Chomistek hopes to follow mom’s lead at 2017 Miss Rodeo Canada
When Brittney Chomistek participates in next week’s Miss Rodeo Canada in Edmonton, she’ll be following her mother’s footsteps.
Chomistek, 20, was the 2016 Queen of Medicine Hat’s Exhibition and Stampede, making her and mom Shelley the first mother-daughter duo to have each held the title.
Shelley was also the winner of the 1986 Miss Rodeo Canada, so Brittney has a chance to repeat this milestone on a national scale when the 2017 winner is crowned on Nov. 10.
“We’re actually the first mother-daughter to run for Miss Rodeo Canada,” Brittney said. “My mom has always had a great passion for rodeo and the western heritage ... She has such great Canadian pride and I had that instilled in me in a young age.”
She said her mother never pushed her into rodeo, but was something she organically developed an interested in.
“I’ve always been a western kid,” said Brittney. “I live on an acreage northeast of Medicine Hat here. I’ve always gone to the Stampede.”
She was inspired to get involved in rodeo through mentor Becky Thompson, who was the Medicine Hat Queen when Brittney was young.
“She really took the time to get to know me. She made me feel that I was so special when I was this six-year-old girl stalking her,” she joked.
Brittney is very involved with charitable initiatives in the community.
She was named the United Way youth ambassador for Medicine Hat this summer, which she described as an “honour.”
“My family has always been very big in community involvement and volunteer work,” she said, adding that she’s particularly involved in Tools for Schools, which provides school supplies, and Brown Bag Lunch, which provides lunches for kids in need.
For Miss Rodeo Canada participants have to write an exam, engage in personal interviews, public speaking, horsemanship and modelling.
Brittney said she’s fortunate the Medicine Hat rodeo has the same setup.
“Our girls running for Medicine Hat kind of get the same experience as girls who are running for national titles, which is really cool because not many pageants can have a week-long competition.”
Shelley said she’s happy Brittney is participating in an activity she enjoys.
“My husband and I are proud of her no matter what she does,” she said. “We really didn’t care which route she wanted to go. We’re obviously very proud of what she’s doing.”
Shelley said it’s common for rodeo to pass down through generations.
“Rodeo’s a very traditional sports,” she said. “It’s very unique. When we watch it now, it’s a lot of the same family names. We get thinking, ‘Oh, it’s so-and-so’s son, or, ‘Oh, it’s so-and-so’s grandchild,’”