Adventures on the Road Again!

       My time at the Washington Co. Ag Rodeo was nothing short of a blast. Before the rodeo on Friday and Saturday evening, I was fortunate to share my platform “Mentoring Matters” in a few different settings. The local private school and the rotary club both welcomed me with open arms! Thursday morning I started my day off with the rotary club. After discussing my platform and the importance of mentoring in the community, I mentioned that I was going to the local private school.   The public school superintendent then asked if I could come by the following morning to elementary school classes. Even though it was not on my schedule, Eddy, the rodeo chairman, and I made sure I had time to go by and talk to classrooms. The children were very excited to see a rodeo queen and learn more about mentoring. In between my sponsor and school visits I was able to visit downtown Tennille and enjoy some of the local restaurants. My favorite stop was an ice cream parlor where I enjoyed strawberry cheesecake ice cream. Friday night’s rodeo performance was a hit with the Hedrick Rodeo Company.This rodeo did something unique after calf scramble: they put all of the participant’s names in a hat and drew for a bike. They did this both Friday and Saturday night and handed out one bike for a girl, and one for a boy. The Washington Co. Ag Rodeo is all about community and giving back. Saturday afternoon before the rodeo, we had a special visitor stop by the grounds. Mason, a young boy diagnosed with cancer, came out for a surprise private tour of the rodeo grounds and animals. Tractor Supply even brought him the ultimate Easter wagon that was filled with toys with his favorite being a nerf gun. At first, Mason was shy about being around so many strangers, but once he got his hands on the nerf gun, he came to life,taking a shot at everybody! I felt honored to be his bullet holder and help him reload for the next victim. Often in the life of a rodeo queen, it is all about the kids.          Speaking of being “all about the kids,” my next rodeo was in Tuscumbia, Alabama with the Tennessee High School Rodeo. The association put on a performance open to the public in honor of Ross Hill, an iconic rodeo bullfighter.  I was able to catch up with sash sister Hannah Hungate, the Tennessee High School Rodeo Queen, who I originally met at a clinic in 2019. Hannah introduced me to three girls who will be competing in the queen’s contest for Tennessee High School Rodeo and I got to give them a few words of encouragement and advice. The rodeo performance was a FULL house, and I even got to see former Miss Rodeo USA Leslie (Burgreen) Waldrep, who was a judge during my first time competing for a Miss title. Along with meeting new friends and catching up with current Rodeo family, I also carried the American flag during the opening ceremony. After the National Anthem played, rodeo announcer Jaime Osbrink got the crowd amped up while introducing sponsor flags carried in by high school contestants. I was honored to also do the final fly by with the American Hat Company flag. The rodeo performance was a great success.         I did not stay away from Hannah for too long as my next rodeo was in Cookeville, Tennessee with the Lone-star Rodeo Company.   I appreciate the Hungates opening their home to me for the weekend. The Lonestar Rodeo had three performances between Friday and Saturday. I was joined by Miss Limestone Sheriff’s Rodeo Abigail Benz and we spent the weekend enjoying rodeo and talking with fans at the rodeo. Between rodeo performances on Saturday, a group of us ladies packed into Abigail’s jeep to run and get some caffeine. One of the vendors at the rodeo happened to be a family that has a daughter who competes in Tennessee High School Rodeo. I had met them the weekend prior, and it was a great coincidence to see them again and cheer on both their daughters who were competing Saturday night in breakaway and barrels.         They say “sleep is for the weak,” but Rodeo Queens say “we don’t sleep for weeks!”   Follow me on Facebook and Instagram for updates on my next stop- Statesboro, Georgia. As always, I look forward to giving you a morein- depth look at my travels in my next blog.