Illinois Horse Fair - Springfield, IL It was my first time attending the Illinois Horse Fair and I met the current queen and all of the wonderful contestants competing for Miss Illinois Horse Fair! I watched all the contestants grow over the weekend and become so confident in themselves! I also got to attend my first Ranch Rodeo! Talk about excitement! During the grand entry of the Ranch Rodeo, I rode in a horse drawn carriage where they introduced me to the crowd! I met so many kind and horse loving vendors! It was so nice of Erin LaKamp, Miss Illinois Horse Fair 2018, to take me under her wing and show me around! I also was able to watch the crowning of Kelsey Hallin, Miss Illinois Horse Fair 2019! Thank you, Erin, for showing me around. Also a huge thank you to the Illinois Horsemen's Council for another successful year!
Battle Of The Bluff - Dubuque, IA I attended the Battle Of The Bluff in Dubuque, Iowa where I got to do my first queen run Friday night! It was so exciting! Everyone was so nice! Saturday morning my mom and I went into downtown Dubuque and of course went shopping! I also got to attend the second performance where I got to do another queen run! Talk about adrenaline! This has definitely been one of my favorite rodeos so far. Everyone was so friendly and welcoming! I also met 5 amazing girls who carried the sponsor flags! They were so kind and generous! A huge thank you to Tim Moore and his family!
Windy City Round-Up - Chicago, IL Wow! It's already here! My first event as Miss Teen Rodeo Illinois 2019 was in Chicago, Illinois at the Allstate Arena. This was a very BIG rodeo, I had no clue it was going to be so big. I met a lot of big time cowboys and cowgirls. I was trying not to fangirl, but these were my idols that I was sharing the arena with. I got to carry the American Flag, which was so much fun! The horse I got to ride was Bling; he was a big black horse. I got to warm him up for the judge that was going to be riding him during the rodeo. While I was riding around, Tuf Cooper trots by, then Trevor Brazile, this didn’t even seem real at this point. Bling wasn't flag broke, so I was having my own little rode
o during the National Anthem, but all turned out well. After the rodeo was over I was extremely happy. I couldn’t believe everything that just happened. The manager of the WCRA invited me to their next rodeo in Wisconsin this coming June! My first event went extremely well. I am so blessed to have all these amazing opportunities and memories.
Cinch World's Toughest Rodeo - Moline, IL I have had two weekends back-to-back full of rodeos. My second appearance was in Moline, Illinois. This was a very special event since they had a pre show where I got to meet a whole bunch of rodeo fans and sign autographs. They had two bulls that rodeo fans could sit on and get pictures. Of course I had to sit on “Silver Dollar” to get a picture! This was a two night rodeo; on Saturday the rodeo didn’t start until 7 so this gave my mom and I the perfect opportunity to go shopping and explore Moline!! After we got done shopping, we still had some time before the rodeo so we went for a quick dip in the hotel's hot tub!! I think we had the biggest crowd ever on Saturday night! I signed A LOT of autographs. On Saturday night I also got to ride in the back of a Ram pick up truck while they set the barrels up. Hearing my name announced in front of so many people didn’t seem real! This rodeo had so much entertainment, from the extremely talented barrel man John Harrison, to the thrill of roman riding and Whiplash, a dog-riding monkey. This rodeo was a blast!!