required to practice dancing throughout the week in between parts of the
competition to prepare for the coronation. First crowned was Miss Rodeo
Texas Princess Cheyenne Barrett. Miss
Sandhills Princess Maddie Stewart
was the first-runner up and won the
speech category. Sissy Winn was
crowned Miss Rodeo Texas Teen. The
final two in the Miss division came
down to Nikki Woodward and Lisa
Lageschaar; Woodward won personality and speech and Lageschaar won
photogenic, horsemanship and appearance. It was a close race down to
the final two questions. Nikki Woodward of Alpine, prevailed and was
crowned the new Miss Rodeo Texas.
Woodward will now spend the
next year traveling across Texas and
the country, representing the Lone
Star State and the sport of rodeo. She
will compete for the prestigious title
of Miss Rodeo America in December
in Las Vegas during the National Finals Rodeo. I wish the best of luck to
Woodward as she represents the great
state of Texas.
While Snow Lopez sat with me on
the sidelines, she recounted her experience, saying it was wonderful and
that she aims to become Miss Rodeo
Texas in the future.
“My experience at Miss Rodeo
Texas was overwhelming since I
am a beginner at rodeo queening. It
definitely opened my eyes and made
me realize that I could compete at
a higher level with the right amount
of knowledge,” Lopez said. “I do see
myself running for Miss Rodeo Texas
in the future and many other great
titles.”
As I drove home, I reflected on my
time at the Miss Rodeo Texas pageant. I have a lot of work to do, but
I’m excited to prepare, over the next
year, to compete for the title of Miss
Rodeo Texas. I’m so proud to have
a supportive community behind me
in all of my endeavors. It’s a joy to
come from a county with such a rich,
western heritage.
OCTOBER 2015
Nikki Woodward and Snow Lopez
PA R K E R C O U N T Y T O D AY
One neat aspect of the Miss Rodeo
Texas organization is the director,
Marjorie Murphy, allows other state
queens across America to compete as
a practice run for Miss Rodeo America if they don’t have a state director
or organization, or if there is no one
to compete within their state.
I arrived on Monday, June 29,
with the horsemanship competition
beginning that evening. The horsemanship at Miss Rodeo Texas reflects
the horsemanship at Miss Rodeo
America. Horses are provided from
outside sources that contestants have
never ridden before. Each contestant
completed a reining/horsemanship
pattern on their first drawn horse, and
then do a freestyle pattern on their
second drawn horse. I love the aspect
of bringing unfamiliar drawn horses,
because as Miss Rodeo Texas travels across her state and America she
never knows what kind of horse will
be provided. Therefore, Miss Rodeo
Texas must be a real cowgirl.
The next morning began early
with opening speeches. Lunch followed, where I had the opportunity to
model Delores Unique Designs clothing. The style show took place that
night. Contestants modeled fashion
by Cowgirl Kim and Bob Kipperman.
Ending the evening, contestants modeled western gowns and answered
questions.
By the third day I realized my
Wranglers were fitting tighter than
normal. With the delicious food
provided, I was going to need to start
a diet when I got home. Fiesta Night
took place that evening at the Petroleum Club. This year, the contestants designed their dresses to fit the
evening’s theme. They played a game
of trivia over Texas (yes, it was still
judged), then the last two teams came
to a dance-off and the winning team
joined with the judges to dance with
them in celebration.
On the final day of the pageant
following breakfast, the Sandhills
Teen Queen and our coordinator,
Angie Bryant, toured the San Antonio
river walk. That night, we got ready
for the much-anticipated coronation.
Supporters from across the state came
to watch, and many former royalty
of the Miss Rodeo Texas organization joined us. Each contestant was
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