Mills from Gillette, Wy for receiving the NCFSR Trophy Saddle.

Carrying the American Flag on Dooley

Jeff Rector and I clearing the arena

Dooley and I, almost needed a ladder to get on him after lunch!!

I was invited to join two of my sponsors, Albany County Tourism and the First National Bank of Wyoming, at the Ag Appreciation dinner in Laramie. The local ranchers invited area businesses to join them in a night of prime rib dinner and a lecture about how agricultural business benefits the World. Dr. Sides was the speaker and shared some very interesting information regarding third world countries and the benefits of agriculture. I was joined by Miss Laramie Jubilee and her Lady-In-Waiting. I also had a chance to visit with Kati and Levi Hime with Wyoming Lifestyles Magazine. I worked with them while a member of Job's Daughters and am so excited for them with this new magazine which illustrates Wyoming and her residents. Thank you Albany County Tourism, First National Bank, and Sharleen Castle for allowing me to attend.

Dr. Sides, lecturer

Laramie Jubilee Days Royalty

Kati and Levi Hime with Wyoming Lifestyle's Magazine

Speaking of the Albany County Tourism, I want to thank them for working with me on my travels. Fred, Jamie, and Ann have offered so many resources to me as I travel! They have donated gifts for me to give to my out of town hosts, literature to distribute about my county, and have helped prepare my official Miss Rodeo Wyoming pickup. I will be driving across the state sharing the way to "Live The West" in Albany County. Thank you Albany County Tourism, and thank you Dad for the use of your truck!

(PICTURES TO COME)

I closed April by presenting the American flag and sponsor flags at the Laramie River Rendezvous. I was excited to be representing my Alma mater, the University of Wyoming. I watched the University's cowboys and cowgirls end their intercollegiate rodeo season, many of them competing for one of the finals spots to attend the National College Finals Rodeo held in Casper this June. The heart these athletes show makes me proud to wear the brown and gold colors of the University of Wyoming! Powder River Let'er Buck! Thank you to Kim Kuhn and Brooke Howard, who let me borrow their horses! While one of Kim's horses didn't think carrying the America Flag was much fun, I had a great time with her and the team!

Gypsy not wanting to play nice!

Speed is more Gypsy's thing!

Thank you Kim so much!!!

I left the college rodeo and headed north to the Big Wyoming Horse Expo in Douglas. This was the second year for the expo, and it is certainly a growing event! I was able to catch the last day of the expo and was offered a palomino filly to ride in the parade of horse. Jackie, Terry, and Barbara of Angel Quarter Horses in Riverton, Wy allowed me to show off their horse, Shiloh, and I appreciate it greatly! I listened to some very knowledgeable equine experts and learn a great deal! The shopping was also first class! I want to thank the committee for allowing me to join them!

Barbra, Shiloh, and myself

Showing off this amazing filly

Getting ready to address the crowd

I'm glad to have a break in my travels to spend some quality time with my family, friends, dog, and horses. This summer is going to be busy and I'm lucky to have a chance to spend time with the people who have supported me. Next on my queen calendar is the Miss Rodeo Wyoming Association meeting. Thank you Wyoming for the support and we will see you on the road!

This is a long one! (PICTURES ADDED)

2011-04-14T19:13:00.000-07:00

Traveling in a plane is always an experience. When you add a hat can, a crown, and a briefcase full of autograph sheets, you never know what might happen. I entered the Denver International Airport to start my trip to Oklahoma City, OK for the Dodge National Circuit Finals Rodeo solo. As I approached my gate, I saw a familiar sight, three actually. Sitting at the same gate I was were Miss Rodeo Utah, Miss Rodeo Idaho, and Miss Rodeo Nebraska. All three of us ended up on the same flight! I was so happy to finally be able to share a flight with my fellow queens! It is also interesting to note that people are more apt to approach a group of rodeo queens rather than just one.

We landed in Oklahoma City (OKC) and were met by Miss Rodeo Oklahoma, Jamie Verden, and members of her board. We were taken to our hotel to check into our rooms. The Embassy Suites is where I called home for the next few days. I shared a room with Miss Rodeo Nebraska, Florida, and Tennessee. Kallie Baker with “It’s a Sue Thing Photography” joined us throughout the week and captured our adventures with her camera. She then offered each queen a disk of the photos. It cut down drastically on the time spent posing for 22 different cameras.

With 22 rodeo queens you can imagine how hard it would be to get us from point A to point B, so, when it came time to take all of us to Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar and Grill for dinner, we were surprised with two white stretch hummer limos to be used our first night in town. I can say, this started the week off with a BANG! After dinner, we took a canal ride through OKC’s “Bricktown”. This area of town was once a deserted warehouse district. About 15 years ago they started to renovate the area and it is now a very energetic and historic portion of town. After our ride, we piled back into the limos and made our way to one of OKC’s important sights, the OKC National Memorial Museum. This museum stands where the 1995 OKC bombing took place. To visit it at night was touching; seeing the numerous lit chairs covering the lawn, representing the people and their location within the building, who were lost that day. I was just a child when this horrific event took place, but can remember like it was yesterday. The building has been completely removed and a memorial now stands touching the sky. The only thing left on that site is a tree that withstood the blow. There is an actual museum next to the memorial; however, we were not able to visit it. I am already looking forward to my next trip to OKC to visit this museum. After seeing this heart-touching site, we again piled back into the limos and headed to the OKC Capitol building.

The girls in front of one of the limos

Some of the girls in the limo

The entrance to the Oklahoma City National Memorial

The week in OKC was filed with flag practices, autograph signings, and rodeo performances. It was wonderful to get the opportunity to ride Bronc and Kate Rumford’s horses during the rodeo. The Rumfords have been working with rodeo queens for many years, and Bronc was a past Miss Rodeo America Inc. president and currently serves on the horsemanship committee. Their crew made sure we had safe horses, the correct flags, and in the right order during all 5 rodeo performances. I was also honored to carry the event sponsor flags during the Friday night, Saturday afternoon, Saturday night, and Sunday afternoon performances. This rodeo was my first PRCA championship rodeo I have ever been a part of and an experience I will never forget.

Cydney Tate and I

On Friday we were given quite a treat. The Oklahoma City Gun Club gave 22 rodeo queens the opportunity to shoot shotguns all morning! For many of us, it was our first time shooting shotguns, and for a few of the girls, it was their first time shooting a gun ever. I had gone with MRW ’09 Allie Bass to learn before I left, so I thought I would be prepared. We invited some of the cowboys and personnel from the rodeo to participate in a shooting competition with us. We were placed on teams of four, two queens and two cowboys. I was teamed up with Miss Rodeo Arkansas, Shana Carter; barrelman, Dennis Halstead; and bullfigthter Kaden Burns (from Laramie). Our team tied for fifth, but I’m proud of the 6 out of 10 targets I hit. That might not seem very good, but for only the second time shooting a shotgun, I’m proud. I can only get better from here! We then went to “Pop’s”, a diner which has over 500 different bottled sodas. I quenched my thirst with a root beer from Jackson Hole, WY.

The entire shotgun crew

Our shotgun team

"Pull!"

Some of the girls waiting to shot

A little piece of home!

That night after the rodeo performance, I learned the phrase “It’s a small world” lives strong and proud in OKC. I was told that my fourth grade teacher wanted to say hi to me. I was thinking for sure that there was a mistake! But when I turned the corner and looked at the woman smiling at me, sure enough, it was my fourth grade (and third grade) teacher! She had moved to Missouri and was in town to see the rodeo. It was fun being able to talk to her and special to know how proud she is of me!

My 4th grade teacher

The warm up pen

Sunday’s rodeo performance is where the 2011 National Circuit Final Champions were determined. Afterward, Miss Rodeo Florida, California, Idaho, Nebraska and myself boarded two Southwest flight and headed to Salt Lake City, UT to meet up with Miss Rodeo Idaho’s mom and a board member. They stayed up all night to and drove us to Pocatello, ID for the Western Frontier Pro Rodeo.

Autographs at one of the western stores

Carrying a sponsor flag

Dennis Halstead and I after the rodeo

We were staying at Miss Rodeo Idaho’s grandparents’ house and didn’t have to check into the hotel until later that afternoon, so, we were able to sleep in and watch a movie! We also were fed very well! The five of us checked into our hotel and got settled in for the busy week ahead of us. Day one of our trip to Pocatello we attended the rodeo meeting and were introduced to all of the volunteers who worked hard at making the Western Frontier Pro Rodeo a success. We were also introduced to our drivers for the week. The state queen’s driver was Fred. He made sure we were on time and taken care of! He gave us curbside pick-up and drop-off at every place we went. He drove us around in a van donated by Litho Dodge of Pocatello. Miss Rodeo Canada and a few local area queens were also on hand during the week. The Wilderness Circuit queen’s mom was nice enough to follow us around and take pictures of the week. I will post more pictures when I receive them.

It seems to be a queen tradition to sign autographs at Wal-Mart, and that is exactly how we kicked off our queen duties in Idaho. It also allowed us an opportunity to shop for the things that we had to leave behind in Oklahoma City. After signing autographs and raising money for the Children’s Make A Wish Foundation in Wal-Mart, we got dressed up to attend the Kick-Off party. We were introduced from the balcony, which was quite an honor. Some of us tried our hand at pool golf. For never playing golf before, I was surprised that I did well. I didn’t miss the ball not did I let go of the club! This party gave us the chance to talk with the people who we would be working with, stock contractors, barrelman, bull fighters, chute hands, committee members, and even a few of the cowboys. I also had the chance to met Glee Nett, with the Children’s Western Wish Foundation. She would later become an important part in my stay in Pocatello.

Introductions from the balcony with the barrelman and bullfighters

The pool golfing girls

Wednesday started with a flag rehearsal at the Idaho State University Holt Arena. This arena is home to football games, basketball games, concerts, and rodeos! It was an amazing facility! Miss Rodeo Idaho, Trisha Crump, allowed me to use her personal horse, Missy, for the rodeo that week. After rehearsal we made our way to Portneuf Medical Center. We visited the pediatric ward and the care center. We then visited the Quail Ridge assistant living facility. That night was the PRCA Xtreme Bulls performance. Pocatello used to be home to the Dodge National Circuit Finals rodeo, but since it was moved to Oklahoma City this year, the Pocatello committee decided to continue the rodeo. This changed allowed them to expand the fun! They had over 500 contestants this year, including the best of the best such as Trevor Brailze, Tuff Cooper, Bobby Mote, Jason Havens, Seth Glause, Bobby Welsh, Allan Bach, and many more! They were also able to add the Xtreme Bulls to the rodeo, which gave the community another night to catch some rodeo action. The state queens were given the night off from carrying flags and were able to watch the bull riding. Powder River Rodeo Company and D&H Cattle Company brought some of the finest stock around! Out of 40 rides, only 8 of them were given a score from the PRCA judges. There was only one qualified ride in the short-go!

School visit

Shane presented us all with a custom flag boot!!

With Bob in the care center

The group that visited the hospital

Representing Power River Rodeo with bullfighter Trever Hamsher

Miss Rodeo Florida attended Pocatello with us, and on our way from the airport on Sunday she made the comment that she had never seen snow and really wanted to see it. She was hoping for a little snow, “about three feet”. Little did she know that three feet is not a “little snow”. On Thursday she got a small portion of her wish. It started to snow! After our morning school and assistant living facilities visits, Miss Rodeo Nebraska, Fred (our driver) and I took Miss Rodeo Florida up to the ski area to see snow. The ski area had closed a few days earlier, but the ski patrol was there cleaning up things for the season. Watching her play in the snow was like watching a kitten with a ball of string. We had to laugh when she went to use her finger to write “Miss Rodeo Florida” in the snow, just like we did in the sand while in Florida. After two letters she had to stop because she finger was so cold. Apparently she didn’t think it would be cold. It was refreshing to see someone excited about something that I seem to cringe at. It made me remember I should be thankful for the little things I may forget about. After our trip to the snow, we joined the rest of the queens at the VA hospital. We brought with us a small friend, Murphy the mini horse. The residents of the hospital came out to the lobby to see him. I met a man from Jackson Hole, Wyoming. He and I talked the entire time about the beauty and comfort of the mountains in Wyoming. To share the love of Wyoming with someone who served our country, and in his case, fought the Russians in Alaska, made my heart grow a even more for the state I call home. That night was the first rodeo performance we carried flags in. Again, the stock contractors brought the best of the best!

At the VA Hospital

At the close of the rodeo

We started Friday morning helping serve breakfast at the Chamber breakfast at the Holt arena. It was great giving back to the community who welcomed us with open arms. Afterward, some of the girls stayed at the arena and watched slack, while the local queens, Miss Rodeo Idaho, and I went and visited nursing homes. At the Highland Nursing Home, the residents came into the dining hall and I had such a good time going from table to table talking with them. The smiles we shared, the laughs we exchanged, and the stories told made my day so special. It was sad when our time there was up and we had to leave. I could have spent all day talking and laughing with them. That trip put a smile on my face for the rest of the day during out autograph signing at the local credit union and the rodeo performance.

Saturday was a day that changed my life. We started with spiritual words during Cowboy Church, an autograph signing at the Cowboy Expo (where we did some shopping), and another autograph signing at Vickers Western Wear (again, more shopping). We then went back to the Holt Arena and started the Exceptional Rodeo. Glee paired me up with the Children’s Western Wish Foundation Pocatello recipient, Jenna. She and I walked hand in hand from each station. We roped, rode a horse, rode a bucking bull and bucking horse dummy, and she rode a Shetland pony. The smiles on the faces of the children that day took all of my stress, exhaustion, and worries away. It was a perfect beginning to the last rodeo of the week!

My new friend Jenna!

Tuff Cooper just couldn't resist getting a picture!

Tired but still smiling!

Miss Rodeo Nebraska and I parted from the group Sunday morning and caught a bus from Pocatello to Salt Lake City airport. Our short flight brought us back to Denver. My mom and dad picked me up and we headed home.

I was proud to represent my state over the past two weeks! It was a extensive trip and a marathon of smiles, but worth every hug and high-five! I’m loading up in the morning and heading to Torrington, WY to the National Circuit Finals Steer Roping. Steer roping is defiantly a Wyoming tradition!

Time to Ride Again!

And I'm Leaving on a jet plane!

2011-03-29T19:52:00.000-07:00

Well Wyoming, I have rested up and am about to hit the air again for my next big adventure! Before I get to what I have coming up, I want to catch you up on what I have been doing. While I have had a bit of a break this month from traveling, I sure haven't taken a break from representing the best state and the best sport!

I ended the month of February celebrating my 25th birthday with friends! I came down with the "Queen Cold" which has been passed from one state queen to another so a quiet evening of board games, chicken Alfredo, and cake was just what the doctor ordered!

I started March by reading to a kindergarten and first grade class for Read Across America Celebrity Reads. I had fun telling them about rodeo and the places I have traveled.

I then packed my bags and headed to my second home in Wyoming, Cody. I came into Cody and got to my first order of business. I went to the rodeo station to record ads for the 74th Cody Stampede. I am pretty excited for this year's celebration June 30-July4! I was then on hand with Miss Cody Stampede 2010 Kiley Boe to crown the new Cody Stampede court. I was

honored to be asked to set the horsemanship pattern on a horse borrowed from Jozie Tarr. Thank you Jozie! It was fun to see the enthusiasm of the girls competing. It was also fun to see Bailie Allshouse crowned as Miss Cody Stampede 2011. When I served as Miss Cody Stampede 2008, Bailie was my Sr. Princess. It warmed my heart to know how hard she has worked to wear the crown of the queen and I know she will do everything she can to represent Cody! Congratulations to all the girls who will be serving as Cody representatives. All of the girls and I then rode the Cody Trolley during the St. Patrick's Days parade. It was my first parade as Miss Rodeo Wyoming and was a blast!! On my way back to Laramie I stopped in Thermopolis to talk to a few girls who are just starting their journey to becoming rodeo queens.

At the radio station

Some of my friends in Cody, Wyoming

The judges and Fender

On my horse before the horsemanship portion of the pageant

Setting the pattern

All of the contestants

The 2011 Miss Cody Stampede Court

Before the parade

During the parade

The following weekend I had a chance to travel with my parents to an event. This was the first time all year I was able to ride in a car with them as I represented Wyoming. We headed to Douglas to the Miss Rodeo Wyoming clinic. Stacy Jo Berger and her mom, Lindy Johnson, put on the clinic. The girls in attendance did a great job absorbing all of the information given to them. Based on their performance at the clinic, I know the job of rodeo queen will be in good hands! Thank you to Erin Heffron, Allie Bass, Crystal Meyers, Stacy Jo Berger, Megan Grieve (horsemanship instructor) and everyone on the Miss Rodeo Wyoming Association who helped put this clinic together!

Talking about ways to study

Practicing patterns on stick horses

Thank you Ashley Tillard for letting me borrow your horse "Liberty"!

All of the girls at the clinic

Once home, I spoke at the Laramie Rotary club about my year so far as Miss Rodeo Wyoming. They enjoyed hearing my stories and were amazed at my growth over the years. Since my dad is an active member, I have been speaking to this group of people for many years. They have all supported me in one way or another during my journey to becoming Miss Rodeo Wyoming.

After the meeting, I packed up my truck and headed to grandma and grandpa's in Sundance, Wyoming. It was so fun getting to see them and have some of grandma's cooking. You will never have a bad meal with grandma at the stove! I also met my grandpa's new snowblower, "John". And I bet you can guess what kind it is.....yep, a John Deere, with a heated seat even! After a short overnight visit, I headed to Rapid City, SD to visit one of my new sponsors, Star of the West Hat Company. Brad presented me with my very first custom hat! I will proudly wear this 20x chocolate brown hat during my year, and for years after. While there I also gained the support of Chance Anderson of Anderson Custom Leather. Joining forces with Chance and Brad, I have something pretty special planned for the Miss Rodeo America pageant in November. You will have to stay tuned to find out the surprise!

Chance and Brad at Star of the West Hat Company

Last time I was in Rapid City, SD was for the Black Hills Stock Show. During that week, I took a bunch of the queens to Wendy's. When we left, I forgot my favorite mittens! I didn't realize I forgot them there until I got home to Laramie. So during my latest trip to Rapid City, I thought I would try my luck to see if they still had them. To my surprise, they did!! I now have my favorite mittens back!

So that brings us up to today. I spent the day packing everything I could into two suitcases and making sure I didn't go over the 50 lbs. weight limit. I am heading to Oklahoma City, OK for the Dodge National Circuit Finals rodeo. This will be the first time it is held in OK, so I am excited to be apart of history! While in OK, I will be joined by 20 other state rodeo queens! We will all compete in a trap shoot "Shootout". Our team members will be the cowboys from our circuit. Allie Bass, Miss Rodeo Wyoming 2009, took me out the other day to teach me the ropes! After the rodeo on Sunday, some of us queens will catch a flight to Salt Lake City, UT where Miss Rodeo Idaho's family will pick us up and drive us to Pocatello, ID for the Western Frontier Pro Rodeo. Packing for two trips at once is quite the task, but I feel confident in my puzzle piece packing! I will return home with stories, pictures, and maybe even some video clips!

Thank you all for reading and it's time to fasten my seatbelt and make sure my seat-back is all the forward and my tray is in the up and locked position! It's going to be a wild ride!

Brittany

The Boots on my feet, the Fuel in my tank, and the Hat on my head!

2011-03-17T15:23:00.000-07:00

As I load up for my next adventure, the Miss Rodeo Wyoming Clinic, I am grateful for the sponsors that have helped me thus far. I have used my latest break in traveling to secure some more sponsorships for my year, and I would like to introduce you to them.

Greg Hensley with Dan Post Boots sent me three pairs (soon to be four pairs next week!) of some incredibly comfortable boots! One pair in particular has been exposed to the elements of Wyoming, but have held up like a pair champs! Greg will always make sure I’m strutting my stuff in style! Thank you Greg!

The Albany County Tourism board has given me a fuel card to help me in a few of my upcoming trips. I am excited to be wearing the logo of my county, “Live The West” with Wheatland, WY bullrider Tyler Willis. Tyler, the 2009 PRCA Rookie Bullrider of the year, and I will represent Albany County at the various rodeos we travel to. While he packs his car up with his bullriding equipment, and I pack my truck up with flashy shirts and autograph sheets, we will work together to promote our home and the people who support us. Thank you Fred,Jamie and board members!

Also while in Rapid City, SD I acquired a hat sponsor. Star of the West Hat Company owner , Brad Montague, has donated a custom made 20X hat for me to wear. We designed an amazing chocolate brown hat. I am excited to go pick it up! We are also in the works of establishing a continuing sponsorship with him, providing the newly crowned Miss Rodeo Wyoming with a 20x hat. Brad also helped me dress in style during the Black Hills Stock Show and Rodeo on the Tough Enough To Wear Pink night. He allowed me to borrow his pink and black hat to wear. I had so much fun showing this hat off, so be on the look out for this hat again! Thank you Brad!

I have also gained numerous individual sponsors this month as well. John Cavey, Pat Thompson, Jan Hurst, and Chris and Larry Bentley. The support they have shown me this year and previous years is wonderful. I appreciate all they do for me! Thank you!

My family and I are packing up to head to Douglas, WY for the 2011 Miss Rodeo Wyoming Clinic. Stacy Jo Berger has put together a weekend of hands-on learning for girls interested in advancing as a rodeo queen. I amexcited to be asked to come and share my thoughts on some of the subjects and am ready to learn from the other clinicians, Erin Heffron and Megan Grieve. It will be a fun weekend in the dorms of the Wyoming State Fairgrounds!

Thank you to all of my sponsors, ‘Till we ride again!
Brittany

Sunshine on my Shoulders!

2011-02-27T17:49:00.000-08:00

February turned out to be an amazing month!! After my trip to Rapid City, SD I had a few days off at home to plan for the whirlwind I was about to face! I left for Gillette, Wyoming for the Winter Western Coors Pro Rodeo on the 11th. On my way up, I stopped by my newest sponsor, JLouise Handbags. Janet presented me with my very own handbag from her collection. I am excited to wear this bag on my arm as I travel!

I made it to Gillette that afternoon and saddled up for three rodeo performances by Powder River Rodeo Company. Hank and Lori Frazen did a wonderful job with the rodeo! I was so happy to be carrying the American Flag for the first time as Miss Rodeo Wyoming in my home-state. One of the hands provided me with a fun paint horse to carry the flag and clear the arena. Come to find out, he is a good friend of my family's. After Sunday's afternoon performance, I headed back home which should be a 6 hour drive. Some of the roads were closed due to wind so I had to take the longer way home. By the time I got home, I had 7 hours to unpack, pack fore my trip to Florida, and get some rest.

I loaded up my truck at 2am and headed to Denver to catch my Valentine's Day flight to Kissimmee, Florida. I had no idea what to expect when I stepped off the plane. The only thing I knew was, this was my first time on the east side of the Mississippi River.

My first event in Florida was attending the final portion and crowning of the Miss and Little Miss Silver Spurs Pageant. The competition was tough! Congratulations to the new court!! The next few days were filled with numerous school visits around the community. We were able to visit the Sheriff's Department and watched a demonstration by the K9 unit.

We were given the chance to go hog hunting. That was an experience! As we were tracking the dogs with a GPS locator, I realized Miss Rodeo Wisconsin,the four guides and I were chest deep in water, in Florida, at night. The rest of the queens stayed on dryer land. Not once did the dangers of what we were doing cross my mind, but we were in good hands of the guides and made it out safely. With three hogs loaded up in the back of the trucks at the end of the night, we headed home for a few hours of sleep. The hogs were taken to a ranch to be fed and then sold at a later date.

The next day started with more school visits and ended with an air-boat ride. We saw lots of alligators. I am glad we saw them on the air-boat ride and not during hog hunting!

On Friday we all loaded up and headed to the beach. It was like a dream being on the beach in February! It was so nice to get some sun. That night was our first performance of the Silver Spurs Rodeo. I was given a horse, another paint, names Flowers. She was so much fun and knew just what to do!

Saturday was a day of dreams! Four of us queens got to spend six hours at the Magical Kingdom in Walt Disney World. Miss Rodeo OK, CA, WA, and I spent the morning and early afternoon riding a few of the rides and doing some important shopping. We all bought our ears! That night was the second rodeo performance.

We wrapped up our trip to Florida on Sunday with the Special Rodeo in the morning. My partner, Brooke, and I made our way around the stations. We roped a steer, had a goat ribbon race, rode a bull, and she had the opportunity to ride her very first horse. The smile on her face while sitting on that horse made everything seem so bright. I was honored to have shared that memory with her. My trip ended with the last performance of the rodeo. I want to thank Laura Kessler for arranging the wonderful trip and Kerri for opening her home up to me and for arranging all of the horses for the 23+ queens in attendance. These ladies worked so hard to make our trip amazing, and it was!!

So now I am home, resting for a few weeks. I will be on the road again in March. Remember all you rodeo queens to sign up for the Miss Rodeo Wyoming clinic!! Information can be found on the website. It will be a lot of fun!!

Let's Ride On Wyoming!
Brittany

Great Faces, Great Places, Great QUEENS!!

2011-02-10T20:01:00.000-08:00

I have survived the bitter cold in Rapid City, SD at the Black Hills Stock Show and Rodeo. The extreme cold did not stop me and the other state queens from sharing smiles, laughs, and frozen fingers. Sutton Rodeo put on an amazing rodeo with over 500 contestants throughout the two weekends. The mounts they provided for us were great as well. I enjoyed riding the shorty of the bunch, Gilbert.

We were in for a huge treat this year as we joined McKenzie Haley, Miss Rodeo America, at the Landstrom's factory where she was given her new Miss Rodeo America crown. I was lucky enough to be able to snap the first shot of her in her new crown. We were given a tour of the factory and I now have a new respect for the jewelry. It is all made by hand, piece by piece. It was amazing!

We then made our way into the Black Hills so see the faces of Mt. Rushmore. As I have seen this many times, it was fun to see the other girls' faces light up when they saw the carvings peeking out between the trees.

I was in Rapid for 11 days, and I met many children at the numerous school visits we had and the one hospital visit. It was a great trip and I got to know more of the queens that I will be traveling with this year.

I have had a few days off, and tomorrow morning will load everything back up and head north the Gillette, Wyoming for my first rodeo in the state of Wyoming as Miss Rodeo Wyoming! (How many times can I fit "Wyoming" into a sentence?!)

Mt. Rushmore (Cold and windy!!)

School visit

The Black Hills Stock Show and Rodeo queen contestants and visiting royalty

Tricia, the new Miss Black Hills Stock Show and Rodeo Queen

Autograph signing in the RodeoZone

Royalty at the stick horse rodeo

Getting a chance to watch the rodeo!!

Another Autograph signing in the RodeoZone

Carrying a sponsor flag on Gilbert

National Sponsor flags

Getting ready for the fireworks!!

Landstrom's visit

McKenzie and Fender; First picture with the new MRA Crown

(Fender is a monkey that my mom's classroom is following this year as him and I travel "Follow Fender". He will show up in ALOT of pictures. The other queens have made a game out of taking pictures with him!)

Wayne Brooks (PRCA Announcer of the Year and Fender)

Fender riding a saddle bronc saddle

National Western Stock Show At My Back

2011-01-26T18:28:00.000-08:00

Greg Hensley with Dan Post Boots

Military Appreciation Night

Wyoming Day Opening Ceremony

My new chaps from Tim Bath

Myself, Tim (helped us with flags), and Brittany (Miss Rodeo CA)

Me and Fargo

Me and Tim Balding (Spurs sponsor)

I wrapped up my last visit to Denver for the National Western Stock Show. Miss Rodeo America, McKenzie Haley had a pretty bad spill, actually two, the day before I got there. The doctor told her she had to stay off horses for two weeks to make sure her head was ok. Therefore, I was honored to be able to partake in the last 8 openings of the rodeo. 7 out of those 8 times I carried the National Western Stock Show. The other time I was able to carry the Wyoming flag for Wyoming Day. Gov. Matt Mead and his family were on hand, as well as two representatives of the Wyoming Stock Growers. I was so exciting to hear the cheers for the state of Wyoming.

While in Denver, I become rather close to Fargo the horse. For those of you who remember what happened to Erin, I think she scared him because never once did he act up! He was a complete sweetheart and we got along great. This was also the first time the state queens actually got to hang out as queens. It was fun getting to know everyone. Miss Rodeo California, Brittany Slaton, discovered that not only do we share a name, but we also share a birthday! On the last day of the rodeo, Brittany and I were able to share a lunch with longtime supports John Cavey and Pat Thompson. We also shared many conversations with Carl and Kathy Wilkenson from Landstrom’s throughout our visit. Theses four individuals made our first trip as state queens so pleasant.

I had the pleasure of joining Miss Rodeo America, Miss Rodeo Colorado, and Miss Rodeo North Dakota at the Brown Palace in downtown Denver to see the Grand Champion and Reserve Grand Champion steers of the National Western Stock Show. It was surprising to see two steer in the lobby of a five star hotel. But it was a beautiful setting for two amazing animals. That night we were on hand for the Junior Livestock Auction. We had to leave early because of the rodeo, but were able to watch the sale of the Reserve Grand Champion hog, Grand Champion hog, and Reserve Grand Champion lamb. Some of us queens even made it onto 9News, as they were airing the auction live.

I have had a few days off, but will be heading to the Black Hills Stock Show tomorrow morning. I am excited to visit another state as Miss Rodeo Wyoming, but I am counting down the days until I make my first appearance in 2011 as Miss Rodeo Wyoming in the state of Wyoming.
Saddle Up and Ride On!

Shop till your Boots Fall off!

2011-01-19T18:31:00.001-08:00

I want to start by congratulating all of the incoming and outgoing officers on the Miss Rodeo Wyoming Association. The enthusiasm to see the association grow is remarkable! I know that with their devotion and passion, this year is going to be everything I hoped for. I want to encourage anyone interested in joining this amazing group of people to contact myself or Rod Myers, the Miss Rodeo Wyoming Association president, or any other association member.

The day following the Miss Rodeo Wyoming Association meeting in Casper, I made my way to Denver for my first appearance as Miss Rodeo Wyoming 2011 at the National Western Stock Show. I helped with mutton busting and carried flags in the rodeo. I also attended the Citizen of the West dinner honoring Pete Coors. Pete was being honored for being a staple in the western community. After having numerous photo opts with Wyoming and Colorado government dignitaries (pictures to come later), I was honored to present Pete Coors with the National Western Stock Show branding iron and custom Stetson hat, both a custom for honorees to receive. We ended the evening by receiving a special edition root beer bottled by Pete Coors. They make some pretty delicious root beer floats! I finished up that weekend with the National Western Stock Show Scholarship Goat Roping. This event was one to remember! Kellsie Purdy, Miss Rodeo Colorado 2011 and I competed in the pig penning and had the fastest time of the night. At the end of the event Kellsie, McKenzie Haley, Miss Rodeo America 2011, and I competed in the “goat pole bending”. I surprised myself by having the fastest time of the three queens. What a way to end the weekend!

I spent January 14, 15, and 16 with Laurie Thoman-Hernedez, Linda and Rod Myers, and Kerri Cook at the Western and English Sales Association (WESA) Market in Denver. We visited sponsors and bought some amazing things to help me during my year as Miss Rodeo Wyoming. I am so glad that Laurie, Linda, Rod and Kerri had been there before because without their experience there, I would not have made as many contacts as I did, and I would still be lost in the huge building! We had a great time and had a chance to get to really know each other.

I was honored to attend the Wrangler party on Saturday night. After having a rather interesting experience trying to park my truck with Kerri, we made our way into the party. We saw some incredible people who have worked so hard to make rodeo the #1 sport. I was even able to have my picture taken with Stran Smith and Stetson Vest. I met Tom Balding, the sponsor of my Miss Rodeo Wyoming spurs; Jennifer Smith, a past Miss Rodeo America and ESPN rodeo correspondent; Abe Morris, a Wyoming rodeo cowboy and author; and many other rodeo idols.

The past few weekends have been filled with laughs and memories which made the first 19 days as Miss Rodeo Wyoming amazing. I can only imagine what the rest of the year has in store for me! I will be heading back to the Denver to the National Western Stock Show tomorrow morning and remain there until the end of stock show. If you’re in the area, make sure to come to the Saturday January 22 rodeo performance at 3:30pm. This performance will honor the state of Wyoming and I will be giving the opportunity to carrying the Wyoming flag during the opening ceremony.

Thank you Wyoming, Let’s Ride!

Hello Wyoming!

2011-01-03T15:14:00.001-08:00

Happy New Year!! I hope everyone is as excited about 2011 as I am! As I sat watching the glass ball in New York City drop, I realized that not only was I counting down to 2011, but I was counting down to the start of my dream come true!! Earlier that night I had the honor of helping the Laramie Jubilee Days committee and royalty at their New Year's Eve Fall Brawl rough stock rodeo. Holly, Pam, Tabitha and I helped with a dice game to win a couple Polaris "toys". We also were honored to carry in the flags for the opening. As I stood at the gate waiting for my name to be called, I forgot that they were calling me when I heard "Carrying the Wyoming state flag is Miss Rodeo Wyoming 2011." I had to wait to hear my name to know they were for sure calling me into the arena. It was a great experience standing in the arena knowing I stood before my community as Miss Rodeo Wyoming.

I want to thank Erin Heffron for doing such an amazing job this past year as Miss Rodeo Wyoming. She always had a smile on her face and was grateful for everything. She took this title to a new level, and I hope that I can carry on her enthusiasm and charisma. Thank you Erin for being such an honest and wholesome role-model!

This year is going to be one in a million and I am excited to make my way to Denver for the National Western Stock Show. I already have goosebumps thinking about what it will be like riding into the arena on a horse provided by Cervi Championship Rodeo .

Thank you Wyoming for believing in me! Let's Saddle up and ride on!

THANK YOU ALL!!

2010-12-30T14:24:00.000-08:00

Dear Wyoming,

What a ride! It’s hard to believe that a whole year has come and gone! I have been looking through the pictures from my year and I’m still amazed at some of the things I have been able to do! From visiting Mt. Rushmore, to hog hunting in Florida, to carrying the American Flag at some of Wyoming’s biggest rodeos and driving a Ram truck in between it truly has been an INCREDIBLE YEAR!! I look back at all of the great memories that I’ve made and the sisterhood that was formed with the other state queens and I know that this is a once in a lifetime experience!

God has truly blessed me with an unforgettable year as Miss Rodeo Wyoming! Words cannot express my sincere gratitude for all those who helped me along the way. Each day I place the jade crown on my hat, I am blessed with the support of a loving family, an enthusiastic community and the unbelievable state of Wyoming! I am humbled by the outpouring of support, and I pray that God will continue to bless the lives of those I have met this year. Thank you Mom, Dad, Ben, Morgan and Tim for being the backbone of my support system. To the Miss Rodeo Wyoming Association, Dean Parker with Fremont Motors and Holly Pratt with Nelson Engineering, thank you all for believing in me and making this year so special.

I look forward to the future knowing that God has a special plan for me! I will be going back to school at the University of Wyoming in January to finish my degree in Kinesiology. In the meantime I am excited to give back to the Miss Rodeo Wyoming Association who has done so much for me! I am excited to be a part of an elite group of ladies as a former Miss Rodeo Wyoming. I hope to support both McKenzie Haley and Brittany Richards as they embark on journeys of their own! I also hope to continue to be involved in rodeo, I’ve just started getting serious about team roping and I aspire to become a timer for the PRCA. The future looks bright indeed!

This will be my last post as Miss Rodeo Wyoming. I want to wish Brittany the best, you are going to be a great Miss Rodeo Wyoming! I am thankful to call you my friend! Stop often and take it all in, always remembering where you came from! This is a year you will look back upon with fondness for the rest of your life! Always know that I am here to answer any questions, laugh and cry with you!

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows: James 1:17

Thank you all for believing in me!!

God Bless!

Erin Heffron

Miss Rodeo Wyoimng 2010

Forever West!

2010-12-03T09:31:00.000-08:00

“WOW!” is all I have to say after watching Erin and the other Miss Rodeo America contestants at the fashion show Wednesday night. The dance moves, music, and magic made for a wonderful performance! Dressed in clothing donated by Wrangler, the girls showed us their moves under the “Wrangler Big Top”. The night’s theme of the big top circus was complete with magic and illusions between the dances. The fashion show ended with the girls modeling their dresses. The designs were stunning and Erin shined like the star she is in her red dress made by Janelle Baldwin.

After the show, we met up with Erin at the after party. It was great to be able to ask her how she was doing and see that smile on her face. She told us that she had finished her horsemanship/rodeo interview and that it went well. She also felt good about her written test she had taken earlier in the week. We had time to grab a few pictures before the night was over.

Thursday morning Erin was first to give her speech during the second round of speeches. She was inspiring with her speech about the Code of the West and how it was a piece of Wyoming for everyone. She looked great on stage in her teal dress. Her media interview was then shown to the audience. After the speeches, the girls got ready and made their way to the South Point Hotel and Casino for the PRCA luncheon. Erin showed off the Wyoming Tough Enough to Wear Pink chaps made by our chap sponsor, Tim Bath.

The evening ended with the girls attending the first performance of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo at the Thomas and Mack Center here in Las Vegas, NV. I saw Erin there (it was my first time at the WNFR) and she was having a great time there!
Today we will finish the speeches and we will all make our way to Cowboy Christmas where the girls will hold a foundation auction auctioning off bags they brought representing their state. We are getting closer and closer to the coronation on Saturday!

It’s been such a wonderful week and Erin is doing such a wonderful job representing the state of Wyoming, the Miss Rodeo Wyoming Association, the professional sport of rodeo, herself, and most of all, her family!

“Wyoming, Forever West!”

Brittany Richards

It’s Downhill From Here!

2010-12-01T18:39:00.001-08:00

We have reached the midpoint of the Miss Rodeo America pageant here at The Orleans Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. Yesterday Erin and the other contestants attended the President’s Breakfast. Erin looked amazing in her orange dress! Each contestant answered a current event question. Erin answered her question regarding the grades given in elementary schools with confidence. The awards for scrapbook were also given, and Erin’s friend, Jordan Han from Montana, won the first place ribbon and scholarship. Erin was so happy for her!

After the President’s Breakfast, the contestants had their personality interviews and their photogenic pictures taken. The interviews were closed to the public but the photogenic photos will be on www.shooterenterprises.com later this week. When the girls were not interviewing they were at dance rehearsal for the fashion show. After all the dancing rehearsals they have had this week, I am getting so excited for the show!

I had the pleasure of seeing Erin that night at Billy Bob’s Steak House in Sam’s Town. If you have been to Sam’s Town you will know about the amazing waterfall that is in front of the restaurant, and if you have not been, you need to make a trip. As the girls walked across the bridge toward the steak house, the fog came up and waterfall and fountain came to life. It was a remarkable entrance for them and it brought tears to my eyes and pride in my heart to know that Erin is doing such a wonderful job representing Wyoming not only this week but this entire year.

This morning was round one of speeches. Erin did not give her speech today, but instead was able to get a little bit more sleep. The Rodeo/Horsemanship Interviews are split between today and tomorrow. We do not know when Erin will have her interview with the judges, but we are sure she will continue to do an amazing job. While not interviewing, the girls are, you guessed it, having dance rehearsal. Tonight will be the big show and everyone is so excited. I did catch a glimpse of Erin today on her way to their lunch with the judges. It makes me so happy to know that she has worked so hard to get here, and she is finally here!

We are on the downhill side of this week, but I can bet Erin would say, “Wow, what a ride!”

Brittany Richards

Horsing Around!

2010-11-30T10:33:00.001-08:00

Day two of the Miss Rodeo America pageant has come to an end. Erin started the morning with breakfast at the French Market in The Orleans Hotel and Casino. Afterward the contestants were bused to the South Point Hotel and Casino for two rounds of horsemanship. Erin was the 14^th contestant to ride a horse performing a set pattern. She rode a black little horse that allowed her to show her horsemanship. Once all the girls rode the set pattern, they were then able to ride a draw horse and perform a freestyle pattern of their choice. The requirements were that they had 90 seconds and the pattern had to end with a “queen’s wave” around the outside of the arena. Erin did an amazing job on her draw horse! She made her mom and dad so proud handling the horses. I should mention that the horses used for the horsemanship portion of the contest were borrowed from stock contractors, so they were not easy to ride!

After eating lunch at the South Point, Erin and the other contestants returned to The Orleans for some more dance practice the rest of the afternoon. We then joined the girls at the Cowgirl Kickoff party last night. We were able to eat with Erin and talk with her about how she was feeling. She is having a blast and said that she is so happy to be here representing Wyoming. She is keeping her energy up through all the events and always has a smile on her face. All the contestants brought in their state flag during the party and then were asked to explain their outfit they were wearing that night. Erin was first in line to explain her jacket. She looked amazing in her jacket made by Janelle Baldwin depicting images that make Wyoming a state to remember. The party ended with a dance and I have to say each girl can dance extremely well! The girls then headed to an hour and half more of dance practice for the fashion show and coronation later this week.

Today Erin will be attending the President’s Breakfast, have her personality interview, taking photogenic picture, and having dinner at Billy Bob’s Steak House in Sam’s Town Hotel and Casino. Any down time today will be used for, you guessed it, more dance practice. Again, I want to encourage everyone to send in their text to vote Erin for People’s Choice award! If you have a message you would like to send to Erin, email it to missrodeopageant@yahoo.com and put “Wyoming” in the subject line. John Shooter has been taking pictures of the events and is posting them at www.shooterenterprises.com. Click the “online images” at the bottom of the screen.

As Erin said last night, “God Bless Wyoming!”

Brittany Richards

A Bright Day In Orange!

2010-11-29T06:52:00.000-08:00

Erin started the Miss Rodeo America pageant yesterday in Las Vegas, Nevada wearing one of her favorite colors, orange!. The morning started with the contestants gathering by the showroom in The Orleans hotel. Once all 28 contestants arrived, we worked our way into the showroom so that each state representative could receive their sash and be introduced to the crowd. Erin had to wait until the very end to receive her sash since Wyoming is the last state listed alphabetically. Erin was very patient and looked confident and comfortable on stage. One their sash was in place, they then went backstage to tape their media interviews. These interviews will be viewed and judged after the contestants present their speech later this week. After the media interviews were finished, the official orientation began. We were introduced to the judges who have the hard task of judging these 28 girls this week, along with the association members of the Miss Rodeo America (MRA) organization. Each girl introduced themselves followed by Miss Rodeo America 2010, Kelli Jackson, asking them a question based on the applications they submitted. Erin answered her question with assurance and made “Team Wyoming” proud! Once Tracy Damrell, MRA President, dismissed the contestants, we helped move Erin into her hotel room. She will be sharing a room this week with Miss Rodeo Wisconsin. According to the schedule, Erin spent the rest of the afternoon trying on the clothes donated to each contestant from Wrangler, which they will wear during the Fashion Show and Coronation dance routines; along with learning the routines which they will perform on Wednesday and Saturday. Erin also took her written test and had the Foundation Dinner. The dinner was closed to the public but I am sure she had a wonderful time.

Today, Erin will be competing in the horsemanship portion of the competition, rehearsing for the Fashion Show and Coronation, and then relaxing at the Get Acquainted party later tonight.

Make sure to check out pageant pictures on John Shooter’s website, www.shooterenterprises.com. He is the official photographer for the MRA pageant and has taken many photos already! MRA also has a pageant blog and can be found on the MRA website, www.missrodeo.com. Make sure to text your vote for Erin for the People’s Choice Award. Information on how to do that can be found on the MRA website, along with information on how to send her a good luck message, or even flowers!!

Erin has a long but exciting six days in front of her. I am hoping to be able to post updates daily, but please bear with me! Thank you on behalf of Erin for the wishes, love, and prays this week!

Brittany Richards

Thanksgiving

2010-11-25T21:02:00.000-08:00

Dear Wyoming,

Thanksgiving Day: A day to give thanks to all those who made my year possible, a day to spend with family eating so much turkey, I might not fit into my leather dresses…AND, the day before I leave for Las Vagas!! I can’t believe a year has gone by since I watched Allie compete!! This is IT!!

What an incredible year, filled with new people, fond memories and countless stories for years to come! It will be a year that I will look back at my entire life with fondness and gratitude for the blessings that have come my way! I am thankful for the opportunity to touch people’s lives and grateful for those who reached out and touched my heart.

Best of luck to all of the State Queens that I will soon see in the City of Lights! Although I wont have the ability to keep everyone updated, I have asked Brittany Richards to update the blog during the pageant!

Thank you all and God Bless Wyoming!!

Erin Heffron

A Successful Weekend!

2010-10-17T10:27:00.000-07:00

Dear Wyoming,

Fall is one of my favorite times of the year! It’s especially wonderful in Alta! I’ve been lucky enough to be able to spend some time at home as my travel schedule slows down although my preparations for the Miss Rodeo America Pageant have accelerated! The 2010 regular season came to a close on September 30^th and the elite cowboys who qualified for the Wrangler NFR are making plans to head to City of Lights during the first two weeks of December.

Last weekend, I hit the road to Laramie and was on hand for the coronation of Brittany Richards, who will continue the legacy of excellence as Miss Rodeo Wyoming 2011! “We are Wyoming” was the appropriate theme for the fundraiser held at the Albany County Fairgrounds. Brittany and her coronation crew did a fantastic job decorating and gathering auction items. The dinner, which was prepared and donated by WyoTech was delicious! We even had entertainment for the coronation ceremony from a rodeo clown and a “stick horse grand entry!” Overall, the coronation was a huge success and the support was much appreciated!! A big thanks goes out to everyone who made Brittany’s coronation possible so that she will be able start her year off in style!!

Shortly after the festivities in Laramie, I packed up “Charlie” and we headed down to Sterling, Colorado for the Mountain States Circuit Finals Steer Roping! I joined Kasie Pigg, Miss Rodeo Colorado and we helped carry flags and cleared the arena as we watched our circuit cowboys battle for positions at the National Circuit Finals Steer Roping in Torrington, Wyoming. A big thanks to my friend, Chris Anderson who is also the Mountain States Steer Roping Representative who provided horses for Kasie and I. We had a blast during the short weekend and I am thankful to be able to go!

I have a few weeks off of traveling, so I will be working at getting ready for Miss Rodeo America! My next rodeo will be the Chris LeDoux Memorial Rodeo in Casper! I am looking forward to seeing my friends Donna and Tammy Vold –Larsen who own Triple V Rodeo!

Cheers!

Erin Heffron

Nebraska Spelled Backwards

2010-09-30T18:14:00.000-07:00

Dear Wyoming,

How about those Husker fans!! I discovered the true meaning of Cornhusker Pride as I spent the weekend in Omaha, Nebraska for the Million Dollar Tour Championship held during Ak-Sar-Ben’s River City Round-up. Here is a fun fact for those of you who don’t know, Ak-Sar-Ben stands for Nebraska, spelled backwards! I guess that means that I should refer to Wyoming as Gnimoyw! It was a great rodeo and I was surrounded by great people!

I will fill you in on a few details to help illustrate how great this trip was!! Detail #1: I drove… all the way across the state of Wyoming…. And all the way across the state of Nebraska! Adding approximately 2098 miles to Charlie’s odometer! Detail #2: I took a detour to Fort Collins, Colorado to visit my dress designer, which means that I visited four states in four days; Wyoming, Idaho, Colorado, and Nebraska! So, I guess it’s safe to say that I am pretty well-traveled! Detail #3: In Omaha, I met up with Miss Rodeo Nebraska, Michelle Boesheart; Miss Rodeo Iowa, Jordanne Blair; Miss Rodeo Ak-Sar-Ben, Morgan Marshall; and Gina Jespersen, Miss Rodeo Ak-Sar-Ben Lady-in-waiting. We also cheered on Miss Rodeo South Dakota, Mckenzie Haley who carried flags during the rodeo. While we didn’t ride during the rodeo, we had rewarding experiences visiting hospitals, schools, helping out at the Challenge Rodeo and dusting off mutton busters during the rodeos. Detail #4: This was one of the last big rodeos that counts toward qualifying for the Wrangler NFR. The cowboys who competed in Omaha, worked hard all summer and earned their spots to compete for the $750,000. This made for an especially great rodeo to watch and we had the best seats in the house! We also helped with the buckle presentations, and yes, I did get to shake Trevor Brazile’s hand while we presented him with his buckle!

I put some miles in my boots as we walked through downtown Omaha during the parade! I had a blast handing out candy and talking to the rodeo fans! We had some down time in between events, which gave us the chance to walk around the livestock show. I got to see day-old baby piglets, baby chicks and black lab puppies at the Nebraska Agriculture Commissioner’s booth!

As you can see, Omaha was well worth the 30 hours in the truck! I am looking forward to hearing who officially made it to the 2010 Wrangler NFR!

God Bless!!

Erin Heffron

Let 'er Buck!!

2010-09-20T12:40:00.000-07:00

Dear Wyoming:

“Let ‘er Buck!” is a popular phrase for two different types of sports fans; UW football fans and Pendleton Round-up fans! I had a blast in Oregon and I made some great memories with 8 other state queens. Miss Rodeo Oregon, Ashley Ziegler organized a trip for us to tour Oregon and watch the 100^th anniversary of the Pendleton Round-up. Miss Rodeo North Dakota, Tiffany Kuntz; Miss Rodeo Florida, Heather Hall; Miss Rodeo Colorado, Kasie Pigg; Miss Rodeo Virginia, Anita Moorehead; Miss Rodeo Montana, Jourdan Han and Miss Rodeo Canada Princess, Dana Hansen joined me as we traveled across the state of Oregon in a 12-passenger van.

We started our tour in Portland and after visiting a children’s hospital, we took a trip up the beautiful Oregon coast to tour the Tillimook Cheese factory. What a treat!! We were able to see how the cheese was made and we even got to taste test some cheese and ice cream! That night we stayed 150 feet from the ocean in a beach house! Unfortunately for me and my adventurous side, it was raining and it was much too cold to swim in the ocean!

The next day was nice and relaxing for us to dress casual as we drove across the state to Pendleton. We were able to see the diverse landscape from rainforest to desert and we stopped at one of North America’s tallest waterfalls, Multonomah Falls! Of coarse we kept ourselves busy during the drive with karaoke and funny stories from our year together! It was a great day!!

Once in Pendleton, we paraded down the streets in wagons during the Westward Ho Parade! I had a blast riding in the wagon with North Dakota and Montana with our Belgian, Captain leading the way. For those of you who haven’t been to the Pendleton Round-up, I strongly suggest that you add it to your bucket list! What an awesome rodeo!! It can be compared to Cheyenne Frontier Days in that it’s completely different from any other rodeo but it's in a world of it’s own with the grass arena! I think it’s one of my favorite rodeos so far!! We didn’t have any duties at the rodeo, so we were able to watch as cowboys competed for one of their last chances to qualify for the Wrangler NFR! It was a world class rodeo!!

I was sad to leave Oregon knowing that I had so much fun but I plan on going back to Pendleton for another trip!!

God Bless!

Erin

A Tale of Two Trucks

2010-09-13T13:22:00.000-07:00

On June 8^th, Dean Parker surprised me with a bright red 2010 Dodge Ram Megacab… But this wasn’t just any Megacab, it was one that I had the privilege to design! For those of you who haven’t had a chance to design a truck, I suggest you give it a try by visiting dodge.com, click on “build my own” and you will be able to add all the bells and whistles! Last October, I sat down with Dean to design my dream truck and I was overwhelmed with all the options! It was one thing to see it on paper and watch as the website virtually built my truck, but when I pulled up to Fremont Motors and saw the truck sitting in the parking lot, it almost took my breath away! This truck was loaded! From air-conditioned seats, a heated steering wheel, and a DVD player, this truck did not disappoint! I named this truck “LeRoy” and I enjoyed every mile with a smile! I was fortunate to be able to drive LeRoy for a total of 7,000 miles! I had some great memories in LeRoy including piling several state queens in the back during Cheyenne Frontier Days and showing LeRoy off during the Red Desert Round-up pre-show and parade in Rock Springs!

The Megacab is comparable to a first-class seat on an airplane. As a rodeo queen, the extra room always comes in handy! I brought LeRoy back to Fremont Motors in Rock Springs shortly after the Wyoming State Fair. Dean knew how much I loved the Megacab so he had another one waiting for me! Sitting in the parking lot was a brand new 2010 Dodge Ram Megacab! My, how I love my job!! My new truck is a light brown color so I decided to name it “Charlie Brown.” I am looking forward to making some more great memories with Charlie!

I had the chance to pull a horse trailer with both of these trucks and I am very impressed at the towing capabilities of Ram trucks! Of coarse this would not be possible without the incredible support of Dean Parker with Fremont Motors in Rock Springs! I cannot thank him and his team enough for taking such great care of me! Paired up with Nelson Engineering as my fuel sponsor, Fremont Motors has made this year a reality! Thank you Dean Parker and Holly Pratt for making me the coolest state queen on the road!

God Bless!

Erin

Evanston Cowboy Days

2010-09-08T13:49:00.000-07:00

Dear Wyoming,

I hope everyone enjoyed the Labor Day Weekend! For me, Labor Day signifies the end of the summer, but this year is a little different. I spent a wonderful, warm weekend in Evanston at the 74^th anniversary of the Evanston Cowboy Days! A big thanks to the Committee who put on a great rodeo and took excellent care of me! I enjoyed getting to know the committee members as we all visited local schools and folded programs before the rodeo. I had a blast splashing in the pool during the live fish catch… I caught quite a few fish with my bare hands!! But I also got soaked when the bullfighter, Marc Gill, picked me up over his head and threw me in the water… twice!! Needless to say, I got him back with the help of Evanston Cowboy Days queen, LaChelle Lewis and her attendant, Heather Thompson.

The three rodeo performances were exceptional because we were able to see some of the PRCA’s top cowboys battle it out in the last four weeks of the regular rodeo season. This is a very exciting time to be following Professional Rodeo because the race to the Wrangler NFR is coming around the straight-away. It’s fun to watch the cowboys who are sitting on the “bubble” (16^th in the world standings, because the top 15 qualify for the WNFR) go all out to attain the ultimate, a chance at winning a Gold Buckle and the title of World Champion.

The newly crowned Miss Rodeo Utah, Martina Wardle joined us for the first two performances and it was great to see her! I had met her at Utah’s Rodeo Queen Boot Camp and I am excited to be able to travel with her before we get ready for Miss Rodeo America!!

As the summer comes to a close, I am diligently studying and preparing for Miss Rodeo America! I have a few more big trips in the near future as I get ready for the 100^th anniversary of the Pendleton Round-up and a tour of Oregon with Miss Rodeo Oregon as my tour guide! I am also looking forward to going to Omaha, Nebraska for the Million Dollar Tour Championships! The future looks bright indeed!!

Until next time,

God Bless,

Erin

Congratulations!!

2010-08-24T17:10:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to all of the Miss Rodeo Wyoming 2011 contestants for such a great pageant!! The stakes were high and the competition was tough (I'm glad I wasn't a judge) but I am proud to say that Brittany Richards will carry on the legacy of greatness in our state next year!

Formerly Miss Butch Cassidy Days, Brittany hails from Laramie. I have had the chance to work with Brittany in the past and I know that she will do great things for Wyoming! Brittany has the work ethic and determination to accomplish her dreams which will help her inspire others to do the same!

I had a blast at the State Fair in Douglas and I wasn't sure if it was because I was on the other side of the competition, but I think it was because we had such a great group of girls! The eight young ladies from accross the state made their hometowns proud and it was fun to watch them grow throughout the pageant! I think that win or not, competing in rodeo queen pageants helps young ladies grow into beautiful confident women who embody western traditions! It also gives them the opporuinity to form friendships that last a lifetime! But above all, rodeo queens share a passion for the sport of rodeo and we are proud to call ourselves cowgirls!

After the State Fair, I dropped LeRoy off at Fremont Motors and although I will miss the bright red Dodge MegaCab, I was able to hop into a brand new 2010 3/4 ton Dodge MegaCab! It's beautiful and only had 26 miles on the odometer! Iam the luckiest girl in Wyoming, but it's all thanks to Dean Parker with Fremont Motors in Rock Springs!! I still have to come up with a name for this new one and I'm open to suggestions! Please visit the facebook group "Miss Rodeo Wyoming 2010" to add your ideas!

I am happy to be home for a week before heading to Evanston for Cowboy Days! My little brother, Tim just left for college and our house is pretty quiet without him! He is starting his freshman year at the University of Wyoming and although we miss him already, we know he will do great!!

Until next time,
God Bless Wyoming!
Erin

Sunshine and Summertime

2010-08-06T12:43:00.000-07:00

Dear Wyoming,

Where oh where did the summer go?! It’s been an incredible two months so it’s going to be hard to summarize everything! I will try to list some highlights knowing that only a portion of the story is being told. The past two months found me in towns like Elizabeth, Colorado, Afton, Thermopolis, North Platte, Nebraska, Rock Springs, Douglas, Thermopolis (again), Cody, Laramie, Casper, Sheridan, Cheyenne, Rock Springs (again), Riverton and I am currently in Gillette. Each of these towns had a unique flavor and almost always a ridiculous funny story! For example, when I was in Thermopolis at the parade, I found myself leading the parade because the “stampede” of steers that was in front of the parade literally stampeded the streets, almost running over innocent parade goers. Or the time I was carrying the American flag in Sheridan and I almost ran over the band playing in the center of the arena… luckily I didn’t hit the trumpet player, but the look on his face was priceless!! I’ll never forget the whitewater trip in Cody or the ESPN crew catching Miss Rodeo America, Miss Cody Stampede and myself trying to climb the Cody sign!

These short stories are just a glimpse at my adventures as Miss Rodeo Wyoming, there is so much more that goes on underneath the jade crown. I’ve had the honor of carrying the American flag at many rodeos and it’s a feeling I can’t describe. Especially when I am aware of the Veterans and military personnel in attendance. I’ve had the opportunity to meet incredible people including world champions, award winning stock contractors and hall of fame cowboys. Even the volunteers on rodeo committees who have served up to 45 years are just as amazing as the world champions! I have discovered in the sport of rodeo, that work ethic speaks volumes between competitors and producers! Rodeo would not be what it is without the hard work of committees and contestants. Without a doubt, I am honored to represent such a great sport!

As the busy part of the summer slows, I will head home for the first time in three weeks and prepare to pass the jade crown to one of the eight beautiful contestants for Miss Rodeo Wyoming 2011. I will be honored to place this crown on the hats of either of these girls and I am confident that Wyoming will be very well represented next year! It’s hard to believe that it’s almost been a year since I won the title! I am looking forward to representing Wyoming at Miss Rodeo America! I will try to keep you updated on the rest of my travels!!

God Bless!

Erin

Old West Days, Jackson Hole Wyoming

2010-05-31T16:47:00.000-07:00

Dear Wyoming,

Happy Memorial Day!! To me, this holiday has meant the beginning of summer… and we almost always kick it off with a lovely spring snowstorm! This year was no different, although this time it didn’t last long! I spent the weekend in Jackson for the Old West Days with a parade in downtown Jackson Hole and the start of the Jackson Hole Rodeo, which runs every Wednesday and Saturday throughout the summer.

My weekend started with a radio interview on Thursday morning with our local country station Q102. I was able to call into the station, which was nice because I was able to stay in my muck boots and chore jacket, as I sat in my truck in the driveway. I was excited to promote Old West Days in Jackson!

The festivities began on Saturday morning for the Old West Days Parade. The night before the parade, I took a walk down memory lane as I looked through old pictures of me at the Old West Days Parade. It was cool to see how far I’ve come as a young lady, and rodeo queen but also to see the underlying theme, chilly weather!

I enjoyed seeing the friendly faces of the Teton County Fair and Rodeo Queen Court-- Queen, Desiree Bridges, Senior Princess, Kayla Key, Junior Princess, Madison Wilkerson, PeeWee Princess, Jordan Bauer. We braved the chilly Jackson weather as we paraded downtown in the last horse-drawn parade in America! This means that they focus more on horses in the parade and they don’t allow vehicles that are newer than 1960. It was great seeing hometown faces and it was a little surreal as they announced my name as Miss Rodeo Wyoming, a dream that I’ve had since the my first Old West Days Parade! A big thanks to Desiree Bridges for providing a horse for me for the parade!

It’s been a long-standing tradition for my family to climb Snow King after the OWD Parade. Snow King is a one of the big mountains that makes up Jackson’s Hole and the trail to the top is approximately 2.3 miles! It is a ski hill in the winter and a nice hiking trail in the summer. Those of you who know me and how much I love a challenging workout, can see me running up the trail, queen hair and all!! (It’s true! I’ve done it for the last few years!) But unfortunately, my mom injured her knee and my uncle and cousins backed out because of the weather, so I gave into peer pressure and decided not to make the trip solo.

We were able to visit with some good family friends, the Fuchs family and we had a barbeque until the rodeo. AJ Fuchs, the 2009 National High School All Around Cowboy, let me borrow his new heading horse to carry the American Flag at the rodeo! What a nice horse! We had a special grand entry in honor of Memorial Day and I was humbled to bring the huge flag into the arena! I had a blast at the rodeo teaming up with Desiree Bridges to visit fans in the stands and sign autographs, Teton County is also well represented!!

I am preparing for a busy summer, and I’m getting ready to head to the Elizabeth Stampede in Elizabeth, Colorado next weekend! Best Wishes!

God Bless,

Erin Heffron

Miss Rodeo Wyoming 2010

Jackson Hole Therapeutic Riding Center

2010-05-24T15:53:00.000-07:00

Dear Wyoming:

Greetings from the beautiful, yet snowy Alta, Wyoming! I’ve been watching the snow weigh down the new leaf buds and the birds feast on worms in the dirt road. It’s hard to believe that summer is just around the corner! But as I check my travel schedule, I am reminded of just how busy I will be in the next few months. I am eagerly looking foreword to it!!

I just wanted to fill you in on the latest happenings in the life of Miss Rodeo Wyoming. Although the month of May has been rather slow as far as rodeos are concerned, I have been busy volunteering my time at the Jackson Hole Therapeutic Riding Center. What a treat it has been!! I have been a fill-in volunteer for the last few years but this is the first time that I have been able to volunteer a full session.

I go over to Jackson regularly every Tuesday and Wednesday. It is definitely the highlight of my week! I work with three classes on Tuesdays and one on Wednesdays. In that time I have gotten to know the incredible staff and built relationships with the wonderful riders! It reminds me of the Special Kids Rodeos that are held in conjunction with some PRCA Rodeos, except I have the chance to get to know the kids I work with! The PRCA sets up the Special Kids Rodeos for kids with disabilities to come in and interact with rodeo contestants and queens while learning about the rodeo events. That has been my favorite part of many rodeos this year, and volunteering at the Jackson Hole Therapeutic Riding Center is a great privilege!

I usually dress up with my hat and crown when I go to JHTRA and the kids have gotten so used to it, they don’t know who I am without it! One of the little boys that I was working with said, “Boy, Erin, I don’t even recognize you without your crown!!” Ever since then, I have dressed up and he is a happy camper!

As a Kinesiology major, I have considered going into Hippotherapy, which is a physical, occupational, and speech-language therapy treatment strategy that utilizes equine movement. The movement of the horse provides multidimensional movement patterns, which are rhythmic and repetitive. I’m sure all of us have experienced this effect when we ride, but sometimes we take that for granted. Each time I see the smile that comes to the rider’s faces as they step on their horses, I am reminded of how much I love my job!

God Bless,

Erin Heffron

UW College Rodeo

2010-05-12T07:59:00.000-07:00

Dear Wyoming:

I always love visiting Laramie and the UW College Rodeo was a good excuse for Obadiah and I to take to the roads! I arrived in Laramie the day before the rodeos started so I could visit elementary schools and some of my old friends and teammates. I was in for a treat on Friday as I visited two schools and four classrooms. Thanks to Brittany and Chris Richards, I visited first, fourth and fifth grade classes at Spring Creek Elementary and then went to Indian Paintbrush Elementary to visit Susan Branch’s first grade class. We talked about the sport of rodeo and I even brought a stick horse so we could have a pretend barrel race in class! I had so much fun visiting schools, for a brief moment, I considered changing my major to elementary education… but I think I’ll stick with Kinesiology!

The UW Rodeo kicked off on Friday night with the first performance. Chyann Howard, from the UW rodeo team let me ride her horse, “Dink” to carry sponsor flags. He didn’t exactly live up to his name because he was really fun to ride! Brittany Richards, Miss Butch Cassidy Days joined me to carry flags and we had a great time! The beautiful Kim Kuhn helped us organize flags and we watched as future and some current professional rodeo cowboys competed in the last college rodeo in the Central Rocky Mountain Region. The rodeo had one round and the top 8 proceeded on to the final round on Sunday. On Sunday, for the final performance, Miss Laramie Jubilee, Dani Gilgen helped carry flags with me and it was great to see her! The rodeo was a great opportunity for UW students to take a break from studying for finals and each performance, we had a great crowd!

Overall, the trip was a success and I am excited to hear how our UW Cowboys and Cowgirls do at the College National Finals Rodeo in Casper, Wyoming! Go Pokes!

Cheers!

Erin Heffron

Miss Rodeo Wyoming 2010

The Latest

2010-04-29T09:50:00.000-07:00

Dear Wyoming:

My! How time flies when you’re having fun!! It’s been a little while since I last wrote so I will have to summarize the latest episodes in my journey as Miss Rodeo Wyoming.

The month of March found me in Ogden, Utah for the Rodeo Queen Boot Camp. The name says it all in the rodeo queen world, as it is the basic course for Rodeo Queens. I’ve had the opportunity to attend this clinic for the last two years, so this year, I switched it up a little and attended the judging clinic which was a rigorous course in pageant judging. My mom attended the clinic with me and we learned everything from judging horsemanship to personality. We came away from boot camp better equipped to judge pageants and help others improve. In addition to the great clinic experience, one of the big events during the clinic was the Fashion Show. Since I had been a boot camp student a few times, the coordinators asked me to be in the fashion show!! It was quite an experience to model with the best of the best that Utah has to offer!! I also enjoyed seeing other state queens at boot camp including, Idaho, Utah, Washington, and Wisconsin as well as Miss Rodeo America, Kelli Jackson.

Meet OOOOOOOH-badiah!! A 2008 jet black 2500 Dodge Ram truck. Dean Parker, with Fremont Motors in Rock Springs likes to surprise me with the color and I couldn’t be happier! I had traveled a total of 5717 miles with Louie and it was time for him to go down the road and back to Fremont Motors. I will miss Louie, but I sure am excited for Obadiah!! My experience with Obadiah thus far has been tremendous and I like to think that this diesel truck is so powerful, it could climb the Grand Teton!! If you’re interested in purchasing this great vehicle, give me a callJ.

From March 19-12, I was in Douglas Wyoming hosting the Miss Rodeo Wyoming Clinic. I’m sure all the 25 girls in attendance would agree with me that it was a great weekend!! We had the chance to learn from the best as Maegan Ridley, Miss Rodeo America 2009 as well as other former Miss Rodeo Wyomings’ took the time to teach us the tricks of the trade! Suzanne Stewart, who coordinated the clinic, did a fantastic job and we are grateful for her expertise! For those of you who keep up with the Association, please keep Suzanne in your prayers as she recovers from surgery and has relocated to New Mexico. She will be greatly missed as a part of Wyoming Women but her friendship will continue for years to come! During the clinic, we had the chance to stay in the dorms on the Wyoming State Fair Grounds and we were happy to have the opportunity to get to know each other better! Overall, the clinic was a success and the future of Miss Rodeo Wyoming looks bright indeed!!

I had a few weeks off the road during the months of March and April; which gave me the opportunity to prepare for Miss Rodeo America as well as volunteer some of my time. Since I am planning on furthering my education by going to Physical Therapy school, I have been volunteering at a local Physical Therapy clinic as well as a therapeutic riding facility in Jackson. My time has been well spent and I am thankful for the opportunity to give back!

I have been going to the DNCFR since I was little so it was an awesome experience to be a part of it this year as Miss Rodeo Wyoming. I arrived in Pocatello a few days early so I could watch the DNCFR Queen contest and spend time with a good friend of mine, Allie Bohus. Since I was there early, I had the chance to do a few radio interviews and even a TV interview with KIDK News Channel 6! Miss Rodeo Idaho, Measha Gittins and I tagged along with the Dodge Queens at the beginning of the week and were later joined by the rest of the state queens.

The week was filled with hospital and school visits and incredible rodeo performances. The 17 state queens in attendance had the chance to carry sponsor flags during the rodeos as well as sell programs to eager rodeo fans. We watched the best competitors vie for the final prize of a $20,000 voucher to use towards a Dodge vehicle! The most memorable moment for me was when Ryan Gray won the bareback title. My mom is really good friends with his aunt and we were sitting with his family when the score of 90 showed up on the scoreboard! It was very exciting as his cousin called his wife to tell her the news! Way to go Ryan!

Soon after the final performance in the Holt Arena in Pocatello, my mom and I drove to Green River to judge the Sweetwater County Queen Contest. We judged alongside former Miss Rodeo Wyoming Stacie Kline-Thompson and boy did we have a tough decision! The four girls did a great job and a big congratulations goes out to Chrissy Wilmetti, the new queen and her princess Shaylee Mets. Sweetwater County is very well represented!

I then headed to the thriving town of Torrington, Wyoming for the first ever National Circuit Finals Steer Roping. I had a blast as the 24 contestants competed on 5 head of cattle for the title of Circuit Finals Champion! A big thanks to Harold Bumgartner who provided me with three awesome horses to carry flags and chase cattle. Oklahoma cowboy, Ralph Williams took away the title with his consistency and patience! I really enjoyed getting to know the contestants and I was honored to be a part of the fist NCFSR in Wyoming!

Most recently, I took a road trip to Douglas, Wyoming for the first ever Big Wyoming Horse Expo. I was blown away by the talent and resources that Wyoming has in the horse industry! From flashy appaloosas to hot blooded Arabians and dependable quarter horses, Wyoming has it all! It was fun to visit the different vendors at the trade show and watch the informative free clinics. I met some incredible people and I’m excited for the bright future of the Big Wyoming Horse Expo!

My next journey will take me to Laramie for the University of Wyoming College rodeo. I have elementary school visits planned in addition to carrying sponsor flags and helping out at the rodeo. I look forward to returning back to my old stomping grounds at UW and I will write to let you all know how it went!!

Until next time!

God Bless!

Erin Heffron

The Sunshine State!!

2010-03-10T19:20:00.000-08:00

Frog legs, alligator tail… and Mickey Mouse? Yep, we did it all in the Sunshine State of Florida! Equipped with my hat, crown and banner, I flew out of Idaho Falls early on the morning of February 15^th. I carried my chaps and an arena shirt in my hat box and I got some funny stares as I was walking through the airport! I guess I stood out in the crowd of travelers! During the flight from Denver to Orlando, I was treated like royalty by the flight attendants and passengers, they even announced my name over the intercom of the plane!!

When I arrived in Orlando, I was welcomed by Miss Rodeo Florida, Heather Hall and we were soon joined by Miss Rodeo Virginia, Anita Moorhead, Miss Rodeo Idaho, Measha Gittins, and Miss Rodeo Oregon, Ashley Zeigler. It took us a while to get acclimated to the palm trees and lack of snow, but all of us were very excited to be in Florida!! There were five of us that stayed at Miss Rodeo Florida’s house, which is about twenty minutes from Kissimmee, home to the Silver Spurs Rodeo.

When we arrived at Heather’s house, we were greeted by a pack of dogs and a “swamp buggy.” Now, the “swamp buggy” is a type of motorized vehicle that I had never seen in Wyoming! It looks like a cross between a monster truck and a topless jeep and as we discovered, it wasn’t afraid to drive across deep rivers and swamps, hence the name “swamp buggy!” Heather’s dad took us for a spin behind the house in search of hogs and gators… while we didn’t see either, we did see quite a few deer and lots of cows!! It may surprise you to know that Florida is cattle country!! We didn’t find any hogs that night but we did catch an armadillo!! It was quite an experience!!

The next day more state queens and a few local queens joined us as we visited two elementary schools. We had fun acting out some of the rodeo events and answering questions. The surrounding area schools participate in “Rodeo Day” when they actually get out of school on Friday and go to the rodeo!! It is a great idea and the kids loved learning about rodeo!

We dressed up for the evening and went to the Miss Silver Spurs Pageant held in Kissimmee. I was very impressed with all of the contestants who worked hard and made their parents and community very proud. The Silver Spurs court traveled with us to visit schools and represented did a great job representing their rodeo!

The next few days were filled with school visits in the morning and activities at night. We had a total of 14 state queens, Miss Rodeo America, Miss Rodeo Canada, Miss Rodeo Canada Princess and the Silver Spurs Court. All together there was a swarm of about 25 queens!! That is a lot of glitter, lip stick and fringe!! We went out to lunch at the famous “Catfish Place” and exercised our taste buds with frog legs, gator tail, turtle, and catfish! I came to the conclusion that frog legs actually do taste like chicken and gator tail goes great with tartar sauce!! We had a bonfire one night and roasted marshmallows and Starburst candy. If you haven’t tried roasted Starburst, I strongly recommend trying it because it is warm and gooey in the middle and a little hard and crunchy on the outside!! However, we may have a few months before we have ideal “Starburst roasting weather” in Wyoming!!

On Thursday night, we went out for an adventure in the Florida wilderness hunting for hogs! We all piled on three different swamp buggies and set out in search of the wild piggies. Once again, we didn’t see any hogs (I think it may be a lie, Florida doesn’t really have hogs because both times we went out, we didn’t see any hogs!!) But we sure had fun and I actually got to drive the swamp buggy!! It was a lot like driving Louie through the snow in Wyoming… except I had much bigger tires!! As soon as the sun went down, it got very cold!! It might be hard to believe but Florida weather is pretty unpredictable! We were happy that we brought warm jackets and blankets but as soon as we got back, we had another bonfire and were able to warm up!

The next morning we drove down the road to the lake where we hopped into airboats and sped around in search of gators!! This time we found what we were looking for!! We even got close enough to an 11-foot long gator that we could touch it from the boat! We were able to see one of the oldest trees in Florida as well as a multitude of wildlife surrounding the lake… including cows wading through the swampy areas!

The rodeo started on Friday at the Silver Spurs Arena. The Osceola County Fair was held in conjunction with the rodeo and it took me a while to get used to the idea of having a county fair in February! Local cowboys and cowgirls provided us with horses and I can only imagine how hard it would be to find 15 horses for all of the visiting queens so we were very grateful! Our job in the grand entry was to carry our state flags and I was honored to enter the arena with the Wyoming flag! After the grand entry we had the opportunity to visit sponsor boxes and mingle with rodeo fans who were eager to meet us and learn about the sport.

Saturday morning found us basking in the sunshine on the beach! We waded out into the water a little but even for a Wyoming girl, it was cold! Miss Rodeo South Dakota, California, Utah and I went for a long walk on the beach to a visit a peer. I will have to say that we got a little sunburn, but I was happy to return home with some color in February!

The rodeo on Saturday was especially great because my grandparents came to see me! They live most of the year in Wisconsin, but migrate to Florida in the winters and luckily for me, they don’t live very far from Kissimmee! My grandpa was so excited that he told anyone who would listen that his granddaughter is Miss Rodeo Wyoming! It was so great to see them both!

We woke up early on Sunday morning and made it in time for Cowboy Church at the Silver Spurs Arena! There was a lot to be thankful that morning! We were employed to help at the Special Rodeo, which was one of the coolest experiences! I had never done a Special Rodeo before but I was reminded how much I love the sport of rodeo when I saw the looks on the kid’s faces!

The final rodeo on Sunday was in the middle of the day, which was fun because it was in the 70’s! I felt like it was the middle of the summer in Wyoming… minus the palm trees!! Florida is part of the Southeastern Circuit and although it may be far from the Mountain States Circuit, I was surprised at how many Wyoming and Colorado cowboys came to bask in the sun and compete in one of the largest rodeos east of the Mississippi River!!

After the rodeo we were presented with the opportunity to go to Disney World!! A generous family that we met at the rodeo offered us 8 free tickets! We didn’t have very much time to spend at Disney World but we made the most of our time. We rode a roller coaster twice, the Tower of Terror twice and we still had time afterwards to go shopping! It was an awesome experience, one that I certainly wont forget!!

I left Florida with a little sunburn and a big smile on my face! It was incredible!! A big thanks to my sponsors who helped send me to Florida, and show this Wyoming girl the Sunshine State!

2010-02-14T22:21:00.000-08:00

Dear Wyoming:

Happy Valentine's Day!! Love is certainly in the air and as I travel around the state, I fall deeper in love with the great state of Wyoming!! This weekend, I had the opportunity to travel up to Gillette for the Winter Western Pro-Rodeo. What a trip!! My mom accompanied Louie and me and I greatly appreciated her help and companionship during the 8 hour drive!!

We left Alta early on Friday morning in a snow storm. I have always liked to live on the wild side so we took a tour of Wyoming by going up through Thermopolis, Ten Sleep and Worland on our way to Gillette. I absolutely love that part of the state and we got to see a multitude of wildlife as we drove through the canyons!!

The funny part of our journey was when we decided that Louie needed a bath before arriving in Gillette... So my mom and I took him through a touch-less car wash in Worland. It was quite an adventure to begin with, but to add to it, we either didn't notice or didn't pay attention to the storm clouds that loomed ahead of us... Well, we got a few miles up the road with Louie looking nice and shiny and before we knew it, Louie was caked with mud and ice from the snow storm that we drove through! I guess we learned a valuable lesson: Don't wash the truck until we get to our destination!!

The rodeo on Friday night was excellent!! I enjoyed riding a horse named Mick, owned by Hank and Lori Franzen, and I was honored to carry the American flag in the grand entry! I was joined by three other queens: Tashayla Storbeck, Wyoming High School Queen, Caitlyn DeNayer, Miss Rodeo Crook County and Laramie Noyce, Crook County Princess, and we had a blast carrying sponsor flags and clearing cattle for the timed events! We also enjoyed watching some of Wyoming's finest cowboys and cowgirls compete on the great Wyoming stock provided by the Powder River Rodeo Company!!

My mom and I were able to stay with a friend of ours, Donna Ricks, who lives down the road in Moorcroft. Donna is a former 4-H leader and was our neighbor in Alta before she moved to Moorcroft. She lives on the Burch Rodeo Ranch and she gave us a tour of the operation which is run by her brother and nephew. It was cool to see what it takes to be a top stock contractor for the PRCA!

Donna also took us to see Devils Tower on Saturday morning!! My mom and I had never been to Devil's Tower so it was a great experience!! Especially since it was snowing like crazy!! We even walked all the way around the tower... trudging through the snow!! I took some great pictures and I will look back at this experience for a long time!!

I am grateful for the wonderful hospitality that we received in Gillette both from the Powder River Rodeo Company and the community of Gillette!! I look foreword to my next trip to that part of the state!! In the meantime... I am thinking warm weather and sunglasses as I gear up for my trip to Florida!!

Until next time...

God Bless,

Erin Heffron

Miss Rodeo Wyoming 2010

2010-02-04T22:26:00.000-08:00

Dear Wyoming:

It may be cold here in Rapid City, South Dakota, but we have been cooking up a storm at the Black Hills Stock Show!! I have been here in South Dakota for almost a week and we have been busy!!

We started the week off with the Seminole Hard Rock Xtreme Bulls Tour Stop. It was two nights of action packed bull riding as we watched South Dakota native Clay Hindman win the event. It was fun to see the South Dakotan fans cheering on a hometown cowboy! I helped carry flags along with three other state queens, Miss Rodeo South Dakota (Mckenzie Haley), Miss Rodeo Iowa (Jordanne Blaire), and Miss Rodeo Virginia (Anita Moorehead).

The rest of the week has been very eventful as we went from school visits and hospital tours to visiting Mt. Rushmore!! We even went to an indoor waterpark and splashed down the waterslides!! There are a total of 9 state queens here for the rodeo this weekend. South Dakota, Idaho, Oregon, New Mexico, Virginia, North Dakota, Nebraska and Iowa are all represented by some great young ladies of rodeo! We have had a blast getting to know each other!!

Tonight was our first rodeo and it was very exciting!! It was Tough Enough To Wear Pink night so it was cool to see a sea of pink both in the arena and in the stands. The T.E.T.W.P. program is a great program that provides breast cancer awareness and research. With the help of the rodeo community, we have raised over 5 million dollars!!

We had the opportunity to carry flags after each event. My horse's name is Petey and he and I are good buddies!! The Sutton Rodeo Company supplies each of us with great horses and has provided us with rooms to stay for the week! During the rodeo we got to watch great competitors like Jason Havens and Taos Muncy and we were entertained by the one and only Keith Isley. It was a great rodeo and I look foreword to a fun filled weekend at the Black Hills Stock Show and Rodeo!!!

Cheers!

Erin Heffron

Miss Rodeo Wyoming 2010