Rodeo Queening…It’s not just a hobby!
By now I hope you realize how much I love my job as Miss Rodeo Nevada. You might be wondering though, is it really a job? Isn’t it all just fun and games? To some, I’m sure it seems like it! Constantly traveling to new place and meeting new people is fun but it is so much more than that. Hopefully you’ve had a chance to read my past blog about the duties of a rodeo queen as we travel. Our duties are very reminiscent of a job and in fact, many of these skills gained as a rodeo queen translate into real world career competencies.
Take for example public speaking. Public speaking is more feared than death and I don’t find that hard to believe. Speaking in front of a group of people, regardless of the topic, can be intimidating! However, as a rodeo queen public speaking is something we do often so being comfortable in front of an audience is critical. Especially when we are dealing with animal welfare issues, it’s vital that we can articulate our points clearly and confidently. This is not a skill gained over night but instead comes with years of practice. During rodeo queen contests, queens are required to give a prepared speech (usually 2-5 minutes in length) on a rodeo topic. We also answer a variety of questions that can vary in topic from local, state, or national current events, social issues, politics, rodeo facts, rodeo statistics, rodeo cowboys, rodeo rules, equine knowledge…. well you get the idea. Being able to give a memorized speech is equally as important as being able to answer impromptu questions. This competency comes into play in everyday business. Whether having a casual conversation with a potential client, to making a pitch to upper level leadership, public speaking is something we all come across. I’ve often said that I was able to be successful in my internship because of the public speaking skills I learned as a rodeo queen. And it doesn’t end there!
Even the horsemanship skills I’ve gained this year translate into job experience. As a state rodeo queen it’s not always practical or feasible to travel with your own horse to rodeos. So many of us borrow horses we’ve never ridden before. This means you could be on a very experienced horse (otherwise known as a baby-sitter) or you could be on a very inexperienced horse! The latter is much more challenging but every horse has a personality much like a human. This means they have their own quirks and ticks. In essence, you never know what is going to happen. Not only has riding all of these different horses made me a better horsewoman, it’s made me better equipped to handle tough situations in the work place. Being able to go with the flow and take anything that comes my way has made me a better employee. It gives me the confidence to know that there is nothing I can’t handle.
My next big adventure as Miss Rodeo Nevada is to compete against the 28 other state rodeo queens for the national title of Miss Rodeo America. The competition takes place in December in Las Vegas, NV in conjunction with the National Finals Rodeo (NFR). If you are a rodeo fan and you’ve never been to the NFR, I highly recommend adding it to your bucket list. During this year’s pageant I will be judged on a variety of different things that include my appearance, my personality, my horsemanship ability, my public speaking skills in both an impromptu and a prepared setting, and my rodeo knowledge. It can be a stressful undertaking but I feel confident that the skills I’ve developed this year will help make the experience a good one! I love challenging myself to become a better person and I know I’m a better person today because of my rodeo queen journey. I hope you all find something that challenges you in a similar manner than continues to push you towards becoming a better version of you. Because at the end of the day, who couldn’t use some improvement? Certainly not me!
Ann Clemmitt - Project Manager
