January & February 2013

Phew! What a great start to an exciting year. It has been 2 months, 4,000 miles, 18 rodeo performances, 30 days on the road, and a priceless opportunity since beginning my journey as Miss Rodeo Wyoming 2013.

January 5th 2013   Laramie Jubilee Days Coronation

I could not think of a better first official appearance than the 2013 Miss Laramie Jubilee Days Coronation! It was such an honor to serve as the co-emcee along side Miss Rodeo Wyoming 2012, Kimberly Kuhn. Thank you to my Jubilee Days Family for including me!

 

Kimberly Kuhn, myself, and Zoe Curtright (Jubilee Days Queen Committee Chair)

 Laurels' acceptance speech!

Congratulations to Miss Laramie Jubilee 2013, Laurel Austin, and the Laramie Jubilee Days Royalty Committee on a fun and successful night!

January  11th - 13th 2013   Denver WESA Market

Next, I was off to the Denver WESA Market for some shopping!!! Thank you to Crystal Meyers and Laurie Thoman for making the trip to Denver to assist me in my shopping decisions.

Thank you to Bob Kipperman and all of the Kippy's crew

 for helping me design a custom, one of a kind

 Kippy's Jacket and some great Kippy's belts!

I also met Mike Hammerman of Bailey Hats. Thank you for your great support!

  Thank you to former Miss Rodeo Wyoming, Sandy (Meyer) Brazile, for generously sponsoring me some great pair of Twisted X Boots! 

A special thank you to Greg Hensley with Dan Post Boots for your continued support. I am excited to wear my stylish new Dan Post Boots!

 Thank you to Parker Enterprises for sponsoring my briefcase. I carry it everywhere and would be lost without it.

LOOK who found me at the Wrangler Party, Miss Rodeo Wyoming Association member, Rachel Kelderman!

Janurary 23rd - 27th 2013   National Western Stock Show

My next stop was back in Denver for the National Western Stock Show (NWSS). I truly enjoyed being included in so many great events at this years NWSS!  

The first event I attended was the Citizens of the West banquet honoring Dr. John Matsushim. The ' Citizen of the West' award is given annually to individuals who: "...embody the spirit and determination of the western pioneer, and who are committed to perpetuating the West’s agricultural heritage and ideals." Dr Matsushim has devoted his career to teaching students and innovating cattle feeding technologies. He is responsible for the development of steam-processing corn grain into ‘corn flakes’, a technique used worldwide today to increase efficiency in cattle feeding. Thank you to Dr. Matsushim for your commitment to our western lifestyle!

I was honored to have been afforded the opportunity to carry our great flag in the rodeo's opening ceremony on "Wyoming Day". 

Pictured above: Miss Rodeo CO, Miss Rodeo AZ, Miss Rodeo America, myself, & Miss Rodeo ND waiting to go in the arena for the opening ceremony on our great Cervi horses. Thank you to Cervi Championship Rodeo for providing us great horses to ride!


I owe a special thank you to Paul Andrews for all of your hard work and warm western hospitality at the National Western Stock Show! 

Myself, Miss Rodeo WI, Mr. Paul Andrews, Miss Rodeo CO, Miss Rodeo America, & Miss Rodeo ND at the rodeo appreciation breakfast.

 Catching the opening of the rodeo with Miss Rodeo IL and WI!!!

January 28th - February 2nd 2013  Black Hills Stock Show and Rodeo

My next stop was Rapid City, SD for the Black Hills Stock Show and Rodeo! Thank you to Sutton Rodeo for allowing me to attend and for providing my great mount 'Gilbert'. Gilbert was fun to ride and always kept us entertained with his great personality and antics in the alleyway!

Miss Rodeo CA, myself on Gilbert, and Miss Rodeo IL.

While in Rapid City we of course had to make the trek to nearby Mount Rushmore National Monument. It was a VERY chilly morning but had a great time!

 My roommates were ID & MN. We had a lot of fun as you can tell!

We had a great time at school visits, participating in the fashion show, attending the Stockman's Ball, shopping, and of course at the rodeos!



February 8th, 9th, & 10th     Coors Pro Rodeo

After getting to spend a couple days at home I was excited to head up to Gillette for the Coors Pro Rodeo! Thank you to Hank and Lori Franzen of Powder River Rodeo for including me in the rodeo and providing me with a pair of great horses to ride for the weekend!

 It was SUPER exciting to debut my custom Tim Bath chaps at my first WY rodeo of the year!!! Thank you to Tim Bath for donating my chaps. Also, a big thank you to Roy Martin for  painting them. They turned out GORGEOUS!

 February 11th - 18th 2013   Silver Spurs Rodeo

After driving through a blizzard in subzero weather to get home from Gillette it was quite a shock to step off a plane less than 24 hrs later into 100% humidity and 80 degree weather! Thank you to my great host family, the Simpsons, for your great hospitality. I appreciate you opening your home to me for the week!

Myself and Miss Rodeo Nebraska, Sam Chytka, at the Miss Silver Spurs Rodeo Pageant 

 Beach day at Cocoa Beach!

 Silver Spurs Special Rodeo-- I had a great time with my special cowboy! I was overwhelmed by how many attended and how the Silver Spurs family rolled out the red carpet for their special guests.

All the state queens with the 'Boot' after the Special Rodeo.

While in Florida you have to get in some great Gator spotting right?! Thank you to Boggy Creek for sponsoring us a great air boat ride! We had a ton of fun looking for gators and other Florida wildlife.

Me and my roommate, Miss Rodeo IL, getting ready for our airboat ride!

We even got THIS close to a Gator (arms length away)!

 

I could not have dreamed of a better way to spend my birthday than surrounded with great friends at the Lake X Adventure Camp! It was a great day of rock climbing, zip lining, and a boat ride on this peaceful lake. That evening at the rodeo I even found my flag! Pictured below is the young man who had the honor of carrying the Wyoming Flag during the opening ceremonies at the rodeo performances. 

 Who would have ever thought I'd even get to go surfing!?!?!

My time in Florida was an absolute blast! Thank you to Laura Kessler for lining up such great activities for us all week and hosting us at the Silver Spurs rodeo!



Until next time,

Holly L. M. Kennedy
Miss Rodeo Wyoming 2013

Falling into Winter and MRA!!!

Omaha, Nebraska

            I was contracted to be a flag girl at the Wrangler Million Dollar Tour Championship Rodeo.  But….I brought my crown along, just in case.  I am so glad I did because I was able to help with one of the best special needs rodeos I have ever been to.  My special friend was Jamie.  He was non-verbal, and had very little motor skills or expression…that was until he was able to ride!!! He smiled as big as he could riding around on that horse.  It brought tears to my eyes to see this horse touch this child and make him so happy despite his discomfort in everyday living.  We snuck back in line and road a couple of the different horses three different times, each time with Jamie, smiling, giggling and laughing as he went around.  I then of course took him 4-wheeling in his wheelchair around the arena!!  We ended this great morning with a lunch with all our new friends.  Billy Sutton was the speaker and spoke about this Bronc Riding accident in 2007 that led him to being wheelchair dependent.  He has since gone on to do many great things and was a true inspiration to all who attended. 

Mountain States Circuit Finals Rodeo

            I look back at this rodeo as the perfect conclusion to a great year.  Cassidy and I represented Colorado and Wyoming in the grand entry and throughout the rodeo and did so with pride as we cheered on many of the great cowboys and cowgirls from our states.  The most exciting runs for me were watching my palomino horse, Archie, as Paul Beckett roped on him.   Paul’s horse had come up lame a couple weeks before the MSCFR and so he asked me if he could try Archie.  I mostly run barrels on Archie and rope a little on him too (Archie is much handier at it than I am!).  I am so glad he and Paul went together because it led to me leading the best victory lap of the year with Archie, my sweet palomino, right behind me.  They then went on to be very consistent and win the average!!! I had tears in my eyes watching this very special horse work so well with Paul!  It was the best moment of the year as my horses and my dogs are like my babies and I truly treasure them.  

Tribute to the Great American Cowboy Casper, WY

            I was so excited to end my travels as Miss Rodeo Wyoming at this rodeo because this is where it all started!  I first went to this rodeo as Lady-In-Waiting for Cheyenne Frontier Days!   Dona, Bill and Tami Larsen do such a wonderful job and are always so sweet to include me.  This year was really neat because at the rodeo we honored all women military soldiers.  It was very special and I was glad to take part in the tribute to these wonderful ladies and our beautiful American Flag.  Tim Fuller and Derrick Barton did a great job and I am so glad I was able to work with them both, yet again!! I rode Little Smoke and shared him with Sami, the Western Wish child who wanted to be a rodeo queen!!!! We had a lot of fun together and Little Smoke can also be seen in the new Lone Ranger movie.  Thanks to Casey Odell for allowing us to use him, he did great in the spotlight and even better for sweet Sami, my new favorite rodeo queen. 

Cheyenne Stampede Hockey and Christmas Parade

            I had a blast at one of my last weekends as Miss Rodeo Wyoming.  I dropped the puck for the Cheyenne Stampede hockey team as they were matched up against New Mexico.  They had a great game and it was very exciting to watch! The team even gave me one of their official pucks to take home. 

            The next night I geared up for the annual Christmas Parade in Cheyenne.  It was a great crowd and the weather was perfect! My dad was even able to join me as we rode in a truck sponsored by Spradley Ford of Cheyenne.  All the dogs and kids were bundled up warm and I even saw a little girl that fell asleep on her dog just to stay warm, definitely a precious moment! Merry Christmas to all!!!

Special thanks also to Cheyenne Rotary, Farm Bureau Convention in Laramie, Eagles in Laramie and Friends and Family all for listening to my speech! I appreciate the support and love! :-)! 

Wahoo!

Well everyone, what a year and what a journey!  I am so excited to be going into Las Vegas because of the journey that has brought me there, regardless of the end result. So many wonderful people and animals have touched my life this year and the memories I made will last a lifetime.  This year has made me a better person in learning to adapt and in always sharing my love for life.  This was just the year I needed to fulfill my spiritual journey in life to keep me moving forward and doing great things.  I am so gracious to ALL who have helped me and supported me.  I definitely did not make it to Vegas alone and cannot thank each of you enough in your endeavors to get me there.  Right now I am living on a prayer and cherishing all that happened to get me here.  Thank you for all positive thoughts and encouragement, it means the world to me.  With perseverance, faith, and a little luck I am excited to represent the Cowboy States for all it has done for me!

Thank You Again, I Love You All and God Bless!! Xoxoxoxoxoxoxo

~Kimberly  

Summer Fun!

Sheridan-WYO Rodeo

            I had a blast coming back to Sheridan for the WYO Celebration.  The WYO has been so supportive of me over the last couple years and I was glad to work with all familiar faces.  The Indian Relay races were as exciting as ever and Tamara Mann was so sweet to let me ride her horse Amie.  She is a darling little calf horse that is so honest and kind I could have taken her home.  We did several different autograph signings and were able to run around town to check the sights out too!  Megan Darnell, a great friend and supporter this year, let me stay at her place and it was so nice to relax a little before heading to the next events. 

Cheyenne Frontier Days Coronation

            I was honored to MC the Coronation for Miss Frontier Sami Jo Heitsch.  We had a fun night full of laughs and dancing and I was even able to wear my buckskins again!! The buckskins are so special and so unique to Miss Frontier.  I am so glad I was able to be a part of the big event!

Miss Rodeo America Pageant Seminar

            This seminar was held in Colorado Springs, CO, at the PRCA Headquarters.  We learned a lot and even toured the Hall of Fame and offices within the PRCA.  Chris Cox came and worked with us on Horsemanship and it was one of the best Horsemanship sessions I had ever had.  I was so glad to make the trip and spend time with a lot of the girls I will not get to see until Las Vegas for the pageant. 

Cheyenne Frontier Days

            Boy was it great to be back in ole Cheyenne!!  I felt as if I was home again after all the traveling I have done this year.  The support I have had from Cheyenne in the past and this year has been unbelievable!!  I was able to see many of my wonderful sponsors, even Fritz and Karen Messer with Miller Insulation that have helped fund my travels with a gas card this year.

 We had a lot of big changes this year with Stace Smith as the new Stock Contractor, but everything went off great.  Marlo and Billy Ward provided us with wonderful parade horses that were literally bomb proof!  I rodeo Bass, Jr, and Ledge, and all three boys were super.  It was fun to be a part of this celebration in this capacity as I have been involved with it for so many years.  Cheyenne Frontier Days has really helped shape who I am and on Cheyenne Day Mitch with production worked it out for me to do a fly by.  I was pretty excited and was able to use Hawk, one of the Romsa horses I usually outride on.  He was so sweet and so fast.  It felt great to run down the track again, as it is unlike anything else.  I love Cheyenne! Always have and always will!

Red Desert Round-Up Rock Springs, WY

            I left Cheyenne for a couple days to head to the Red Desert Round-Up in Rock Springs, WY.  It was nice to go back to Fremont Motors since they have been so generous this year in letting me demo three of their Ram 1500s.  These trucks are so nice that miles I travel just seem to fly by.  Fremont Motors has also been wonderful to work with and Bill White, the General Manager takes great care of me.  He even had the truck washed up before I headed out.  We stopped by the golf tournament to help a bit and I really wished I had packed my clubs to play! The rodeo went well, and I was glad my dear friend, Miss Rodeo Idaho, stopped in on her way through to help with the rodeo as well.  The Rodeo Committee was really nice and sponsored me a room at the Comfort Inn.  They were great people to get to know and take a lot of pride in their rodeo.

Big Wind River PRCA Rodeo Riverton, WY

            Riverton, WY, had a great little PRCA rodeo I was so excited to be a part of.  Bob and Debbie Bailey brought me a horse, Morgan, which was quite the gentleman while in the grand entry and throughout the rodeo.  The Bailey’s were so sweet to me and made me feel welcome in Riverton.  The Holiday Inn in Riverton also sponsored me a wonderful room to relax and regroup so I was ready and able to head down the road.  I appreciate Hank and Lori Franzen, they did a nice job putting on this rodeo as well as the rodeo in Rock Springs.  I ended my time in Riverton with a nice lunch with Crystal Rivers Myers, and a queen clinic put on by Pam Rivers.  Everyone who came was eager to learn and asked great questions.  I loved everyone I was able to get to know while in Riverton; especially the much needed massage lady!  

Energy Town ProRodeo Gillette, WY

            This has been one of my favorite rodeos yet.  The committee in Gillette is great to work with and they really utilized me and made me feel like a part of the rodeo and production.  Barney Sheridan was a great announcer and had a wonderful practice and meeting with the volunteers so everyone was on the same page.  This committee is made up of great hard working people and they are so wonderful to work for.  The Burch Rodeo Company also does a great job with outstanding Wyoming stock.  It was fun to see, Hippie Chick, one of their great bucking horses perform in the Cam-plex Morningside Arena.  While in Gillette they put me up in a wonderful room at the Settle Inn so I was able to relax and work to prepare for State Fair. 

Wyoming State Fair Douglas, WY

            The pageant was a blast and I am so proud of Holly Kennedy, Miss Rodeo Wyoming 2013, for winning the title.  This was a really neat year for the Wyoming State Fair because it was their 100^th!!  I am so glad I was able to be a part of the celebration starting with the Ranch Rodeo put on by Triple V rodeo.  I road in a 1936 old porter saddle and had a blast.  I rode Hawk, the sweetest horse that I love to outride on.  He belongs to the Romsa Family and is just such a trooper.  At one point during the grand entry, the American Flag (which was the biggest American Flag I had ever carried) completely wrapped around Hawk’s face.  He just kept on loping and listening to me, now that is great horse! 

The ladies who competed throughout the week did a wonderful job and I was glad to get to know everyone a little better!  I was more than excited to turn the crown over to Holly, a lady that represents the agriculture industry.  I know she will do an outstanding job representing Wyoming and I cannot wait to help her out along the way!

Evanston Cowboy Days

Much like Gillette this was another one of my favorite little rodeos that I had never had the pleasure of being a part of until this year.  The committee was so outstanding and we shared many laughs and good times!! We had several school visits and even a real FISH CATCH!! Talk about fun….once you get past all the slimmy rainbow trout swimming into your legs!  Holly did come along for part of this adventure and the memories we shared will last a lifetime! What a blast! 

Cody, WY

Made a quick little pit stop in Greeley for the Miss Rodeo Colorado Pageant before heading off to Cody.  I really enjoyed my little bit of time with Miss Rodeo Colorado Cassidy Cabot and Miss Rodeo Nebraska, Sierra Petersen!  It is so strange to think that in just a short month I too will be handing down my crown to a Lady-In-Waiting!  The time sure does fly but I have to keep moving forward and enjoy all these great memories and friendships I have made along the way!!

I made my way to Cody in good time and really enjoyed spending time with the local girls and Miss Rodeo America, Mackenzie Carr.  We worked hard and played hard with several fun events throughout the week!  I would probably venture to say that our favorite memory was going white water rafting!! As we know, it has been really dry in Wyoming and we have been praying for rain, however, the storm came while we were stuck out in the middle of the Shoshone River and it didn’t just rain….it hailed!!! J Needless to say…we are pretty tough girls and had a great laugh even though we didn’t get much of a tan.  This weekend was the Cowboy Christmas for all cowboys as they were able to make a 4^th of July run! Some of the most elite cowboys made their stop in Cody as well, so it was a lot of fun to get in on all the action of the rodeo.  I was able to ride Trina Barnett’s horse, Chick at the rodeo, and Bob’s trail horse Jigger during the parade.  Great horses always make for a fun time!

Thermopolis, WY

I picked up the Cheyenne Frontier Days girls, Sami Jo and Chloe and headed down the road for a fun time filled with trailing broncs, working the rodeo, honoring veterans, and even a little poolside time at the world famous Hot Springs!  This rodeo is truly just what I needed for a little Wyoming time.  Triple V Rodeo’s Bill, Dona, and Tami Larsen have always been my favorite family in rodeo.  They have supported me and cheered me on through my time as a Dandy in Cheyenne through Miss Frontier, College Rodeo, Sheridan-WYO, and now Miss Rodeo Wyoming.  I am so grateful to have their support and influence and love even more to be a part of their wonderful rodeo.  In the middle of the rodeo there was a tribute to service men and women as well as war veterans.  During this tribute, the entire stands joined in, and sang God Bless America while I was standing out in the middle of the arena with our big, beautiful American flag.  This sent chills up and down my spine and made me so grateful to be exactly where I was sharing in patriotism with the rodeo fans.  The rodeo went great and it was fun to help take care of the stock as well.  The Vold family takes such great care of their bucking stock so they are able to perform to their absolute peak.  I cannot wait to work for them in the future at the ranch rodeo at the state fair, and in Casper for the Tribute to the Great American Cowboy! 

NEBRASKAland Days

I made a little stop in Cody, WY, before heading to Nebraska to help with the PRCA Rodeo.  I also entered the Cody Nite Rodeo and really enjoyed the whole experience!! Cody is just one of my favorite places in Wyoming and I cannot wait to go back for the Cody Stampede!!! When we showed up in Nebraska, it was non-stop fun and hospitality until the day we left.  Miss Rodeo Idaho flew into Cheyenne where we also met Miss Rodeo Colorado and had a blast spending a little extra time traveling together!   Our host home, the Twarlings were the sweetest people!! Especially with there little Maltipoo, Max!  There was a sign in the yard that even said, “Welcome Miss Rodeo Wyoming!”  Boy was I excited!!!!  We were there for the Miss Rodeo Nebraska and Miss Rodeo Nebraska Teen pageant.  Their pageant committee does such a nice job and I was so proud of all the girls competing.  We went to a BBQ by a pond and had a blast kissing frogs and jumping off the dock with a couple of the other girls. 

The horse that was brought for me for the rodeo was, Billy.  He was such a great horse that kids were lined up to take their turn on him.  Horses like that are so priceless.  The people and animals I have had the opportunity to work with this year have made it so worthwhile! I am still just on cloud nine and know that the next couple months are going to bring even more fun, laughs and memories!! 

Arizona and Elizabeth, CO

Arizona

Payson, AZ was beautiful, and strangely enough, reminded me of Wyoming!! There was a lot of forest, and trees, and the elk even bugled at night!  I stayed in a wonderful host home with Miss Rodeo Oregon and we enjoyed taking in the Miss Rode Arizona Pageant.  While I will miss beautiful Audrey Hall, Miss Rodeo Arizona 2011, I am very excited for Jayme Smith, Miss Rodeo Arizona 2012 to join our group!  We enjoyed dancing right along with the girls and entertaining the crowd in between the girls competing.  One morning we even were able to enjoy a beautiful flight over Payson!!  It was breathtaking and the little plane I flew in reminded me of the backseat of my grandmothers Lincoln, pretty cozy and really not too scary either!! I loved flying high over all the forest area around Payson and taking a look at the fire that they were working hard to fight.  After returning back to Phoenix I enjoyed a little time with my Godmother that was much needed! She is such an influential woman that I am so blessed to have in my family!

Elizabeth, CO

After spending some much needed time at our family’s ranch in Arvada, Wyoming, I was off to Rock Springs, WY to switch out my Wyoming Edition Truck for a new Ram 1500.  These demo trucks sure have been nice, and they make it fun to go down the road in pure comfort!  I ended up in Elizabeth, Colorado for a really fun Hawaiian theme queen’s luncheon as well as helping with the rodeo during mutton busting and during the grand entry where I was honored to carry the Wyoming Flag! Elizabeth was named the Small Outdoor Rodeo of the Year for the PRCA so there was a lot of pride in and out of the arena! The Big Sorrel horse that was loaned to me, Honey, and I enjoyed our time together and Miss Rodeo Colorado, Cassidy, and I really had a great time and took many laughs from the trip home with us J.  The memories that are made are truly priceless!!