By Kendra Sagers
Nearly every little cowgirl wants to grow up to become a rodeo queen. I was no different, and for that matter neither is my daughter. The world of rodeo queening, and it is a whole new world, is an exciting one. Glitz, glamour, and all eyes on you in the arena or on stage. Who could blame a little girl for having a dream like this? Certainly not me. 
Dreams are great, but what do you do when your aspiring rodeo queen wants to put her dreams in to action. Just the thought can leave many rodeo moms running scared. I know, remember I am one. So many questions come to mind. How do we get started? Where do we find contests? How do we know which contests to enter? How do we prepare? And, probably the scariest question of all, how are we going to afford it? Don’t worry; there are answers to all of these questions and more. In fact, you can compete in MAJOR rodeo queen contests and, if you are creative, you don’t even have to sell major body organs on eBay to do it. While each of these topics could, and soon will likely be, a topic in and of themselves let me start by giving a short version here.
The first step is to take it one step at a time. First, how old is your daughter? Your daughter’s age may determine what contests are available to for her to compete in. If your daughter is very young, let’s say under 9 or 10, I would start by looking at local and 4-H type contests. Many of these are horsemanship only contests. Your daughter is already interested in horses and if you are a rodeo mom she probably already has a horse so the battle is nearly over. In fact, no matter the age of your daughter I recommend that you find one of these low key kinds of contests to begin with any way. This way you will be able to get a better feel if your daughter really wants to be a rodeo queen or just likes the idea of it all. Also, it is important to keep in mind that being a rodeo queen at any level is a lot of hard work. So make sure you have this conversation from the start.
One of the best places to find contests to try out in is to talk to other rodeo queens. Don’t be afraid to walk up to any current queen and ask for information. They had better be friendly and willing to help, after all that is their job. There is no better place to get information than from the people who are doing what you want to do.
Once you have decided on a contest to enter, I suggest you contact the coordinator and get the rules as early as possible. The more time you have to prepare, the less stress you will be under. You can not fully prepare until you know what you are preparing for. Once you have the rules, simply follow them. Don’t try to tweak or stretch them, just follow them.
Dreams are great, but what do you do when your aspiring rodeo queen wants to put her dreams in to action. Just the thought can leave many rodeo moms running scared. I know, remember I am one. So many questions come to mind. How do we get started? Where do we find contests? How do we know which contests to enter? How do we prepare? And, probably the scariest question of all, how are we going to afford it? Don’t worry; there are answers to all of these questions and more. In fact, you can compete in MAJOR rodeo queen contests and, if you are creative, you don’t even have to sell major body organs on eBay to do it. While each of these topics could, and soon will likely be, a topic in and of themselves let me start by giving a short version here.The first step is to take it one step at a time. First, how old is your daughter? Your daughter’s age may determine what contests are available to for her to compete in. If your daughter is very young, let’s say under 9 or 10, I would start by looking at local and 4-H type contests. Many of these are horsemanship only contests. Your daughter is already interested in horses and if you are a rodeo mom she probably already has a horse so the battle is nearly over. In fact, no matter the age of your daughter I recommend that you find one of these low key kinds of contests to begin with any way. This way you will be able to get a better feel if your daughter really wants to be a rodeo queen or just likes the idea of it all. Also, it is important to keep in mind that being a rodeo queen at any level is a lot of hard work. So make sure you have this conversation from the start.
One of the best places to find contests to try out in is to talk to other rodeo queens. Don’t be afraid to walk up to any current queen and ask for information. They had better be friendly and willing to help, after all that is their job. There is no better place to get information than from the people who are doing what you want to do.
Once you have decided on a contest to enter, I suggest you contact the coordinator and get the rules as early as possible. The more time you have to prepare, the less stress you will be under. You can not fully prepare until you know what you are preparing for. Once you have the rules, simply follow them. Don’t try to tweak or stretch them, just follow them.
One of the best ways to learn what to prepare for is to attend a contest and watch. Go in to the contest with an open mind, even if you know one of the girls trying out. Watch and see what catches your eye. What looks right? What looks wrong? What stands out good or bad? And then, did your opinion agree with the judges? If so, you are probably on the right track. If not, you may want to talk to the judges and see if they can tell you what they saw that you didn’t. (Talking to the judges may also be a good place to find help for your daughter.)
I think I might have a Rodeo Queen on my hands she loves princesses right now but she loves her horse tuff as much so if you combine the two I would say that has Rodeo Queen all over it. Thanks for the hints.
ReplyDeleteIt is always best to get started slow and make sure your kids are committed to it.
ReplyDeleteFor sure make sure that your child is committed to Queening!!! I have one girl that started to queen and did very well but decided she didnt like it and that was after a lot of money was spent. Thank goodness my younger daughter wants to try it so we can use the same stuff at least once more!
ReplyDelete