By Elizabeth Vaughn, Copy Editor, Valley Ag Voice
If you’ve ever been a part of a rodeo, you know the abundant amount of work and effort that goes into the days leading up to the competition. At this year’s Glennville Rodeo on June 12th, the event was kicked off by announcing the winners of the Greenhorn Mountain Veteran’s Association Rodeo Royalty. This year, the young ladies competed for the titles of Queen, Jr. Queen, Princess, and Tiny Princess, based on age range, and along with their titles they received a custom sterling silver crown and belt buckle.
They are tested on horsemanship, speech and modeling, personal interviews, and they take a written test to demonstrate their rodeo and equine knowledge. The girls also work to raise funds that go towards running the Greenhorn Mountain Veteran’s Association and are given the opportunity to increase their skills through the process. Besides the royalty titles, awards are given for Miss Congeniality, High Money Winner, Most Photogenic, and the Mary Stone Scholarship Award. Plus, the winner of Miss Rodeo Glennville was also awarded with a sponsored horse trailer.
From Wednesday to Sunday, the contestants all participated in events that ultimately would determine the winners to be announced the day of the rodeo. Wednesday was their introduction on what to expect through the orientation and Meet & Greet dinner. The next day, the girls had their written test and personal interviews in the morning and then speech and modeling section in the evening. Friday consisted of demonstrating proper horsemanship and later a rodeo knowledge interview, and that evening they attended the Lauren Small Benefit Dinner. Saturday was much easier going with a lunch at the 155 Market with a Glennville historian. Through the activities, the girls demonstrated their knowledge and love of equitation.
Lead organizer for the competition, Abbey Chanley, spoke with pride on how well this year’s group represented the community: “We put this pageant on to find representatives for the sport of rodeo, but also to give young girls [an opportunity] to grow and improve in areas like interview and public speaking skills as well as horsemanship. Each of them did an amazing job competing, as well as raising money to fund our rodeo and community events and outreach for this next year. I told the girls on Sunday, I didn’t think I would be emotional as we reached their coronation, but I am so proud of the way they competed, the way they interacted with each other and our community, and the countless ways each of them broke out of their comfort zones and worked towards a goal they set for themselves. Each of them is beautiful, talented and so deserving of these crowns. We are very excited for the next year with our newly crowned royalty and so blessed to have had such a fantastic group of girls compete this year!”
Donna Gonzales (7), the first runner-up for the Tiny Princess division and named Miss Congeniality, was proud to ride in the parade and gallop out in the arena with her horse Montana. She especially enjoyed waving to the crowd and spending the days with her friends. “One of the best things about the event is that even though the girls in the same categories are competing against each other, they all became like best friends and hung out together around each other’s trailers outside the events,” said Donna’s mom, Alex Gonzales.
2022 Awards
Miss Congeniality in the Princess & Tiny Princess Division
Donna Gonzales
Miss Congeniality in the Queen & Jr. Queen Division
Ashlin Torbet
Mary Stone Community Service Achievement Award
Katie Donnelly
Most Photogenic
Audrey Stone
Tiny Princess
Quency Carver
Princess
Paisley Carver
Jr. Queen
Julissa Martinez
Queen
Katie Donnelly
Through the work of the Greenhorn Mountain Veterans Association, a 501c3 Non-Profit Veterans Organization, they have a purpose to “promote social activities, community welfare and a love for America.”
If you would like to donate to the organization, visit them at GlennvilleRodeo.org/Donate,
Or mail checks to: GMVA, P.O. Box 305, Glennville, CA 93226.
