by John Dowd
Rodeo is often considered a “true American sport,” and one that may be fading with time. To prevent this, there are many who are working to keep rodeo in the spotlight and to maintain American ranching heritage. One such youth program is the Rodeo Royalty program, which is held in most counties.
The program takes young girls who love rodeo and their country lifestyle and tests them like a pageant. The ones that come out on top are dubbed “Royalty.” These girls are chosen to represent rodeo, and this year, Ravalli County selected three girls to represent Ravalli County Rodeo Royalty. These girls are all members of Junior Rodeo, 4-H and the Northern Rodeo Association (NRA).
According to Nichole Paddock, a 4-H leader in Ravalli County, when selected, the girls become ambassadors for the sport. To be selected, the girls are tested on their rodeo knowledge and given tasks in four categories including horsemanship, public speaking, modeling and interview skills.
They started out last Friday, showcasing their horsemanship skills, judged on their maneuvers, speed changes and more. Then, they modeled on Saturday, showing off designer rodeo clothes. After that, they gave a prepared two-minute speech on a given topic. The process also included a personal interview, just like a job interview.
“We want these girls to not be biased with religion or politics,” said Paddock, “despite their personal beliefs,” because they are going to represent rodeo.
At the end, their scores were tallied in each category. The highest scoring in each age group was selected. The oldest was the “Queen,” the second oldest was the “Teen Queen,” and the youngest was the “Princess.” The three girls for Ravalli County’s Rodeo Royalty for 2024 were Lauren Loeffler as Queen, Brooklynn Brosius as Teen Queen and Reata Jones as Princess.
The girls spoke a bit on their favorite and least favorite categories. According to Jones, her favorite was horsemanship and her least favorite was the speech. She said she grew up with horsemanship, and so that came naturally. Speaking in front of people was another story. Brosius and Loeffler agreed, saying their least favorites were also the speech category. For Brosius, the interview was her favorite, saying “Sitting down and having a conversation with someone seems easier.” Loeffler, the Queen, said her least favorite was a tie between the speech category and the modeling. Like a true country girl, she felt ridiculous. For her, horsemanship was the easiest.