Starting off the year!

Hello Everyone!

Well I have officially been Miss Rodeo Iowa 2011 for two days now and so far they have been great! I am getting ready for my coronation celebration and planning my exciting year that I have ahead of me. I think I need to go back a little bit though and catch up with my journey that got me to this point. Lets start back at the pageant....


September 8th - 11th

Rachel Burton and I warming up for Horsemanship

The pageant was such a great experience this year! After competing last year and receiving first runner-up I was very excited to come back and have a little more knowledge under my belt. The pageant went from Wednesday until Saturday; we hoped each day would hold out and have decent weather. It did for the most part. We had check in Wednesday night and worked our peoples choice buckets that night at the rodeo. Thursday morning we started with interviews. This year we did things a little different and had a personal interview and a horsemanship interview. I was glad to see it done this way so we would be more prepared for that kind of style when competing in Las Vegas. Friday was horsemanship in the morning. The clouds decided to roll in and got us a little damp but it was still very tolerable. In the afternoon the other girls and I gave our speeches. This was one of my favorite parts of the pageant. I love hearing the creative speeches that are shared. Friday night at the rodeo was a wet one!!! All of us girls bundled up in our rain gear and heading to the grounds. We were unable to ride in the grand entry because of the rain and mud but the rodeo still went on. And you wouldn't believe the fans that still came out to support the cowboys and cowgirls! Rain or shine, rodeo has great fans! Saturday we started with the parade. Last year and this year as well Saturday was also the day of the big Iowa vs. Iowa State game. That was a hot topic at the parade! As for 3 out of 4 of the contestants were Iowa State students, we had a great time cheering on the few Cyclone fans on the street! Finally in the afternoon it was time for the modeling and coronation. I was in complete shock when the results came. I knew I had tried my best but had no idea I had done so well! I felt so blessed and excited to had receive the Robert Britton speech award, the Larry Roberts Rodeo Spirit award, Photogenic, Horsemanship and the title of Miss Rodeo Iowa 2011. I was brought to tears when I saw how happy and emotional my parents were in the audience. I was told that I wouldn't really grasp everything and it wouldn't sink in until I made my queens run that night at the rodeo. It was true! I was still in awe and it finally hit me as I made my way into the area and was introduced as Miss Rodeo Iowa 2011. I had a great night chasing out calves and carrying flags with the new Miss Teen Rodeo Iowa 2011, Charity Howk. We finished off the weekend with helping at the pancake breakfast Sunday Morning. After that it was time to load up, officially sign my contract and head home to get ready for Ames and school on Monday.


October 17th, 2010

I had a wonderful opportunity to help with the Honor Flight from Dubuque Regional Airport. They had put on a supper for veterans that were on the flight that day and ones that would be on the flight the following day. This was a service put on by sponsors to fly veterans to Washington D.C. to see the memorial. Seeing so many veterans and supporting families was such a warming feeling. I am very thankful to have had such magnificence people fight for our country and freedom. 


November 27th - December 4th, 2010

The Saturday after Thanksgiving was an exciting day; I was flying to Las Vegas to watch Jordanne (Miss Rodeo Iowa 2010) compete for the Miss Rodeo America title. I was there for the whole week and was able to see all of the aspects of the pageant. The horsemanship, speeches, fashion show, presidents breakfast, PRCA lunch and maybe other events. Jordanne looked gorgeous every day! She did such a great job and represented Iowa so well! Also while out in Vegas I was able to do some sight seeing for the town, go to Cowboy Christmas (great shopping!) and enjoy the weather which was warmer than back home. On Thursday night I was able to go to the opening night of the NFR. Bob Britton took his niece, Hannah and her mom, Paula and myself. My parents also were able to get tickets not far from our seats. We got to see first hand Wade Sundell have a nice ride to kick off his week. To end the week we were flying out of Las Vegas on the red eye flight Saturday night December 4th, which happened to be my birthday. To celebrate we went to Fremont Street to see the sights, have dinner and ended up going down a zip-line with Hannah! I was very very scared but with Hannah by my side, I had a blast doing it!

Well I think I have fully caught up with my year so far. I am just working on the plans for my coronation. In little over a week I will be heading to Denver for the North Western Stock Show. Stay tuned for details and I'm sure great stories from that trip!

Have a blessed New Year and stay warm!

Heidi