It’s Downhill From Here!

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!

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!

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

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!

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

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!!

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