For those not framiliar with the rodeo world, being a rodeo queen is an amazingly unique job in so many ways. One of the largest of these is the way that we compete; girls prepare for months and sometimes years, for a singular shot at a title. In many states pageants are few and far between or timing is on top of each other, meaning sometimes you get that shot only once in a year. If you are unsuccessful in your dreams you have to wait another year to try again.
With that, insert the Royal Review, brainchild of a former Miss Rodeo California/Miss Rodeo USA, this is a pageant without a pageant. A place where girls can learn and compete without an actual title on the line.
I have wanted to attend the Royal Review since it’s inception, but unfortunately it has always overlapped with another event. Therefore, this year when I saw the dates didn’t have a red flag on my calendar, I had my flight booked before the website had finished loading!
In rodeo we are one big family, that’s how we are able to make such a difficult and expensive sport possible. So I chose to room and help split costs with another California Cowgirl, Rachelle, whom I had competed with on my first try at Mother Lode.
The entire trip was a whirlwind and so much fun, I got to see my big, who I have barely seen since college, other friends from my home state, and even ones who I had never met but lived down the road from! Though the results were a little tougher than I expected, I was so glad I did it. Because the 1 am Dennys run and late night modeling/dance parties, made it all worth it.
