|
It was
only after trying for royalty of Eh-Capa that a judge suggested I try
rodeo queening. With undying faith in my little horse I started barrel
racing and pole bending and won my first queen contest in 1991 as the
Idaho Girls Rodeo Queen. What
a thrill, Ravana and I went to parades and rodeos as queen and traveled
the United States with Eh-Capa performing at PRCA rodeos.
As time went on I grew taller and Ravana as perfect as she was
just wasn’t big enough for me to ride in more advanced queen
competitions. While we still performed together in drill I looked for a
new horse to compete in queen contests on.
In 1994 I was named the Caldwell Night Rodeo Queen and found my
beautiful paint gelding Goose the following summer. With Goose I
garnered another 3 local titles and in 1998 the dream of becoming Miss
Rodeo Idaho came true. By
now I had grown too old to ride in Eh-Capa but unable to part with
Ravana I kept her to teach lessons. One thing that kept me going throughout the week was thinking back on my experiences with Ravana over the years. We hadn’t always been the favorite, and we faced some definite trials but we had heart and determination and that got us through to the top. When I got tired I thought of my little red horse and how she never gave up on me and I persevered, all the way to a year of unbelievable experiences and dreams come true. My first trip as Miss Rodeo America was to Denver, Colorado for market and the Denver Livestock Show and Rodeo. I hadn’t been home much the previous two months and with winter snow discouraging riding I hadn’t seen much of Ravana. I came home from Denver and was about to go to the barn when my mom came in and sat on my bed, she said she had to tell me something. You see while I was away in Denver there had been an accident and we lost my beautiful little angel. I think the hardest part was that first week, of course I had another rodeo to go to right away and there wasn’t much time to dwell on my sorrow. I had a great time with that little horse, she taught me so much about love, dedication, growth, faith and myself. Most of all I learned that as much as loss hurts it’s better to have had the chance than to have never tried at all. Maybe you’re wondering what all this has to do with “life after queening”; well it’s simple. As much as we learn to rely on one constant, life is about changes. We grow into and out of all things in life and there comes a time when even the queen is no longer wearing the crown. I have always believed that I was so much better for trying and losing than winning. For what I learned about myself in those times of loss were the very things that made me strong enough to be successful later. Maybe your success will never be as the queen of your state or nation but you will take all this wonderful experience with you and be such a better person whether it’s as an understanding mother, a creative business woman or even teaching life experiences to other young rodeo queens. There are so many ways to utilize the lessons learned in both wins and losses and I encourage you to always look to the silver lining. If I had never had that horse it wouldn’t have hurt to lose her, but had I never had her I may not have been Miss Rodeo America. The time to give up the crown, though, does come for everyone. For some it is in not receiving it that night and for others it’s delayed by a year. Take what you can out of every moment in life. Each one is as precious as the other and they all carry some meaning if you look hard enough for it. I face new trials every day in this new life of mine without a crown, but I am stronger for the memories I have made and the wonderful things I learned from all the beautiful people and horses along the way. I wouldn’t trade a moment of my life the good, the bad or the heart breaking because it is that life that paves the way for the days I face tomorrow and I’m here to tell you, life is good and there is always a reason to smile. Life after queening? Of course and I wouldn’t trade a day of the past, present or the future. Seek the beauty in life and it shall seek you! God Bless and Happy Trails~ Shelly Williams
|
|