2013 Miss Wynnewood IPRA Rodeo Pageant- Wynnewood, OK

Mark your calendars for July 11-13th to join me in Wynnewood, OK for a great rodeo and a week of rodeo queen pageant festivities. I can’t wait to see some familiar and friendly faces that I haven’t seen in awhile.  Reba Baker the 2012 Miss Wynnewood IPRA Rodeo is coordinating the pageant. She was a contestant at the Miss Rodeo USA pageant this past year. I enjoyed getting to know her throughout the week and she had tremendous support from the town of Wynnewood and Round Up Club. For anyone that may be interested, this pageant is sure to be a great competition and they will support the winner if she chooses to compete for Miss Rodeo USA in January 2014. Hope to see everyone in Wynnewood!

CLICK HERE FOR MISS WYNNEWOOD IPRA RODEO PAGEANT INFO: Wynnewood IPRA Rodeo Pageant Info

Prayers for Oklahoma

As I hear about the devastating tornadoes that tore through parts of Oklahoma, it brings back memories from April 27, 2011 when my hometown and many other communities in Alabama were hit by an EF5 tornado. Never did I think my town would be the same; we went numerous days without power, cleaned up debris, dug through belongings and lost loved ones. It has been two years since this life changing event and we are stronger than we were before. Saying all this I know where these victims are and how discouraged they may be but as Proverbs 3:5 states “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; and lean not on your own understanding.” Keep your eyes on the Lord and He will bring you through this devastating time. I hope and pray these communities stay strong and rebuild as Martina McBride’s song says “Anyway.” My prayers are going out for each and everyone of you and your families. “My grace is sufficient for thee; for my strength is made perfect in weakness” 2 Corinthians 12:9.

Limestone Sheriff’s Rodeo- The Full Story

          It was so good to be back “home” in Athens, AL. I always enjoy going to the biggest outdoor rodeo east of the Mississippi with weeklong festivities.  I have been competing in the pageant at Limestone since 2007; it was great to go back as Miss Rodeo USA this year to help promote the rodeo. We kicked things off every morning with a radio or TV interview to promote the weeklong events and rodeo. Lieutenant Allen Craig, Mighty Mike Wentworth and I made 13 school visits. The kids were great at each place and they all loved having us visit their schools. On Monday afternoon, I signed autographs and talked with kids at Preston’s Kick off where they had horse rides and goats for the kids to pet. I turned away for a moment to  speak with a parent and when I looked up I saw a few of the rodeo queen contestants chasing the goats because they had gotten away. After about 15 minutes of goats and girls running around, they finally managed to get their hands on the goats and captured them.

On Tuesday evening, I took part in the annual street dance and fashion show. We always have a blast showing off our newest outfits and kicking up our heels to Jeff Whitlow and the Old Barn Band as they play and sing. I really enjoyed Wednesday because I had a younger queen attend the promo events with me and she got to see what being Miss Rodeo USA is all about. Haven Nichols (Little Miss Limestone Sheriff’s Rodeo) helped Allen, Mike and I out with school visits and she was also able to sit in on a TV interview with me. I really enjoyed getting to show a young girl with a dream what it was like being Miss Rodeo USA. We had an awesome supper with Stock Contractor Preston Fowlkes, his rodeo crew, Sheriff Blakely and the LSR committee. I always enjoy spending time with my Athens family.

As always they had a full day of slack on Thursday. Once slack was over Jessica Blair brought her Roman Riding horses out to practice her stunts. She let me make an attempt at roman riding myself. I really enjoyed it and realized I didn’t have the leg muscles needed to make that a profession! The Chick-fil-a promotion went well that evening with Mighty Mike, the Queen contestants and I. I also got to do a little bit of serving from the drive through window. Friday is always a fun filled day with the exceptional rodeo, but due to bad weather we had to postpone it to a later date.

I was headed back to the arena that afternoon to meet my parents to pick up a few things when I realized something was up. When I arrived, they still had not made it back from the store. During the conversation over the phone with my mom she says “I believe that is a tornado on the ground.” Well little did we know a tornado touched down in Tanner during our phone conversation.  So I quickly made my way to the jail, and on my way I saw a queen contestant and her mother standing outside. I pulled up to them and told them to get in the truck “We’re going to the sheriff’s department.” They didn’t have a clue as to what was going on but I felt like it was my job to take care of them. Once everything cleared, I went to the room to get ready to help with the written test and interviews. When I arrived at the sheriff’s department, I found out the rodeo had been moved from Friday to Sunday night due to the bad weather. So Friday night was an evening I got to spend with my family. Saturday morning was the horsemanship competition for the 16-18 and 18-26 divisions. They all did a fantastic job and everything went great. The luncheon was at noon on Saturday with a record crowd of 148 people attendance. This is an event where the oldest queen contestants participate in modeling, speeches, and impromptu questions. All of the contestants did a wonderful job and everyone enjoyed it. Saturday night was a sold out crowd with standing room only at the rodeo. It was a muddy mess but the community still turned out to see the greatest show on dirt. Saturday night was bittersweet for me. I had a farewell ride and crowned the new Miss Limestone Sheriff Rodeo; April Brown. She has a great support group behind her and I know she will do a great job.

During the rescheduled Sunday night performance, I was able to enjoy the rodeo with a cousin of mine who made friends with funny man Mighty Mike Wentworth from the get go. She thought the bull was going to come to our side of the fence because I was wearing red! Thank goodness that wasn’t the case. I also had to do a little entertaining that night by running down the front of the bleachers cheering and making the crowd cheer with me (order of Matt McGee the announce on horseback). Just goes to show that as Miss Rodeo USA you will be called on to do a variety of tasks but above all an outgoing spirit and smile is what you need to get the job done.

Thanks so much to everyone who helps make this rodeo possible and a special thanks to Sheriff Mike and Debbie Blakely along with LoneStar Rodeo Company for all their hard work and dedication.

May God Bless

This year marked the 31st Annual Limestone Sheriff’s Rodeo in Athens, AL. It is always a fun filled and BUSY week leading up to the rodeo weekend. The Limestone Sheriff’s Rodeo Committee believes in promotions! They truly use a rodeo queen to her fullest potential to help spread the word and bring excitement to their rodeo event each year. I was glad to have Little Miss Limestone Sheriff’s Rodeo Haven Nichols accompany me throughout the week  to many visits. Click on the link below to get a quick look at my schedule with visits to sponsors, schools and local media prior to the rodeo kicking off! I’ll be following up with a more detailed blog of the rodeo festivities and events soon.

2013 RODEO WEEK APPEARANCES

I would like to extend a personal invitation to anyone interested in being a rodeo queen to compete at this pageant. I worked with this rodeo committee last week and they are top notch! I look forward to returning in June for the pageant and rodeo week. Information on the pageant listed below.

God Bless,

Lauren

2013 Miss Heritage Days Rodeo Pageant 

Get out your cowboy boots and hairspray. Unmarried contestants between the ages of 14 and 26 are being sought for the Miss Heritage Days Rodeo Pageant. Ticket sales begin Wednesday, May 1, 2013. Horsemanship, interview and appearance categories will be held at the Pauls Valley Round-up Club Rodeo Arena in Pauls Valley, Oklahoma June 27^th through June 29^th.

The pageant will consist of three categories to determine the winner: Ticket Sales, Horsemanship, Personal Interview and Appearance (combined category). Ticket sales, accounting for fifty percent of the contestants score, horsemanship, accounting for twenty-five percent of the contestants score and interview and appearance, accounting for the remaining twenty-five percent of the contestants score. The Pauls Valley Round-up Club is looking for well-rounded contestants and would like to encourage every contestant to practice their horsemanship and interview and appearance skills.

The horsemanship portion of the pageant will take place at the Pauls Valley Round-up Club Arena. Horses will be provided for each contestant to perform a preselected reining pattern. The interview portion of the pageant will be held at the arena club house directly after horsemanship.

The 2013 Miss Heritage Days Rodeo will receive a Billy Cook Saddle, a saddle pad and be given the opportunity to represent the Heritage Days Rodeo at the Miss Rodeo USA pageant in January 2014. In addition to her other awards, the winner will also have her 2014 Miss Rodeo USA Pageant entry fee (a value of two hundred and fifty dollars) paid by the Pauls Valley Round-up Club. The winner must be between 18-26 years old and have graduated high school in order to compete for Miss Rodeo USA. If a contestant wins that is between the ages of 14-17, we will pay two hundred and fifty dollars towards the cost of attending the Miss Rodeo USA clinic held in Pauls Valley in August 2014. All other Miss Heritage Days Rodeo Pageant contestants will receive ten percent of their total ticket sales.

If you would like more information on the Miss Heritage Days Rodeo Pageant or would like to enter the pageant please contact the Pauls Valley Round-up Club Members listed below.

Thank You and Happy Trails,

Carrie English

Bailey Pyle: (405)207-4855

Carrie English: (405)207-4658

April 29- May 4

I had a great time in Paul’s Valley Oklahoma last week. Everyone treated me like I was one of their own. I made several school visits and all the kids were great listeners. Each day someone new took me to my school/sponsor visits, and I loved that because I was able to make a new friend everyday. Seth Wadley Ford graciously sponsored me with a truck for the week and that really came in handy so that I could make MRUSA sponsor visits in my “spare time” each day after I was done with rodeo promotions. Some of the great MRUSA Organization sponsors located in or near Pauls Valley are Jerry and Lili Norton of Norton’s Jewelry, Fields Pies, Mazzio’s Pizza, Bob’s Pig Shop and Jenny’s Pics.

One of the highlights of my week was getting to sit in on Bulldog Bash at Stratford Elementary; they talked about encouragement and respect which went hand in hand with my platform “Roundup Respect”. Everyone was so welcoming everywhere I went! I enjoyed meeting and working with the Little Princess rodeo contestants on Wednesday. On Thursday, I started my day off at Whitebead Elementary where I talked to the pre-k and kindergarten classes. In one of the pre-k classes, I learned how to shadow dance. Talk about cool! At my last school visit of the week, the kids all came up to me once I finished speaking to get my autograph. This is something that doesn’t happen very often due to school schedules and time constraints but I enjoyed signing each and every autograph and making them smile.  There were some tough kids at Thunder in the Valley who competed in Mutton Bustin; I always enjoy watching that. Carrie English brought me an awesome horse to ride named ”Lightning”. I enjoyed my time in Paul’s Valley and I am looking forward to my next event there in June. They will be having a rodeo queen pageant and are looking to send a representative to the Miss Rodeo USA pageant in January 2014. Check out my next blog post for info on their pageant. Thank you to Allie Burgin, Lizzy Walker and Paul’s Valley Rotary for making it possible for me to come! Thank you to the Lance family for opening your home to me throughout the week and being an awesome host family!

I spent most of this past week in Evans, GA for the 9^th Annual Rodeo Nights Rodeo with Jamie Clark, and David and Wendy Speight. I started out making visits to the local fire stations on Wednesday which was followed by a school visit that evening. I had a young boy who was about 8 propose to me at this school! Talk about feeling special! I met with the rodeo committee at the fairgrounds on Wednesday evening and were able to get to know each other better over dinner. Thursday morning brought forth two school visits and I have to say they were some really attentive students. I spent the afternoon with Bobby Jo for lunch, making sponsor visits and returned back to the fairgrounds for slack. The committee fed us a steak dinner at the fairgrounds and it was a fantastic meal. All the money raised from this rodeo goes to help victims at the Burn Center. My heart was touched when I was taken to the Burn Center and met a patient who had been expecting me all week. His story was very touching and God has a plan for this brave young man. On Friday afternoon, I made another school visit. This visit was done outside and after the program I saw a small class playing duck duck goose. Naturally, I had to join in and play with the kidsJ  The rodeo was held on Friday and Saturday night; it was a great show with top notch contestants. Evans, GA is a big stop on most cowboys and cowgirls list of rodeos to hit because of the large amount of added money in each event. With $3,000 added in each event the winners leave there with fat pockets and big smiles well on their way to making the IFR. I also met a young boy on Saturday night named Chad. He left a lasting impression on me. I want to thank David and Wendy for asking me to attend Rodeo Nights and also to stock contractor Charlie Lowery for providing me with a horse “Gus” for the weekend. I had a great time and Evans will be an appearance I will always remember. I will be in Pauls Valley, OK April 29-May 4 for Thunder in the Valley.

Brunswick, GA

            On Monday evening April 8^th, I checked into my hotel in Brunswick, GA. I met the Exchange Club members and the people I would work with throughout my stay on Tuesday. During this meeting, I learned more about the RODEO at the BEACH we would be promoting. The fresh seafood I was treated to all week was great!! I have come to find out anywhere I go with my hat and crown on I get great service; something I really like. Later that day, Porkchop, Randy and I went to a psychology of sport class at the local college to speak to some students about rodeo. They were working on a term paper about rodeo and interviewed us. Knowing that I was helping them get a better grade by sharing my knowledge was a wonderful feeling. After leaving the college, Randy shared with me that rodeo sponsor I-95 Toyota was sponsoring me with a truck for the week. “We are going to go pick it up now,” he said with a grin. Little did I know, I-95 Toyota not only sponsored the nicest truck on the lot for me to drive, but it also had my picture and MRUSA logo on the side of the truck!!! This is one AWESOME moment that I will never forget. We then went to meet individuals at another gracious rodeo sponsor Stambaugh Aviation. They gave me a tour of their facility and took me up in a personal airplane. This was not any ordinary airplane; it had a bedroom, living room, and kitchen area which was pretty cool. On Wednesday evening, I met a little girl who will be my best friend for life. Kira is 8 and she absolutely loves rodeo and the animals. She showed me her lasso and told me she was looking forward to the rodeo on Friday and Saturday night. She was definitely a blessing to me. I gave her a ride in my truck and she said “Thank you Lauren for letting me ride in your Monster Truck.” As small as she was it was for sure a monster to her! We had dinner on a boat called the Emerald Princess II that evening where we enjoyed a boat ride. Sea Island was a one of my favorite sights to see! I am so thankful to Randy and the Beach Club for making it possible for me to tour The Cloister Hotel. For dinner there was a Low Country Boil and talk about some good eating! Working with the Hedrick rodeo crew, Josh “Porkchop” Garrick and Austin Williams was a pleasure. Rodeo on the Beach had another successful year with a good crowd both nights. On Saturday morning, Randy treated the Hedrick family and I to a horse ride on the beach. Riding a horse on the beach is something I have always wanted to do and the scenery was simply breathtaking! Thank you so much to the Exchange Club of Brunswick, Randy Bellflower and Hedrick Rodeo Company for an awesome week! I will be in Athens, GA April 18-20.

            I arrived in Athens, GA on Wednesday evening. I met the UGA block and bridle club and also helped Mr. Robin Brooks get things ready for the rodeo that was coming to town. On Thursday morning, we put on a Show-deo for the kids from the schools where they got to see what a rodeo was all about. I got to speak with a few of them after the rodeo was finished that morning. They all said they enjoyed it, and they were going to some back on Friday or Saturday night. There were three action packed performances with some talented contestants. On Thursday night towards the end of the rodeo, I sat down to talk with three young girls who were very interested in the rodeo and wanted to know more about how things worked. I really enjoyed explaining the rodeo events and what all went on behind the scenes to them. Friday and Saturday night performances were standing room only crowds. While I was mingling with the crowd before the rodeo started on Saturday night, I spotted some familiar faces. My parents and sister made a surprise visit! I enjoyed working with Southern Rodeo Company and UGA Block and Bridle this past weekend. I will be in Evans, GA April 24-27.

            After spending time with my family on Easter Sunday, I made my way southeast to Statesboro, Ga. I really enjoyed my stay with Mr. Don Poe and his family during the week. He took me to downtown Savannah after a TV interview; gave me tour and we had lunch on Riverfront drive. I also enjoyed getting some saltwater taffy while in Savannah, GA on Monday. On Tuesday, Don took me to the Georgia Southern University Raptor Center for a tour and to see Freedom the mascot (a bald eagle). I even had my picture made with him. I was treated to lunch at Statesboro’s own Vandys BBQ. The after school visit was a real treat for me. I really enjoyed sharing my platform with the kids at Julia P. The special needs fishing rodeo was one of the highlights of my week. I really enjoyed spending time with the children and watching them fish. While doing a meet and greet at Andersons General Store on Wednesday, Don and I had a competition to see who could get a horn honked at them in the quickest time. I hate to say it but Mr. Don won. Malinda treated me to dinner and choir practice at First Baptist Church of Statesboro which was something I really enjoyed. I met some great people at the Rotary club and Kiwanis meetings before doing some school visits that afternoon. I took a rope with me to the school visit and they were all begging me to rope them which of course I wouldn’t do, but I did pull a folding chair out and rope it. Those kids acted like that was the greatest thing they had ever seen. The rodeo went great on Friday and Saturday night. Several kids showed up from the school visits I had made, and they were really excited to be there. I saw some familiar faces on Saturday night and even a family member, Deny Ashley, who was competing in the rodeo. I was glad to lead him in a victory lap after he tied with a winning time in the team roping. I would like to say thank you to Don Poe, Bill Anderson, Malinda Williams, The Kiwanis members and Hedrick Rodeo Company for an awesome week and weekend. I will be in Brunswick, GA April 9-13.

After spending time with my family on Easter Sunday, I made my way southeast to Statesboro, Ga. I really enjoyed my stay with Mr. Don Poe and his family during the week. He took me to downtown Savannah after a TV interview; gave me tour and we had lunch on Riverfront drive. I also enjoyed getting some saltwater taffy while in Savannah, GA on Monday. On Tuesday, Don took me to the Georgia Southern University Raptor Center for a tour and to see Freedom the mascot (a bald eagle). I even had my picture made with him. I was treated to lunch at Statesboro’s own Vandys BBQ. The after school visit was a real treat for me. I really enjoyed sharing my platform with the kids at Julia P. The special needs fishing rodeo was one of the highlights of my week. I really enjoyed spending time with the children and watching them fish. While doing a meet and greet at Andersons General Store on Wednesday, Don and I had a competition to see who could get a horn honked at them in the quickest time. I hate to say it but Mr. Don won. Malinda treated me to dinner and choir practice at First Baptist Church of Statesboro which was something I really enjoyed. I met some great people at the Rotary club and Kiwanis meetings before doing some school visits that afternoon. I took a rope with me to the school visit and they were all begging me to rope them which of course I wouldn’t do, but I did pull a folding chair out and rope it. Those kids acted like that was the greatest thing they had ever seen. The rodeo went great on Friday and Saturday night. Several kids showed up from the school visits I had made, and they were really excited to be there. I saw some familiar faces on Saturday night and even a family member, Deny Ashley, who was competing in the rodeo. I was glad to lead him in a victory lap after he tied with a winning time in the team roping. I would like to say thank you to Don Poe, Bill Anderson, Malinda Williams, The Kiwanis members and Hedrick Rodeo Company for an awesome week and weekend. I will be in Brunswick, GA April 9-13.