One sunny, summer afternoon, I was driving home from my grandma’s donut shop. I spotted a dog on the side of the road up the highway. I pulled over and a kind lady also stopped to help me. That was the start of a newfound passion for me, and the first day of the rest of Lady’s new life.
 
            I took Lady home to make sure she was okay. It was obvious she had puppies somewhere. I went back to where I found her, and she drug me home. I asked her owner, who lived in a run-down house on stilts, if he would give me Lady and her puppies. He said no initially, but three days later came to the donut shop to tell me I can have them.
 
            Lady was the first dog I had rescued by myself. It opened a can of worms for me that blossomed into what has shaped and gave me a purpose in life. That was in 2017, and now, in 2023, I have stayed involved in Skiatook Paws and Claws Animal Rescue (SPACAR) in countless ways. Lady has a crazy story. Her past owner went to jail and his girlfriend’s mom gave her away. When Lady was posted for adoption on SPACARs Facebook, he reached out and wanted her back.
 
            We were able to get her fixed and back to her original owner. All the puppies were adopted and went to great homes. A few years later, Lady found her way back into the rescue due to being surrendered for a costly health problem. She developed Megaesophagus, in which the esophagus gets larger in size and loses its ability to transport food. Lady went to an amazing foster that was a veterinarian. She set her up in a chair every feeding and took great care of her.
 
            Adoption event after adoption event, nobody wanted Lady. She was kind, and loving, with a heart of gold. Her life wasn’t perfect being passed around from home to home. However, her foster fell in love with her and couldn’t let her go. She officially adopted Lady, a dog with problems, but problems that still let her love with all she has.
 
            Lady was just the beginning. She touched my heart in ways she will never understand. She opened my eyes to the issues regarding the unwanted pet population. I have found my passion within these organizations. Find your passion by finding your Lady. You can be the difference between life and death. When given the option, choose life. Save A Life, Adopt A Dog. You won’t regret it.
 
 
Anna Woolsey
Miss Rodeo USA

​           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.
 
Save A Life, Adopt A Dog
Anna Woolsey
Miss Rodeo USA 2023