the start...

​           I had an unconventional way of becoming a rodeo queen. I had never been to a rodeo that I could remember until I was 13 years old when I entered my first rodeo queen pageant. My mother was a has-been rodeo queen (sorry mom) and my father was a high school and college bull rider, but my life was a bit different. Different in all the best ways, though.
 
            I had a goal to win a saddle for my “barrel horse” that I made run around the three barrels. My mother entered me into the Skiatook Princess pageant, and I won that saddle. I was hooked from that moment on. One week later, I won the Tulsa State Fair queen, which was a title my mother held many years before me. My other titles include Newkirk Teen, Miss ACRA, Miss Rodeo Oklahoma Teen, Cavalcade Queen, Rooster Days Rodeo Queen, Miss Rodeo Oklahoma, but most importantly and most recently, Miss Rodeo USA.
 
            I am Anna Woolsey, Miss Rodeo USA 2023. If you told me 10 years ago that I would have a beautiful Gold Diggers crown on my hat, I would have smiled so big, and I would not have known what to think. The doors that have opened for me during my rodeo queen career have been more than I could imagine. I am writing this blog the Monday after my crowning. It is so surreal to think I’ve come this far, but also to know who carried this title in all of the years before me.  It is an absolute honor to carry on the legacies they left behind.
 
The pageant week was busy, busy, but worth every second. I have never in my life interviewed so many times, but I truly was able to get to know the judges. We had an incredible panel: Judy Gill, recent inductee into the Miss Rodeo America Hall of Fame, past president of  MRA, and former high school breakaway roper;  Trudy Conner, former and current print and runway model, past rodeo queen, and fashion extraordinaire;  Lyle Sankey, Pro-rodeo cowboy,  1 of 4 men to compete in all three rough stock events at the National Finals Rodeo,  and owner of Sankey Rodeo School. Each judge was more than qualified, which made for an exceptional week.
 
            As I prepare for this year (in which my first event starts in just two short days), I will cherish every moment. There are so many amazing people involved in the Miss Rodeo USA organization. Thank you to my support team, the directors, and everyone in between for pushing me to be the best person I could be. Thank you to the judges for selecting me and trusting me to be Miss Rodeo USA 2023. To those before me, you have done a tremendous job of making this association what it is. I hope to continue your legacy while building mine.
 
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Anna Woolsey
Miss Rodeo USA 2023