|
Miss Rodeo America 2002 Contestant Interviews |
|
|
Thirty young women are vying for the coveted Miss Rodeo America title this week at the Flamingo Hilton in Las Vegas, NV. Each will undergo a series of judged interviews and many others with media from around the world. Following their 10-minute horsemanship interviews they sat down with me to share a little about their trip to Las Vegas, the clothing they brought with them to pageant and any advice they would have for future queens. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Kara Brown - Miss Rodeo Texas San Antonio, Texas is the site of the annual Miss Rodeo Texas Pageant. Kara earned the title on June 21, 2001. Kara flew into Las Vegas on Friday morning with one gigantic suitcase. "It must have weighed a ton!" she said. The supportive members of the Miss Rodeo Texas committee drove a truck and trailer filled with the rest of her clothing, accessories and the 16 pairs of boots she needed for the week. She has chosen a peach Patricia Wolf leather dress for Coronation and she feels like a million dollars when she is wearing it. It has iridescent crystals and is so beautiful that "It makes me feel like I am truly a queen." For the Personality Interviews Kara chose a bright turquoise suit trimmed in bright green and sparkling crystals. The color of the suit is vibrant and she felt it really showed her personality and sparkle while providing a very professional look. Her trip to Cheyenne was her most memorable experience. She had only traveled outside of the state of Texas once prior to this trip and it was a "wonderful experience" to see so much. Kara tells future queens to "Be yourself at all times. Be natural and let your true personality come through." |
|
|
|
|
|
Desire'e Hammett - Miss Rodeo Oregon In June of 2000 a dream came true for Miss Rodeo Oregon. During the Crooked River Round-up in Prineville, Oregon a panel of judges selected her to reign as Miss Rodeo Oregon. Traveling to Las Vegas was not too bad of an experience for Desire'e. Along with her mom, dad and sister they drove with a packed truck and trailer. Their trip was uneventful except for a one-hour layover in the mountains between Oregon and California. Everyone was stopped for a bug check (bug checks are performed on vehicles entering California to prevent pests from entering valuable cropland). Desire'e chose a bright turquoise leather dress for her Fashion Show and Coronation dress and it makes her feel like a million bucks when she wears it. Designed by Jan Faulkner, the skirt is all-over fringe with many rhinestones under the fringe. The blouse and fringe are accented with 'Angel Hair' thread for added shine. "It fits my personality" Desire'e says. The outfit Desire'e is wearing for her State Speech is the same outfit that she wore when she competed for the state title. It is very comfortable to wear and is constructed of pale yellow gabardine with red, orange and green flowers embroidered down the sleeves, the back and the collar and around the hem of the skirt. Rhinestones add elegance and shimmer to this outfit which was made by Molly Claussen of Portland, Oregon. Her most memorable experience as Miss Rodeo Oregon happened when she visited six classrooms in the grade school she had attended as a child. She wasn't able to convince the students that although she was a celebrity she did not know Britney Spears. All of the kids had great questions to ask her and one little boy said to her "I know what the rodeo queen does at the rodeo". When she inquired as to what that was he replied "She gives kisses to all of the winners.". His eyes grew large when she said "Well you're in luck because I happen to have some with me today" and she tossed him a Hershey Kiss. He looked at her and said, "That's not what I meant!". "Always be yourself and your dreams will come true - lasso your stars!". |
|
|
|
|
|
Jennifer McGuire - Miss Rodeo Michigan In July of 2000 Jennifer was crowned Miss Rodeo Michigan at the UP (Upper Peninsula) Championship Rodeo in Iron River, MI. The Miss Rodeo Michigan Pageant is also held in conjunction with the Miss UP Championship Rodeo Pageant. Her flight from Michigan was the first she had made since the September 11 tragedy and she felt a definite change of attitude at the airport. After arriving 2 ½ hours prior to her flight Jennifer made her way to the terminal where the general atmosphere was very solemn. Unlike many others her flight was a direct flight but at 4 hours and 15 minutes it was a bit on the long side. Once she arrived in Las Vegas she made her way to baggage claim to retrieve her two large suitcases and box. Bill Olson, a member of the MRA National Advisory Council and of the Miss Rodeo Michigan Pageant committee, met Jennifer and took her to the Flamingo. Since Jennifer was not staying at the pageant headquarters the night before check-in Bill graciously offered his room to store her clothing and said to her "Whatever you need - no problem". However, Jennifer said she didn't think Bill knew what to do when the "rodeo queen exploded" in his room! Since she was unable to bring everything in original boxes many of her boots were wrapped in tissue to prevent scuffing and she also used tissue to pack her clothing to help prevent wrinkles. When asked which outfit made her feel like a million dollars Jennifer replied "Honestly, I like all of my outfits. I don't have a lot of the leather like many of the other girls but I don't feel like I need all of the leather to be myself. That's what the pageant is about - your abilities." The outfit Jennifer is wearing for her Current Event Impromptu Question is a black suede skirt and is simple and basic. The skirt originally was paired with a vest accented with 'jingle-bobs' but because they make noise when she talks she has chosen to change the vest and use another blouse with the skirt. Jennifer says to "Always be yourself and don't follow others. When you're observing other queens don't make any changes to your clothing, actions, etc unless they compliment you and you feel good about it…." |
 |
|
|
|
Courtney Terry - Miss Rodeo Tennessee Millington, Tennessee was the site of the Miss Rodeo Tennessee 2001 Pageant. The event was held in August of 2000 and was not held with a rodeo. Since that time Courtney has had a great time representing her home state. To get all of her clothing here, one of her very gracious sponsors drove her truck 28 hours. "I was most worried about my dresses and hats so they hung in the cab.". The rest of her outfits were in the back safely protected by a camper. Ironically, her clothes arrived before she did! Courtney flew to Las Vegas with her pageant director Sue Lynn Perry and was prepared just in case the truck had problems. The pilots had an extra package in their cockpit as Courtney carried her Orientation dress and hat with her on the plane. She said that although she was a little nervous prior to the flight it went off without a hitch. Nellie Hill of Texas created Courtney's Speech dress, which she says she feels the best in. It is jade suede with silver stars and fringe along the back and down the arms. Crystals adorn the dress and add interest to the stars. When choosing her horsemanship outfit Courtney originally wanted to wear black. When she told her pageant director this her diplomatic reply was "I think you need to wear color." So Courtney looked around Tennessee and decided that the color most associated with her state was Volunteer Orange. It just happens that Wrangler has recently introduced orange to their line and when she saw the jeans she said, "That's it!". The jeans were then sent to Donna Riva who located a matching fabric and began constructing the fitted blouse. The neckline is a star cut with white stars down the sleeves and a large star covering the left shoulder. The stars repeat on the back of the shirt and no horsemanship blouse would be complete without crystals to adorn it. "Choose a Horsemanship outfit that's comfortable - you're going to be in it all day!" Courtney said when asked for a piece of advice for future contestants. She also said not to worry about others. "Leave here and be proud of yourself and you'll have accomplished your goal." |
|
|
|
|
Laura Lynn - Miss Rodeo Wyoming The Wyoming State Fair was the site in which Laura Lynn was selected Miss Rodeo Wyoming in August of 2000. She began her reign, like many titleholders on January 1, 2001. In order to get the many hats, boots and clothing items needed to compete at the Miss Rodeo America Pageant Laura and her Mom and Dad drove from Wyoming. The trip took 2 days and included a few harrowing moments in a blizzard when the car their truck and trailer would start to slide sideways. Laura says at times it was pretty nerve wracking and all she could think of was "This is a new trailer and it's not mine!". The outfit that makes Laura feel like a million dollars is "This one!" Laura was dressed in all white except the black embroidery and buck stitching on her Rickrageous blazer length jacket. Small rhinestones were strategically placed among the flowers for added interest. Laura chose her horsemanship blouse fabric while on a trip to Los Angeles. She had blocks and blocks of fabric dealers to choose from and she went home with a mint green piece. Once the blouse was constructed she had flowers embroidered on it and she and a friend had an all-night 'rhinestone' party to accent the blouse. She chose mint green because she felt it represented one of the many colors that she associates with Wyoming. Laura modeled at the Western Design Conference in Douglas, Wyoming and this is her most memorable moment as Miss Rodeo Wyoming. She wore designs from many designers but the most special designer she modeled for was Sharon Camarillo. Afterwards she went to dinner with her mother and some friends and Sharon was at the same restaurant. They all ate together and Laura said of Sharon "She does so much in her life - TV, designing clothing, clinics and her family. She is an inspiration to me." Her advice for aspiring queens is this simple quote "All of the knowledge you possess someone else can acquire, but your heart is your own.". |
|
|
