The Oregon Queen — November 2018

November 10, 2018 Off By Lois Forester

With the Miss Rodeo America Pageant less than a month away, my schedule of events may be less full but I am just as busy preparing!

At the beginning of the month I traded in the 70 degree sunny weather for the snow of North Dakota for the Badlands Circuit Finals. We were kept busy running flags, signing autographs, and helping with the Miss Rodeo North Dakota Pageant.

The rest of October was filled with a few last autograph appearances and preparing for my Good Luck Party. A huge THANK YOU to everyone that donated, made desserts, and attended the event. I felt so loved the entire night, and had a blast modeling some of my Miss Rodeo America outfits.

November will be spent riding horses, studying, and doing everything I can to ensure that I will represent Oregon with pride and grace!

Jessi Cornforth, 2018 Miss Rodeo Oregon

CAN'T HELP LOVING MISS RODEO AMERICA FASHION!

December may be a time when the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association circuit rodeos slow to a crawl, but that lull is actually the buildup for the biggest annual showdown between the top guns of the PRCA: the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. The glittering lights of Las Vegas are the perfect backdrop to showcase the stars of our sport as well as the heights of western fashion, and it’s all kicked off by the prestigious Miss Rodeo America pageant.

Early in a state titleholder’s reign there are many decisions to be made; arguably, the most exciting ones involve planning a dream rodeo bucket list and assembling a western wardrobe fit for a queen. These days, rodeo royalty are encouraged to embrace and reflect current western trends like never before. The holy grail of style recognition is being noticed by the “Fashion Posse” (aka Shaina Clifford and Tiffany McGhan, the future Mrs. Tuf Cooper) and having your picture splashed on their social media accounts.

There’s a reason they say, “the devil is in the details.” Rhinestones or sequins? Retro or cutting edge? Leather or fabric? The choices are endless but when a “look” comes together it embodies not just the personality of the young lady wearing it, it also gives a nod to the rich history of women in the American West. Assembling such a wardrobe usually begins with a trip to the National Western Stock Show and the Denver Market, held every January in Denver, Colorado. Often this is a titleholder’s first entrée into the universe of high-end western fashion. A comprehensive array of vendors showcase their latest wares at wholesale prices (queens are granted entry by being affiliated with a business that retails such goods) and the energy runs high. Titleholders rub elbows with a veritable who’s who of the western elite and form important connections with reps from the companies that sponsor both the PRCA and MRA.

The items selected at the Denver Market will trickle in as they are produced and shipped out... it’s like Christmas over and over again! Wardrobe staples like Justin boots and Wrangler apparel are mixed with carefully chosen pieces from higher-end designers (Kippys, Tasha Polizzi, and Double D Ranch, for example.) This mix is then typically supplemented with custom-made looks from queen-specific designers. A lot of state titleholders gear their wardrobes to be worn all year, adding in some very special (and very secret!) looks right before the Miss Rodeo America pageant.

If you have never beheld the MRA pageant in all its pomp and circumstance you are truly missing out. For the contestants, the days are long but the experience flies by. They have formed long-lasting friendships with their fellow state titleholders and the family of rodeo personnel and contestants alike. Their sponsor dollars have been carefully allocated, they have devoured the PRCA rulebook and the ProRodeo Sports News magazine, and under each Greeley Hat Works cowboy hat is a brain crammed full of knowledge and opinions about current events. Pageant week is a whirl of horsemanship, interviews, public speaking, and modeling; when the dust settles, the pearl-and-alexandrite encrusted Landstrom’s Black Hills Gold Miss Rodeo America crown is placed on one deserving young lady’s cowboy hat. This is the beginning of her journey but for her peers it is the dazzling and bittersweet culmination of the best year of their lives.

Many Miss Rodeo Oregons have made strong showings at MRA! Our state proudly boasts one Miss Rodeo America (Mackenzie Carr Ivie, 2012) and several top-ten and top-five finishers. The most recent of these was our lovely and accomplished Kayla Vincent at the 2018 pageant. Her Fourth Runner-up showing reflects the effort she put into her year and we are so grateful to have had such a dedicated representative. This year, our excitement is reaching a crescendo as we prepare to cheer on our 2018 MRO, Jessi Cornforth. She is the crown jewel of this historic sport in our beautiful state, and the unparalleled poise, elegance, and grace she’s demonstrated throughout her reign will stand her in good stead as she shines under the bright lights of the Tropicana Casino and Hotel in Las Vegas! Please drop her a note at mrapmedia@missrodeoamerica.com (put Oregon in the subject line) or purchase a rose to be delivered to her room at night. This can be done daily and is a great way to show our appreciation for all her hard work this year. See you in Vegas!

My Horsemanship outfit was put together just a couple of days before I left. The planned shirt and pant combination was a dye disaster so I put together a shirt from one outfit and pants from another; Tanya Cloutier helped me by dyeing my belt and boots to match.

WNFR Welcome Reception. I just had this Greeley hat changed into a fashion hat which I can wear all the time! Thank you, Greeley Hat Works!

This is the hat that Travis Hamblen at Greeley Hat Works refashioned for me!

Chaps by Bob Roy, featuring brands from all over the United States--from ranchers to rodeo stock contractors to rodeo competitors

At the President's Breakfast with Lisa Lageschaar. I'm wearing a Kippy's jacket. Grey is my thing and the studs on it were amazing!

At the South Point Arena.

Personal Interview Outfit. Julie Drescher used the jacket for her horsemanship interview. It was painted by the talented Amber Wild.

For this Wrangler jacket competition, I wanted something true to my ranch roots and something that would also go with the retro Justin boots I'd decorated for the Justin boot parade. I loved the retro look and especially the fringe!

Lynn Haynes (Oregon National Director), Sue Ellen Vincent (Mom Extraordinaire), and Tanya Cloutier, Miss Rodeo Oregon, Inc. 1st Vice-President (and painter of last-minute boots...)

I knew I wanted gator leather for my Bob Roy chaps in either white and silver or cream and gold. The twisted fringe was a huge seller for me!

While I didn’t attend any rodeos in October, I still managed to keep myself pretty busy. My platform this year was to promote Suicide Prevention Awareness. I joined the Out of the Darkness Walk in Salem to help raise funds for this cause. 2019 Little Miss NPRA, Baylee Paulson, joined me for this walk on October 13th and together we raised $340 to help prevent suicide. It was such a great and emotional event with many people telling their stories of how they have been directly affected by suicide. I walked in honor of several students from my school who ended their lives this year.

Next, I attended the St. Paul rodeo queen tryouts. There were ten contestants and my horse, Sunny D, made an appearance with one of the contestants. Congratulations to Dessa, Hannah and Caitlin on being selected to represent the St. Paul Rodeo in 2019.

Up next was the Canby Rodeo Court Tryouts. Sunny D once again made an appearance, this time as Queen Callie’s mount to set the pattern for the contestants. It was a great day with four contestants vying for a spot on the 2019 Court. Congratulations to the newly crowned Queen Savannah and Princess Maddie. I hope you have a wonderful year representing one of my favorite rodeos. I ended the night celebrating Jessi at her Miss Rodeo America send off party where she gave us a little sneak peek of some of the beautiful outfits she is going to wear at the pageant in December. I have no doubt she will make Oregon proud. I’ll be attending Santiam Canyon Stampede tryouts in November and working on my scrapbook so it is finished in time for Meredith’s coronation in February. I hope everybody enjoys their time with their family and friends this Thanksgiving.

Sincerely,

Addy Crouch 2018 Miss Teen Rodeo Oregon

Hello all!

My month of October has been almost completely full of family time and school work! Although I already miss the rodeo arena, it has been wonderful to kick back and spend some much needed time with the people and animals I love most. This year has been so fast-paced and jam-packed full of events and, although I am typically pretty busy, I sure have missed the rest of my family, friends and fur babies. To top it all off, October is deer season! I have spent the past month up in the hills of my hometown doing what I love most.

In the upcoming weeks, I am gearing up for some class room visits and holiday parades, the perfect way to wind down from a fun-filled year! While I have spent a lot of time with the community who has raised me, I did welcome the opportunity to visit with my rodeo family at Jessi’s send off party! It was wonderful to see everyone and celebrate Jessi’s year as she heads off to Vegas for the Miss Rodeo America Pageant! I am beyond excited to finish up my finals for this term and head down to Las Vegas to support her!

I have had a phenomenal year so far and would like to thank you as well as my amazing sponsors! This month I’d like to thank Northwest Hardwoods and HorseGuard for keeping my trailer on the road and my horses happy and healthy!

Sincerely, 2018 Miss Teen Rodeo Oregon Bethany Rowe

Lynn Haynes, National Director, me, Addy, and Lauren at Jessi's Good Luck Party.

Addy and me

It has been wonderful to be able to spend time in our community and promote the sport of rodeo. People have had a lot of questions that I have been able to answer about rodeo queening and rodeo through my wonderful experiences.

A rodeo that I enjoyed riding in grand entry was St. Paul. Attending their tryouts was a great way to spend a gorgeous October day! The girls did wonderful and I enjoy learning from watching others. It is always fun to cheer on the contestants!

Wilco's Ladies Night was a fun time. I saw so many friends from the horse community! I met little girls who told me about their love for horses! They had a mini pony which I loved!

Jessie’s sendoff party was wonderful, and it was a great time! It is neat to see the support she has from our rodeo community. It will be great to cheer her on as she competes for Miss Rodeo America! We know she’ll do great!

One of my favorite events of the year was my visit to the Waterford Grand retirement home. Bringing the horse and the rodeo environment to the residence was an amazing experience for all! I will continue to volunteer with this amazing place with amazing people!

Thank you again for your continued support!

2018 Junior Miss Rodeo Oregon

Lauren Gibson

I'm at the Waterford Grand in Eugene, visiting with seniors!

I'm with the 2019 St. Paul Rodeo court--Queen Dessa Coleman, Princess Hannah Austin, and Caitlin Holmlund!

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE FROM JULIE SINGER

Autumn Greetings!

Our Miss Rodeo Oregon, Jessi Cornforth, is going through all those last-minute activities getting prepared to compete at Miss Rodeo America in just a few weeks. Two weeks ago at her Good Luck party, she showed off several of the outfits she will be wearing during Pageant and they are very, very nice. The outfit she had made to show support for many types of cancer survivors was very well received by everyone.

Last weekend Lynn Haynes, her National Director, and I met with Jessi and her mom at a home in Bay City on the Oregon coast. We put her through many activities from questions, impromptu talks, to what to expect during horsemanship. She also got to kick back and relax a little as well. Remember that you can send her roses and good wishes during Pageant. We know she is going to do an awesome job and make Oregon proud!

Hope to see everyone at the General Membership meeting on Sunday November 18, 2018--Julie Singer, President