Since I last checked in I have had the opportunity to travel to southern California for two of the most fun rodeos in the state: Bakersfield Stampede Days Rodeo and Ramona Rodeo. Bakersfield is my old stomping grounds as I had the honor of representing their rodeo as well as the Kern County Sheriff’s Mounted Posse in 2007. I drove down on a wednesday and was lucky to have the company of my mom as well as Tricia Crump- Miss Rodeo Idaho. We have traveled the country together all year and have become really good friends. As soon as we made it into Bakersfield we were met by Stan and Judy Henry. They helped me get my horse settled then sent us to check in at our hotel. That night was the Speech, Modeling and Impromptu phases of the Miss Stampede Days Rodeo pageant. Unfortunately I knew all of the contestants too well so I was unable to judge this year but Tricia stepped in and was excited to be a part of the contest. The girls did wonderful and all will make excellent representative of our industry. The Tiny Princess was crowned that night. Congratulations to the adorable Bileigh Jernigan! Thursday morning was filled with tours of the Sheriff’s Department where we were able to drive simulators and practice our shooting skills on the interactive screens. As most people already know my shooting skills are limited so I tried to use a taser and that really didn’t work out so well either. Apparently you must turn it on before trying to get someone. I must not be cut out for hurting things- whether it is clay pigeons or the practice screen- my shooting still needs a lot of work! That evening we had the Sponsor BBQ as well as one of my favorite activities the helicopter ride! I was able to go up once before when I handed down my Bakersfield title and this is something that I’ve been looking forward to all year! I let Tricia go first which was a mistake because they got so many calls and took her all around the county. I think she was up there for over an hour! Finally as the sun was setting, it was my turn to go up. It was really neat to see the town at night. It was all lit up and looked beautiful! Thank you so much to Bruce Ketcherside for putting that together for us. I know that Tricia and I made memories that will last forever! Friday kicked off the rodeo and I was able to carry the American flag for the first time! This is an honor that I’ve dreamt about my whole life. We did a special opening to the song “I Believe in America.” I brought my American Quarter Horse gelding, Caden who is such a superstar but is pretty slow… When they told me to run in going 9-0 I was thinking I will try but Caden normally only goes about 3-0. When those gates opened he knew it was his time to shine and he booked it around the arena. I was proud of my chubby horse and very proud to have the honor of doing the opening. On Saturday we started the day with horsemanship where the girls were able to ride not only their own horses but the queen and jr. queen contestants switched horses. That night we crowned the new court during the opening ceremonies. I remember being in that same arena years ago eager to have the opportunity to be a part of that wonderful community. Congratulations to Queen Dakota Skellenger, Jr Queen Rebecca Hall, and Princess Lauren Nouch. These girls will have an unforgettable year traveling with the posse! I was sad to leave one of the favorite rodeo’s… Big Thanks to Wendy Purdie for hosting Tricia and I all week! Also thank you to the posse for opening your hearts to my friend, I know this was an event that truly made a great impression on her. I am very grateful for everything that the Kern County Sheriff’s Mounted Posse has done for me over the last few years and look forward to going to their rodeo every year! Lastly, a Special Thanks to Anthony Mungary for his thoughtful donation to my travel fund. He is a very dear friend and I appreciate his generosity so much!
On to Ramona Rodeo… This is an event that I have never had the pleasure of attending. I was excited to kick off the week and woke up early for my 7 1/2 hour drive! I was able to take my friend Sierra Smith, Miss Rodeo Tehachapi, with me due to the very long drive down. I was thankful to have her because I was tired of being in the car and we hadn’t even made it past Bakersfield yet! My first day there was a wednesday and after the long drive we got settled into our hotel then went over to the rodeo grounds for flag practice. That’s where I met the lovely girls named Sally and Jolinda who would take us around all week. Sally was a former Ramona Rodeo Queen and Jolinda is the coordinator’s (Joani) daughter. They were absolutely amazing and we had so much fun! Thursday was filled with school and sponsor visits. We talked to some of the cutest kindergartener’s and taught them about the sport of rodeo. I think everyone had a lot of fun at the school visits! The girls took us all around town to meet the sponsors. The community of Ramona does so much for their rodeo and it is so great to see a town come together for that event. Thanks to Aunt Pam for scheduling the school visits as well as to Cheer’s Bar and Grill for sponsoring my trip to Ramona!
Thursday night was the kick off party and fashion show! This was a really fun event and I want to thank the Chamber of Commerce for allowing us to be a part of it!
One of the sponsor’s is Bella Mia salon and Sierra and I took advantage of a little down time on Friday to get much needed massages! That night started the rodeo and I have to tell you about my awesome horse. A local couple, Chad and Cindy, brought horses for Sierra and I. When I met Chad he asked me the infamous question of whether I can ride. That is my least favorite question because horses can humble even the best of riders. I told him that I was pretty handy and he proceeded to tell me about “Snort” the HUGE white gelding that I would ride. Well Snort got his name as most of you can assume because he spooks and snorts at everything. Well this rodeo really uses their visiting royalty. We carry sponsor flags throughout the night, do a queen run, push cattle and do happy trails. That is a lot to do on what I thought was going to be a rough riding, spooky horse.
I got to the rodeo grounds early on Friday to try out my horse. I had nightmares all night after what Chad had told me but when I jumped on Snort, he was an angel! He did snort at everything but he was so great in the arena and I was able to do everything on him without any problems! Thank you so much to Chad and Cindy for allowing me to use their horse! On Saturday I got a little surprise with some friends coming down to see me. Janet and Don Moore drove down and came to the rodeo with us. I was so happy to see them and I am very thankful that they came to the rodeo!
Sunday was a pretty special day with Cowboy Church in the morning then an event called “Kid’s Day” in the arena. Hundreds of children from the community come out to learn about the sport. They were able to barrel race, learn to rope and ride a horse! We met a lot of happy kids that day and the grandstands were packed for the rodeo! I was really happy to see Doug and Cindy Wozny that day. They drove upto watch the rodeo and I am so happy that they are turning into great friends! After the performance it was time to hit the road for the long drive back home. I was really sad to say my good bye’s because I met some of the most amazing people there! Congratulations to the Queen Sarah and Jr Queen Megan, I know you will have a fantastic year! Thanks to a wonderful antique store called Sandy’s Place for the generosity and fabulous queen earrings! If anyone has a chance to visit they have some of the best jewelry I’ve ever seen! Special thanks to the Thompson/Georgeson family for all that you did to make my trip so special. Thanks to Sally Jones, The Pyeatt Family and to Kayla Duba. Thanks to Honeycutt Rodeo for putting on a great show and to the entire community for being so wonderful to me. I LOVED my time in Ramona and it is definitely a place that I will go back to in the years to come.
Miss Rodeo California, Inc 
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