Rodeo Queens: Not Just Hat and Hair

I have loved all things rodeo since I was 10. Granny and Grandad took me to the Calgary Stampede where I got a souvenir turquoise straw cowgirl hat with a streaming yellow chiffon hatband trailing down my back. I was Dale Evans, riding the range and looking for her Cowboy.

My interest in rodeo queens piqued when a boyfriend told me there was nothing sexier than a pretty girl on a fast horse. And then I saw one, barreling across the arena, one hand on the banner and one hand clutching reins. Her hair billowed under the big hat and the sparkling crown and I wondered who that galloping cowgirl was and how did she get here.

I knew there was more to these girls than hat and hair...and indeed there is. From the minute a rodeo queen leaves the house, she is ON and then some. One state queen termed it as being "superhuman" because everything has to be perfect . . . hair, clothes, smile, and most importantly, attitude!! If it's raining, if it's hot, if it's snowing, if the horse is being a brat, she can't show it. She must keep smiling and she must be having fun. A queen might go for hours without water, food, or rest but it's all about getting to the next rodeo. If there isn't at least 15,000 or 20,000 miles on her sponsor truck by the time she turns over the keys, a rodeo queen just isn't doing her job.

These young women move with dedication and purpose, ever smiling and ever ready to promote the rodeo. Arlene Kensinger, Secretary of the Miss Rodeo America Scholarship Foundation, says there's nothing better than a big smile surrounded by red lips to make a good rodeo queen stand out. As one state queen paraphrased President Kennedy, "It's not what rodeo can do for you, it's what you can do for rodeo."

And it is worth it. Rodeo queens go on to become doctors, lawyers, psychologists, accountants, financial managers, veterinarians, and teachers. They do it with the poise and grace acquired during their tenure as rodeo queens. They also give back by judging queen contests, serving on rodeo queen committees and conducting rodeo queen seminars and clinics all over the country.

So the next time you see a rodeo queen hurtling hell bent for leather around the rodeo ring, give her an extra big hand, because she's ridden longer, driven further, studied harder and smiled til her teeth hurt to promote the rodeo better than any cowboy.