All hail the queen
Sheriff’s Posse crowns first new Mother Lode Roundup Queen since 2019
Kaitlyn Rumsey, 20, of Sonora was crowned the 2022 Mother Lode Roundup Queen at the Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Posse grounds in Jamestown on Thursday.
Rumsey was one of four candidates vying for the title, which previously was held for an unprecedented three years by Rayna Rogers, 19, of Jamestown, due to the event being canceled in 2020 and 2021 because of the pandemic.
After queen coordinator Krista Howell, of Sonora, welcomed everyone, the ceremony began with each of the candidates being given a bouquet of flowers donated by Sonora Florist. Each of the candidates also received a Bronc halter and a portrait by Kathy Scutt Photography.
Macy Ann Liotta, of Valley Springs, was the first runner-up and winner of the written test, which consisted of 50 questions regarding the rules of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, Tuolumne County history and the history of the Sheriff’s Posse.
Kyndal Castle, of Valley Springs, won the Miss Photogenic Award and the Appearance Award, while Beaumont Cook, of Groveland, won the Miss Congeniality Award.
Howell stated that all of the candidates were “equally qualified and prepared, and any one of them would have been an excellent representative for the Tuolumne County rodeo.”
Rumsey, who sold over 500 tickets, also won the Horsemanship Award and received a leather headstall, courtesy of the Joe and Clete Stafford family. She also won the Personality Award, and received a Montana silver necklace and earrings courtesy of Shannon Hildebrand of Crossfit Sonora.
Other prizes included a horse trailer emblazoned with the words “Mother Lode Roundup” in gold letters, courtesy of Black Oak Casino Resort; the Mary Mackenzie Suess memorial scholarship of $1,000; a set of chaps from the Sheriff’s Posse; a saddle courtesy of Chicken Ranch Casino, a high ticket sales belt buckle, courtesy of Audie and Sandy Archer; and a tiara courtesy of John and Margaret Egger and Jim and Bev Earl.
When asked how it felt to become the new Roundup queen, Rumsey said it hadn’t quite sunk in yet, but she was “super excited to represent the posse,” adding, “I’ve known these guys since I was itty bitty. When you are a part of the red shirt family, they are with you for better or for worse.”
Rumsey is also a board member for the Back Country Horsemen Mid Valley and attends Modesto Junior College, majoring in animal science with the intent to transfer to UC Davis pursuing studies in equine veterinary.
The event included a dinner, and afterward people signed up to participate in a Calcutta for the Calf Scramble.
A Calcutta is defined as an auction where teams of competitors are sold to the highest bidder. The team that wins the Calf Scramble at this weekend’s rodeo will share a pool of cash with the “owner” of the team.
A total of 18 teams will compete in the Calf Scramble, 10 on Saturday and eight on Sunday. The teams were present, and auctioneers J.J. Harrison, of Walla Walla, Washington, and Sheriff’s Posse member Bogio Ditler, of Sonora, took turns at the mic.
Harrison said he got involved with the event over 10 years ago and still makes the trek because he was glad to be a part of “something fun where the money stays in the community for the kids.”