Kissimmee, Florida

Hello Rodeo Fans!

Back again to tell you about my amazing trip to Kissimmee, Florida for the Silver Spur Rodeo.

I flew out early morning February 16^th for Des Moines. I had a couple flights to catch before I could land in Orlando Florida. First I flew from Des Moines to Chicago. From there I head to Charlotte and then finally on to Orlando. The weather was absolutely beautiful when I landed! It was so nice to see palm trees and green grass when I had left a wet brown Iowa. I was picked up from the airport by Heather Hall’s (Miss Rodeo Florida 2010) mom. She loaded me and Lorissa (Miss Rodeo Montana) up and we were on our way to meet up with the other girls. I was very excited to see the other girls. I didn’t get a chance to see any of them in Denver so this would be my first real weekend with them. After meeting up with everyone else we headed to the arena to get a lay out of the area and work on what we would be doing for the grand entries of the rodeo performances. From there we were on to the event for the evening… We were going hog hunting! 

Some of the girls getting ready to get a hog

                We had some locals be generous enough to take about 15 excited rodeo queens out into the swamp/back woods to see if we could find ourselves a hog. We worked our way with a couple trucks and dogs into the swamps. After we got the dogs all ready to go we released them and set out on foot to see what we could find. At one point we thought we had found a hog and took off after it. Other girls and I stopped when the water was almost to the top of our boots. There were some troopers that followed our guides and kept running, waist deep into the swampy waters!!! When they returned with no hog in hand, we started to head back about to give up. Just at the point we heard the dogs in a frenzy and heard the noise we had been waiting for; the very loud hog squeal. We split into two groups when we realized there were two hogs and ran to help the dogs. Once the hog was captured and ‘hog tied’, we took it out of the woods and into the back of the truck. It was a very exciting night for all of us and so much fun. We had heard stories from past queens to not expect to get a hog; something about getting 15 queens together makes us not a quiet group. We did get some though and were ecstatic about it. When all was said and done, we got loaded up and headed home for bed.

                Thursday morning we started the day with school visits. All of us girls went to the same school and split up into the different grades. We talked to the students about the sport of rodeo, our horses and the rodeo in town that weekend. It is so great talking to children school age. They are so enthusiastic and ask such great questions. When we left the school we went to the county sheriff office where we had the opportunity to see a canine demonstration. The first dog was a very well trained and seasoned dog. He was able to show us how he would go after an attacker. We also were shown the new tools the officer can use such as a remote to open the car door. If an officer was in a situation where they needed their dog they could just push a button, the door will open and the dog can help save the officer.  

                Our Thursday afternoon activity was one of my favorites. We had the opportunity to go on a fan boat through the swamps! It was a beautiful afternoon with sunshine and warm temperatures. Our large group split up into two boats and set out to see the local scenery and try to find some gators! We had great luck! We saw quite a few gators in the water either swimming or just hanging out with their heads above the water.We even found a large gator soaking up the sun on some vegetation and were able to get within 20 feet of it! They are such beautiful animals but I was fine keeping my distance.  When the boat ride was done we all headed to have dinner together with our host family. 

The restaurant was called the Catfish Place and was delicious! The girls and I wanted to try new things so we ordered turtle, alligator, catfish and frog legs. It was all very good but I think I enjoyed the turtle the most. Being able to eat, relax and chat with all the queens and the family was a great way to end such a pleasant day. 

The next morning we woke to take advantage of some really Florida scenery, the beach! We drove about an hour away to spend the day soaking up the rays. The weather was perfect; about 80 degrees and sunny. We spent the day splashing in the water, enjoying the sun, digging in the sand like little kids and a few girls even were given some surfing lessons. 

With cold weather back in Iowa, I was so happy to be laying on the beach. After the beach we headed home to get ready for the rodeo. Friday night was Tough Enough To Wear Pink night so all of us girls got our beautiful breast cancer awareness colors on and set out to ride in the grand entry. We were each given a horse to ride, introduced and did a queens run. It was a very neat sight to see so many state queens representing in Florida. When we were done with the grand entry we visited some of the VIP rooms to thank sponsors and walked around signing autographs. I was even able to catch the end of Wade Sundell’s ride; so exciting to see an Iowa cowboy riding down in Florida. 

              Saturday we split into groups and did our own thing. Some girls went to Universal Studios, some went on a dune buggy ride in the woods and we had a low key relaxing day. I was fighting off a terrible sinus infection so I was ok with just relaxing and getting a few extra hours of sleep. Saturday night was the rodeo again. Before the rodeo Tricia (Miss Rodeo Idaho) and I were able to squeeze in some shopping and even get a camel ride! 

We rode in the grand entry and signed autographs again after. My parents had flown down for a week vacation so they were able to see me at the rodeo. After the rodeo I went with my parents and all my bags to fly out on a very early flight back to Iowa the next day. I left Kissimmee with some amazing memories and great times with the other state queens. It left me feeling so excited for the upcoming year and all the wonderful opportunities the title of Miss Rodeo Iowa was providing for me. Until next time, stay well and happy trails!