Washington County Enterprise-Leader
Queenship Promotes Lincoln Rodeo Sport
Ambassadors For Lincoln Rodeo
There once was a little girl who ran around the house on a stick horse and an old, dull crown on her head.
She dreamed of being a rodeo queen, just like her Mom. That girl was me. Now, years later, I am a rodeo queen.
People often ask why on earth anyone would want to put on a leather blouse, and ride in a parade down main street on the hottest day of the year. It is not only for the love of a sport but for the desire to educate and promote a sport that is near and dear to my heart.
It does, however, take a lot to become a rodeo queen. You have to start with a great organization like the Lincoln Riding Club that is willing to put out the time, money and effort to allow young women to compete for a title. Lincoln Riding Club has been a leader in a good rodeo queen pageant since my Mom was young. And, that is a long time ago. It takes a lot of people to prepare, conduct and pay for it. Then the community has to be willing to help back the pageant with prizes and support.
Once all that comes together, the girls have been preparing to compete for months in advance of the pageant. They have studied current events, rodeo terms and accumulated a vast wardrobe. The horse is also expensive to own and maintain. The competition can often be long and stressful, but in the end, the one that is chosen is filled with excitement and fulfillment. The ones who are not, leave with lots of knowledge and hopefully, the desire to come back next year and do it all over again.
Being a rodeo queen only begins with the crowning on Saturday night. She is expected and should demand of herself, long hours of pulling down the road to promote the sport and the group who hosted the pageant. No one pays for her gas, eats, or hotels as she moves along her rein for that year. She should not expect any but be very appreciative of the help she gets.
Yes, being a rodeo queen begins with the dream and ends with dreams fulfilled, if she knows what she wants and is willing to put out the effort to achieve it.
I would strongly suggest anyone interested in becoming a rodeo queen to compete in the Lincoln Riding Club Pageant. They have the level of knowledge and competence that is needed to conduct a good pageant.
We’ve all heard the old saying about not switching horses in the middle of the stream but sometimes that’s just part of the territory when it comes to rodeo competition.
Danielle Edwards, a 16year-old candidate for queen, borrowed a mount called Rock Star from Jimmy Huffaker to begin the competition. Before performing the queen pattern on Saturday, Edwards had only ridden Rock Star three times. While she was grateful to continue, Edwards had to adjust.
“It was a little bit of a change, this horse has a shorter stride than most,” Edwards said.
Taylor Cunningham, 14, a candidate for junior queen, recently acquired Cherokee, a paint horse, and had a mere three months to prepare.
“I actually got adjusted to her on running barrels and the queen pattern,” Cunningham said.
Lauren Cheevers, 16, who hails from the FayettevilleElkins area, also competed on a borrowed horse, Gracie, a 14year-old chestnut.
“We had a different farrier right before competition and got the hooves too sore to ride,” Cheevers said.
Cheevers found herself unable to practice and had to not only find another horse but also get the switch approved. Cheevers sees the challenge as a good thing, noting queen candidates in big rodeos don’t get to use their own horse and must compete on a stock contractor’s horse.
“You never know what’s going to happen. That showed me you have to take the time and get prepared for it,” Cheevers said.
Ambassadorship is the prevailing theme among the young ladies vying for queen and junior queen at the 59th annual Lincoln rodeo which begins today with the sponsor’s dinner.
As part of the competition, each candidate will make a speech during the dinner held at the Lincoln square starting at 5:30 p.m.
Melody Griscom, who is the current Madison County International Professional Rodeo Association queen, said her dad, Dale Griscom, is the biggest rodeo competitor and influence in her family.
“He definitely taught me how to rope. He’s my George Straight in my eyes,” Griscom said and then she added with a cowgirl twinkle, “He’s still got his looks for his age.”
Griscom will ride Wimpy, an 11-year-old bay, in the rodeo calling the horse her “allaround baby” as she competes in barrel racing, roping and the queen candidacy, something she said is important to the sport.
“It’s not about the glitter and the clothes, it’s about being that marketing partner for rodeo and keeping our western heritage alive,” Griscom said.
Griscom’s mother, Star Griscom, is the major influence on Cheevers, who said she always wanted to get into rodeo.
“She’s the one from the start, who took me under her wing and definitely guided me along,” Cheevers said.
Edwards and Cunningham have both been influenced by their fathers, who both like to rope. Cunningham has been raised around rodeo and is excited about the annual Lincoln Rodeo.
“It makes me feel amazing, it makes me feel like this town actually means something to people,” Cunningham said.
As a candidate for junior queen, Cunningham said it would be a great experience to become a leader and show other people a small town girl can do something big and go from nothing to something.
Cheevers said she encourages people to come see the rodeo.
Edwards said being part of the competition means a lot to her.
“I’ve lived here my whole life, I don’t know much other place but Lincoln and having the rodeo keeps me on the right track,” Edwards said. “There are lots of good inspiration around you.”