My early morning flight out of Little Rock had me headed off to my first destination of the week, Salt Lake City, Utah. Seeing the snow covered mountains again was an amazing way to start out my trip. Upon landing at the airport I was greeted by one of my best friends Miss Rodeo Utah Ranea Cowley! She was quiet a site that day. . . decked out head to toe as she hopped out of her fabulous sponsor truck. My favorite part was her curlers and dark sunglasses. (Almost as good as a scene out of an Elvis movie.) This is when I knew it was going to be a fabulously fun trip!
From there we headed back to Ranea's home to pick up the rest of the gals. Miss Rodeo Arizona Casey Rose and Miss Rodeo Wilderness Regan Torres would be my family for the week. Our first obstacle to overcome was fitting all our precious luggage into the bed of the truck. 12 suitcases, 4 hat cans, and a couple extra bags later. . . . we were on the road. Now that is what I call a road trip!
We were the first to arrive in Pocatello, Idaho. After cramming our bags into every nook and cranny of our cozy room (by cozy I mean 4 rodeo queens sharing one bathroom mirror) we ventured out to meet our chaperone's for the week. Miss Carma is one lady I'm sure I will never forget. Always the life of the party and just a joy to be around, she was responsible for all of us queens being able to be at the rodeo. We also met Janet, Stan, and Bob, our official chaperone's and drivers. Once the other girls arrived we prepared for the event that was scheduled for us that evening.
Each of us were announced that night at the DNCFR opening banquet. We had a chance to model our beautiful dresses and mingle with the cowboys and sponsors. The night ended with an amazing round of rubber ducky roping in the pool. That was the first time I had ever witnessed any thing like that.
Our first morning there was such a blast. We arrived at the Holt arena where we were given a very special gift. Each of us received a hand tooled flag boot with our names on them donated by Shane Passey. It was such a toughtful gift that I will cherish and use
for many years to come. Then we were off to meet with one of the stock contractors for the DNCFR. We met Steve Sutton and his sorrel horses that day. As I looked down the long row of horses I was excited to hear that would would be allowed to pick which horse we would be riding. I picked a tall well built horse by the name of Gilbert. We all headed into the arena to test out our new rides. My sorrel partner Gilbert was quiet a character. We hit it off right away, he was all get up and go! There wasn't any thing slow about that horse. Gilbert really was awesome and it made for a sensational week.After we finished working on our flag routine we headed to some schools to teach the kids about RODEO! Miss Rodeo Arizona and I were paired together to teach the 4th and 5th graders. The older kids really seemed excited to hear about rodeo and they had so many fantastic questions for us. We finished up with some autographs for all the students and then we headed to the hotel to get ready for the first performance of the rodeo. We helped start the rodeo off with our flag routine we had practiced. All the horses and girls looked great, It felt so amazing to be taking part in such a great event. We also took turns carrying sponsor flags and doing victory laps with the cowboys and cowgirls. There was so much actions at the rodeo that night, I was on the edge of my seat the entire time.
Thursday morning we had our choice of placed to visit. . . photo shoots at the Harley Davidson store, visiting with College students, or visiting the children's hospital. Miss Rodeo Mississippi Kelly Jackson, Miss Rodeo
Iowa Lindsey Arenholts, Miss Rodeo Arizona Casey Rodeo, and Myself all headed for the Portneuf Medical Center Pediatrics Ward. There weren't many children to visit, but the ones we did find got their fill of us. We talked with them, signed autographs, and took pictures. . . . It was so much fun for all of us. I have to admit the PRCA Bullfighters Dusty Tuckness and Al Sandvoid did get most of the attention from the children that day.During our visits that day we had some local newspapers following us to see what rodeo queens were all about. It was a wonderful surprise to open the newspaper the next morning and find an article filled with my comments along with a picture of all of us on the front page.
When the hospital visits were done we headed to the senior citizens homes to make some visits. This is one of my favorite parts about being a queen. From experience with my own great grandpa, I know how much these people truly appreciate us taking to time to stop by, even if it is just for a short time. I loved talking with all of the folks and even met one woman that was 101 years old. The best part was that she had originally been from Arkansas! I always love meeting new people and learning about them.
It was another amazing round of PRCA rodeo that night. Of course I cheered extra loud for one of my favorite Arkansas cowboys Justin Koon! The crowd numbers grew each night, it was an amazing sight to see the Holt arena full of people wearing pink! The people in Pocatella were definitely tough enough to wear pink. It's a good feeling to look up in the stand and see how many people care about raising money for such an awesome cause.
Friday was another exciting day in Idaho! We all went on a tour of the Idaho College Theater. We learned about equipment, stages, and we even got to play in the costumes. Miss Rodeo America Maegan Riddley even sported a sumo costume for all of us. We all had a good laugh over it. Later that afternoon we headed to Wal Mart to help raise money for the Children's Hospital. They split us into two teams and so we made it into a competition to see who could raise the most money. I'm glad to say that our team of AL, CA, AZ, FL, IL, and NB was victorious in raising the most money that day!
Later we headed to the Cowboy Expo where we did what most rodeo queens do best. . . . Shopping! There was jewelry, belts, and western decor every where. It was a good thing my suitcases were already at the 50 pound limit or else there would have been a lot of new shiny items headed home with me. A few of us had a chance to sneak away while the others shopped. We headed to the working horse sale. They had some really nice horses at the sale that day, good thing horses can't fit on a plain either.
The Friday night performance was fantastic! The seats were full and the crowd was excited to see some of the best athletes of our sport. The action got better each night, the cowboys and cowgirls were going all out. With a national title on the line and keys to a new dodge truck. . . who wouldn't be going all out?
Saturday morning we were up bright and early! Saturday meant two rounds of PRCA rodeo and an exceptional kids rodeo. I was super excited for the finals, but sad that the week was coming to an end. The first round of rodeo went by fast. Cowboy Church was held that afternoon before the exceptional rodeo. PRCA Bullfighter Dusty Tuckness gave the lesson, it always an honor to hear the cowboys speak. Cowboy Church is something I have really come to enjoy and look forward to at each rodeo I attend.
Finally the Finals were here! Each of us cheered for our favorite competitor, I was happy to see one of my personal favorites Kacey Fields win the saddle bronc event. There wasn't a dull moment that night. We watched as all seven event winners were handed keys to their new Dodge Trucks and their shiny Montana Silversmith buckles. As I travel and learn more about the sport and the people competing in it. . . it becomes more and more exciting! It's truly an honor to be a rodeo queen, I love representing something so amazing. Also that night a new Dodge National Circuit Finals Rodeo Queen was crowned. Congratulations to my good friend Stormy Henderson on her win! I know she will make every one proud.
Back at the hotel Saturday night we all said our goodbyes. I had some of the best roommates ever that week. I am so glad I had a chance to room with Casey and Ranae before their years came to an end. Both of these girls are amazing and have bright futures ahead of them. As for my fourth roommate Regan Torres Miss Rodeo Wilderness. . . . I am certain we will all see great things from her! Good luck girls in every thing you do!
Sunday morning came and we once again crammed our suitcases into the back of the Miss Rodeo Utah sponsor truck. Then we were headed back to Salt Lack City, Utah. We arrived early in Salt Lake and decided to have one last meal together before we headed our separate ways. After driving around for 45 minutes looking for a place to eat and not having any luck, we realized every thing was closed because it was Easter! We all laughed at each other for not remembering, it really had been a long week. So we said our goodbyes and I was back on the plane headed for home.
The DNCFR was such an exciting experience! I want to say thank you to Carma for making our trip there possible. You really went above and beyond to make our stay there a great one. Another thank you to Stan the man for driving our van! I think that Stans van was the best van! : ) A huge thank you to Steve Sutton for providing us all with amazing sorrel horses to ride during the week. It was a pleasure working with him, his crew, and his animals. Thank you Miss Rodeo Utah Ranae Cowley for your fabulous driving skills that got us to Pocatello and back home safely. Last but not least. . . THANK YOU to every one who made our week in Pocatello, Idaho so fabulous! That is one trip that none of us will ever forget!
"Be who you are. . . Say what you feel. . . those who mind don't matter & those who matter don't mind"
Micki Musick
Miss Rodeo Arkansas
