The Latest

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!!

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!

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

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

My First Official Rodeo

Jan 14^th

Dear Wyoming:

Ready, set, go… and the gun goes off for the race of my year as Miss Rodeo Wyoming at the National Western Stock Show! I just got back from my first official rodeo in Denver and it will be a night to remember!! Although I have been to hundreds of rodeos, carried many flags and picked up multiple mutton busters, tonight was special because I proudly wore the jade crown of my lovely homestate!!

            Today started off early with an elementary school visit with Miss Rodeo Colorado, Miss Rodeo North Dakota, Miss Rodeo Wisconsin and Miss Rodeo America. We had the opportunity to share our passion for the sport with eager young kids from the Denver area. I was impressed at how attentive they were to listen to us!

            Once we arrived back at the stock show, we met up with Miss Rodeo Nebraska and went to award the junior champion market goat award. Although we didn’t get to see the whole show, I know how much work went into preparing for the show so I appreciated the young girl who won the award.

            We added more queens to our group as Miss Rodeo Mississippi and Miss Rodeo Utah joined us for the rodeo. We arrived at the arena an hour early and we were very eager to put on our chaps for the first time!! Words cannot express the excitement that we felt as we were announced on the floor of the rodeo arena. It was great to be able to share this experience with girls who are as passionate and excited about rodeo as I am!!

            Cervi Championship Rodeo provided wonderful steeds for us to carry sponsor flags. I was very impressed at how efficient the rodeo producers were in getting us into the arena and then opening the chutes for the competitors as soon as we exited. From the opening ceremony to the final bull that bucked, the rodeo was very well run.

            My first rodeo was an indescribable experience only to be followed by many more!!

 

God Bless!

Erin Heffron

Miss Rodeo Wyoming 2010

Meet Louie!!

January 5^nd, 2010

Dear Wyoming:

            Meet Louie!! A brand new 2010 half-ton Dodge Ram Hemi! It was love at first sight when I walked into Fremont Motors and saw a shiny new white truck waiting for me in the showroom!! I was greeted by a wonderful staff at Fremont Motors who were very excited to provide me with Dodge trucks throughout the year! Dean Parker, the general manager of Fremont Motors has been incredible by providing me with a new truck every six-thousand miles!!

            Travis, the salesman, gave me a rundown on all the special features Louie has to offer. The odometer read 41 miles as I sat in the truck in the showroom. Louie features a luxurious interior and is equipped with a satellite radio (which I’m sure will come in handy as I drive across the remote areas of Wyoming). Louie is a classy white truck and I know we look flashy driving down the road!!

            Louie got his name as I drove down to Laramie for the Jubilee Days Coronation. I knew that I would have him for a short time and as I tried out names, Louie just stuck!! Look for Louie and I as we drive through your town in style!!

 

Until next time,

Cheers!

Erin Heffron

Miss Rodeo Wyoming 2010

A Big Thanks!!

12/31/09

Dear Wyoming:

I woke up this morning knowing that by the end of the day today, I would officially be Miss Rodeo Wyoming! I had to pinch myself to remind myself that this is all real. It would be selfish of me to think that I did this all by myself because I owe this wonderful year ahead of me to my loving parents, the community that raised and supported me, all of my close friends and the 7 other amazing girls that I competed with.

I want to take a moment to recognize the 7 young ladies who graciously competed with me for the prestigious title of Miss Rodeo Wyoming. They came from all corners of the state and each one has touched not only my life, but also the lives of the citizens they represented. It is my pleasure to introduce to you the true ladies of Wyoming as I know them.

Ashlee Estel, Miss Laramie Jubilee 2009 comes by her nickname of “Shorty” honestly. She may not be tall, but anyone who knows her can attest to her brilliant personality and honest laugh. Ashlee is generous and kind hearted and she always puts other people first. Last fall, when I was going to school and running cross country at the University of Wyoming, Ashlee invited me to help her ride her horses. She ended up having more horses than she could ride and knew that I needed some horse medicine. We spent a few afternoons riding and getting to know each other. Ashlee and I have shared many laughs throughout the year and I am thankful for her friendship!

I met Miss Rodeo Crook County, Raenell Edsall two years ago in our photography class. Raenell and I sat on different sides of the room but even on our first day of class, I could tell that this girl had a passion for agriculture. We were required to present our class projects at the end of the semester and her photos really reflected her personality. Raenell is a classy girl who can make zebra striped chaps look good! I had a great time getting to know Raenell this year and I am excited to keep up with her life after her graduation this fall!!

When I think of Lacey Strub, Miss Cody Nite Rodeo, the first word that comes to my mind is cowgirl! I first met Lacey at the Miss Rodeo Wyoming Clinic and I was very impressed with her knowledge of the sport of rodeo. She is originally from Montana but moved to Cody and spent quite a bit of time working for the Cody Nite Rodeo. This was the perfect fit for Lacey because she can spout out any rule and knows the ins and outs of how a rodeo performance is put together. Lacey is quick to smile and is poised and a knowledgeable spokesperson for the sport.

Sadie Rabold, Evanston Cowboy Days Queen is one of my favorite people in the world! She kept all of us giggling during the competition and almost had me rolling on the floor laughing more than once!! Sadie is blessed with the gift of humor and was very good at lightening the mood during the pageant. I didn’t know Sadie very well before the pageant but after the few days we spent together I feel like I’ve known her for years. This is a quality that many people strive for and Sadie accomplishes this with grace and poise.

I had the opportunity to work with Brittany Richards, Miss Butch Cassidy Days, three years ago. She was very gracious in pushing me in the right direction and she helped get me started with queening. Throughout the years, I’ve been able to work with Brittany on numerous different projects such as her “Random Girls on Horseback” club that she created at the University of Wyoming to get girls involved with the homecoming parade. Brittany has a passion for the sport of rodeo and she is very proud of the western heritage. She has been actively involved with the Wyoming Territorial Prison and is a spirited tour guide!

My first experience with Jamie Pond was the first year I attended Laramie Jubilee Days. She worked tirelessly to find a horse for me to ride during the rodeo and parade so I wouldn’t have to haul my horse across the state. Since that summer, Jamie and I have shared many experiences and she also took me under her wing to teach me the ins and outs of the world of queening. We have some great stories to tell about branding at her uncle’s ranch so next time you see Jamie, be sure to ask her about “professional calf riding!!” Jamie has a big heart and is quick to laugh and spread her enthusiasm for the sport we all love so much! I am honored to call Jamie Pond my friend.

Shawna Praeuner, Miss Rodeo Weston County has the ability to brighten up a room with her funny speeches and her sweet smile! I have had the opportunity to get to know Shawna through various queen functions over the past year. After going to clinics and rodeos, I was able to see the passion that Shawna has for Wyoming and the sport of rodeo. She is very comfortable on horseback and holds a deep respect for her family who has shaped her into who she is today.

Each of these girls has a special place in my heart and I am so thankful that we had the opportunity to get to know each other during the week we spent competing for the coveted title of Miss Rodeo Wyoming! I never would have had the opportunity to get to know these girls if we didn’t all make the decision to put ourselves out there to compete for the title! Ashlee, Raenell, Lacey, Sadie, Brittany, Jamie and Shawna, thank you for your support and friendship!!

God bless!!

Erin Heffron

Miss Rodeo Wyoming 2010