Last Chance Stampede

I am definitely in the middle of the busiest time of my summer. I am sitting in my hotel room in Great Falls waiting for the State Fair and Big Sky Pro Rodeo festivities to begin. The Last Chance Stampede just wrapped up this weekend and boy did I like that rodeo!

I drove up on Wednesday morning to help out with the stick horse rodeo that took place at Capital Sports and Western Wear. There were so many kids that showed up in the 90 degree heat; what a great turn out! They participated in the barrels, roping, and bull riding. That morning I also met Libby, Miss Last Chance Stampede Rodeo and Fair. She is only 15 but shows a lot of promise and interest in getting more involved with the queen pageants. Thursday morning was the official kick off to stampede weekend that started with a kid’s parade. I always enjoy the kid’s parades because you get to see everyone dressed up like its Halloween! At the conclusion of the parade they drew to give out brand new bikes! Another great turnout brought several hundred kids to the park to participate and Lorissa and I signed a lot of autographs. It was also good to see Kirsten, Miss Big Sky Pro Rodeo Princess, who was in town for just one day.

Every night proved to be a great rodeo combined with Kesler stock, 2005 Announcer of the Year, Wayne Brooks and rodeo clown, Brian Potter. Sue and Bailey Thompson of Western Sky Equine brought down horses for all of us girls. I was reunited with Cisco and love him even more every time I ride him! The parade was on Saturday and I think I am getting used to being able to sit in the blazing sun with chaps on without feeling like I am going to pass out! After the parade I went to one of my favorite sponsors, Murdoch's, to sign autographs at their store in Helena. I think I did more shopping than signing!! That night at the rodeo Lorissa and I didn’t realize it but parked next to Fred Whitfield and his travel partner. It was great seeing such a legendary cowboy make an appearance in Helena. I returned to Bozeman that night after the rodeo.

While I was in Cheyenne I was very disappointed that I was going to miss the Thunderbirds air show. The queens got to go but I had to leave before the show. Well it must have been meant to be because this weekend the Blue Angels air show was in Bozeman and flying on Sunday; the one day I was going to be home! I wasn’t going to miss it for anything. They were well worth sitting in the 100 degree heat. I can not imagine what an adrenaline rush it must be to fly one of the FA-18 jets! If you ever have the opportunity to see an air show I strongly suggest taking advantage. It’s an experience I can’t describe in words. It’s truly amazing what those pilots and their planes can do!

The Daddy of 'em All

I only have a day to update everyone on my trip to Cheyenne before I am gone to the Helena Last Chance Stampede. I had a wonderful time in Cheyenne the past week. Before I went, Lorissa and I met up in Billings to attend the Montana Pro Rodeo Hall and Wall of Fame scholarship awards BBQ. We got to see top high school cowboys and cowgirls get awarded with scholarships from the Hall of Fame. They award opportunities for the seniors every year through these scholarships and the amount just get better every year.

I stayed with my brother in Billings that night and began the trip to Cheyenne the next day. You wouldn’t think it would be such a long drive but I felt much like I was driving across eastern Montana again as the only landmarks for miles were the mile marker signs and sagebrush! I arrived at my host family in time to unpack and pick up Miss Rodeo Tennessee to head over to a BBQ at Esther’s, the gal who would be taking care of us all week. I got to meet some girls I hadn’t met before, Miss Rodeo Florida and the NEW Miss Rodeo Texas, Alyssa. We bonded instantly! I told of the southern queens that they rubbed off on me every time I went out of state because when I return to Montana I find myself saying “y’all” and “fixin’ to”!

Friday morning was the rodeo queen luncheon. The Cheyenne Frontier Day’s queens were the hostesses. I have never seen so many queens in my life! There were only eight of us state queens and the rest were up and coming queens and princesses from Wyoming and Colorado mostly. Someone said that there would be 60 some girls there! What a great sight it was to see so many girls that are the future of rodeo. The rest of the day was open to us girls to do some serious shopping. I tried my best to stay away from the Rickrageous booth! It was a great beginning to soak in the fact that I was at the legendary Daddy of ‘em All.
Saturday morning was kicked off by the parade. Harry Vold brought in his black horses for us to ride for the parades and rodeos. These horses are FAST but you would have never guessed it if you saw us in the parades. There were thousands of people that made it out for the occasion and people from all over the country were there. The population of Cheyenne is about 50,000 and they say that doubles every day during the Cheyenne Frontier Days. I could definitely see that happening as I walked through the parade and saw so many people lined up against the streets. After having lunch with some of the committee members we were ready to rodeo!

All of us state queens were going to be introduced in the “running grand entry”. They call it that for good reason. The rodeo arena is set up on the infield of the track with the track running all the way around it. It’s the biggest arena I have ever seen! Well, they run the grand entry not in the arena but on the track. The state queens perform the infamous “fly by.” The name is fitting because that is exactly what we did. We were on the fast Harry Vold horses that have been on the track doing this for many years and they get faster as the years and the days go by. I was last and of course Spanky, my horse, did not want to be the last one to the barn! He ran at break neck speed and I waved, although we were going so fast you might not have noticed that I actually was waving! I have ran barrels and poles all of my life but never have I gone quite as fast as the fly by’s in Cheyenne and never have I experienced such an adrenaline rush as when they announced my name as Miss Rodeo Montana at the Cheyenne Frontier Days as I am zooming past the crowd of 15,000 people. The guy helping us with our horses, Kip, came buy after the second day of fly by’s and commented to me, “Most people try to hold this one back but you just kind of rode the speed. I have never seen him or any of these horses go quite that fast. WOW!” What can I say; I have a need for speed!

Saturday and Sunday nights were the Reba McEntire concerts. Trisha Yearwood was opening for her and it was my first time to see both of them so I was pretty excited. The ladies were amazing in concert; all of us girls had such a blast! Reba even let us take a picture at the front of the stage. While she was singing she bent down to take a picture with all of us girls. It was such an incredible experience for me as you all know I get kind of star struck!

My last day in Cheyenne was Monday and we were up at dawn for the pancake breakfast. It was no ordinary breakfast though! There were thousands of people waiting already as early as 7am for pancakes! All of us girls got to introduce ourselves and cook pancakes. I was well practiced after my trip to Calgary! Later that morning we got to visit the Cheyenne Frontier Days Museum. It was one of my favorite parts of the weekend. As expected there were tributes to two of my very favorite cowboys, Lane Frost and Chris LeDoux. It was time for me to return home after that. Thank you to Cheyenne and everyone involved in the great production for having me and allowing me to be part of a legendary event!

Wolf Point Wild Horse Stampede

After what has probably been my busiest week so far this summer I am roasting in the heat in Bozeman trying to catch up on some sleep before I leave again. After Calgary I was home in Wolf Point for the much anticipated Wild Horse Stampede. As a rodeo competitor they always say that the toughest rodeo to compete in is your hometown rodeo. Even though I am a rodeo queen and not a competitor it’s not much different for us rodeo queens. I was overwhelmed with the attention I got in Wolf Point. Everyone who has ever met me or any member of my family was sure to say hello. It was so great getting to see so many of my neighbors, distant relatives, and old friends. I heard the phrases “You probably don’t remember me….” Or “Wow, you sure grew up fast, I knew you when you were in diapers” a lot!

On Thursday I did a radio spot and the rodeo that night. The Stampede has a history of being held on the hottest week of the summer and I think this year was no different. I think I sweat off an extra five pounds in the three days I was there. On Friday we had a parade and I had enough time to walk around and visit my sponsors before the rodeo. Many Wolf Point business have been so gracious in helping me out financially this year; one afternoon wasn’t enough time to thank everyone. That evening held another great rodeo by Brookman Rodeo Company. Everyone attending the rodeo got a pretty good laugh as once again my infamous ski story from Pocatello came up during the calf roping. I have to admit though, the story sounds much scarier when Dave Weifrich tells it the way he witnessed it! Saturday was the last day of the Stampede and in years past, Miss Rodeo Montana has not been able to stay for the last day because of the rodeo in Stanford. I was lucky and got to stay in my home town all three days. I am glad I did too because the Stick Horse Rodeo was Saturday. It’s always a pretty big event held at the Faith Luthern Elderly Care Home. I visited with some of the residents and of course the stick horse rodeo was a big hit. A special thank you to my A-Crew, Vanessa and Quinn, who helped me set up, tear down, and stay organized. It would have taken me twice as long if I hadn’t had the help! The daily parade was directly after the kid’s rodeo and the heat about did me in; I heard it got all the way up to 115 degrees! The last rodeo performance went smoothly and the weekend wasn’t over.

I was off at the crack of dawn again on Sunday for the Stanford rodeo. I was glad to see Lorissa and Jennika O’Neil there to help me with sponsor flags. It was once again an extremely hot rodeo but the queens survived! I would like to say a really big thank you to tie-down roper, Travis Caldwell for letting me use his horse and also to Dr. Gee for bringing in Lorissa’s horse and an extra horse if needed. I drove back to Bozeman that night and crashed immediately after my very long week. My adventures continue this week as I head down to “The Daddy of ‘Em All” the Cheyenne Frontier Days!

Calgary Stampede

What an amazing past couple of days I have had! I just returned from the Calgary Stampede in Calgary, Alberta Canada. It was quite the drive to get there and an even longer drive to get back to my home town of Wolf Point for my next rodeo. To see the legendary Stampede was well worth the drive though!

I rested for a day or two after my fourth of July weekend and was off and running on a start of what is going to be a very busy month of July. I drove up to beautiful Wilsall to present the American flag for the Montana Reining Horse Association. What an honor it was to be involved in such a prestigious association in Montana. They were truly thankful for having me there and I got to visit with some old friends and meet new ones who were very eager to hear about what I have been up to. Leaving early Sunday morning and meeting up with my family in Shelby, close to the border, got us in Calgary just in time for my sister and I to take in our first Chuck Wagon Race experience. Who better to learn about it than from Jody who has been going to the Stampede with her husband, Gary, for about 15 years now! I was allowed one companion pass that got that person behind the scenes pretty much anywhere we wanted to go. My sister, Vanessa, was the lucky one out of the family that got to come with me. We were in awe of all the activity, new sights, and big name celebrities that were in our presence.

Monday morning was a pretty early morning for Vanessa and me. We were hosted that day which meant we were going to be driven around to different functions meeting people and seeing Calgary. Well not only was it about 40 degrees outside and sleeting but there was a slight mix up with the courtesy car that was supposed to pick us up. We ended up waiting for over an hour because someone crossed me off the list to be picked up! Everything got straightened out but we did need some extra time to warm up and a special thanks goes to the courtesy car drivers that picked up and dropped off my family and I the entire time we were there. That morning our hosts brought me and some of the Canadian royalty around to different pancake breakfasts to meet the public, we saw the history of the Calgary Stampede queens and walked around the Roundup center that had lots of good shopping!

Off to the rodeo after that! The Calgary Stampede is such a prestigious rodeo that the cowboys and cowgirls compete on invitation only. So prestigious that the one and only Dan Mortenson came out of retirement for this rodeo only and I happy to report he won the performance on Tuesday along with bull rider Beau Hill from Montana as well. It is not a PRCA or CPRA sanctioned rodeo yet but is on its way. This rodeo pays up to $1.75 million after the competition is over!! The format changed slightly this year to a tournament style rodeo where there are two groups of 10 competitors that ride 4 days in a row. After both groups ride they take the top 12 to the semi-finals round and the top 4 contestants for the final round. With our VIP passes Vanessa and I got to be right down in the middle of the action…my favorite place to be! I was introduced on stage in front of over 20,000 people that afternoon; what an experience. Later on that evening we took in the chuck wagon races again and the night show. The night show was like nothing I have ever seen before. It was 3 hours long but felt like 30 minutes. I felt like such a little kid again watching my first fireworks show. They had so many fireworks that the entire metropolis of Calgary had a plume of smoke above it. The night show had every sort of entertainment for the viewers, comedy, drama, singing, dancing, daring stunts…you name it! I was in such awe!!!



After the long and somewhat overwhelming day on Monday I needed a little time on Tuesday morning to sleep but the city of Calgary would have none of it. At 7am our hotel hosted a Tough Enough to Wear Pink benefit concert…right outside our hotel room window. Needless to say, I didn’t sleep in that morning! My family and I took in the rodeo again on Tuesday afternoon and walked around the grounds to see more of what the Stampede had to offer. I saw a dog show, a marching band competition, miniature horse show, miniature chuck wagon races, a cutting horse show, a break dancing competition, 2-time World Champion Indian hoola-hoop dancer and ate some good fried food off the mid-way! The experience in Calgary was definitely a memorable one. I was so honored to be there and represent my state of Montana across the border. With all of that in mind nothing could overshadow the excitement in appearing at my home town rodeo, the oldest rodeo in Montana, the Wolf Point Wild Horse Stampede! Take care and God Bless.

Cowboy Christmas

During what is known as Cowboy Christmas there is a total of $2.5 million prize money available at 32 sanctioned PRCA rodeos across the country. I was only able to make it to two of the 32 but that kept me plenty busy! I started out in Cody Wyoming at the Buffalo Bill Cody Stampede. What a blast it was too! I got to hang out and room with Crystal Rivers, Miss Rodeo Wyoming. We have been at several rodeos together before but in Cody we had a lot of time for some quality rodeo queen bonding by shopping in down town Cody! Ashley Andrews, Miss Rodeo America also met up with us later on Saturday. Our first event was the kick off breakfast where we learned the Grand Marshall was none other than Donnie Gay. Later on that day Crystal and I felt like little kids going up to Donnie and asking him to take a picture with us. I don’t have it yet, but I assure you, it happened! Saturday night was the Extreme Bulls; I had a feeling of being star struck that night but that feeling seemed to follow me around the remainder of the weekend. Sankey Rodeo brought in some rank bulls and world champions B.J. Schumacher and Dustin Elliot made some pretty good rides. Although all of the queens were kept pretty busy there was enough down time to experience the local history behind the town named after Buffalo Bill Cody. On Sunday we were up early to do a little sight seeing and later that day was one of the highlight of my trip: white water rafting. The river our guides took us down was fairly tame as far as white water goes but Ashley, Crystal and I had such a good time and even got wet! That night was the PRCA rodeo and the only performance I would be able to stay around for in Cody. I rode in the Grand Entry and Crystal and the rodeo committee were nice enough to let me stay in the arena to chase out cattle. The other highlight of my trip to Cody was getting my picture taken with my favorite cowboy…Trevor Brazile! He was so nice to Crystal and I as once again we felt like small children wanting an autograph.

Monday morning I awoke early to get to Livingston in time for the parade; it was a blistering hot next few days in Livingston. I had the opportunity to meet and talk with Katie Krouse the Miss Livingston Roundup queen and Chanda, Miss Big Sky Pro Rodeo was also there to help out with sponsor flags. We survived the heat through the parade and rodeo in Livingston. (I was pretty excited when I saw that Trevor Brazile was up in the performance in Livingston that night too!) I got to talk on my favorite radio station XL Country 100.7 with Mark Longie, host a kiddie parade on Tuesday, and of course watched the fireworks every night. This coming week holds a very busy schedule for me. I can not wait for it to get under way because I am off to the infamous Calgary Stampede and my hometown rodeo the Wolf Point Wild Horse Stampede! Stay cool Montana!