Girls ride to be crowned rodeo queen

On horseback, wearing cowboy hats, boots, belts and large smiles, seven girls will be competing for the title of Corning Jr. Rodeo Queen on Thursday.

The girls gathered for practice and pictures on Wednesday, each full of nerves and jitters as they learned the ins and outs of the competition from local rodeo star Rylee Lamson.

“Remember girls, it is important to dress the part, be confident, smiling and ready to answer the questions asked by the judges,” Lamson said to the girls.

The Rodeo Mixer, sponsored by PremierWest Bank and Corning Olive Oil Company, will start at 6 p.m., and along with the queen competition, will include the Little Miss Rodeo Pageant and Stick Horse Races for the youngsters, a barbecue and Cow-Chip Bingo.

Young cowboys and cowgirls will gather at 7 p.m. on Friday and 5 p.m. on Saturday to compete in rodeo events such as mutton busting, steer riding, bull riding, barrel racing, pole bending, goat tying, team roping, bareback and saddle bronc riding, and more.

All Corning Jr. Rodeo events will be held at Clark Park Rodeo Grounds located at the east end of Fig Lane.

Vying to be Rodeo Queen are:

• Kaylee Loewen, 15, of Corning, the daughter of Lisa and Randy Loewen. She is a ninth-grader at Corning High School and will be riding her horse Toby in the competition.
Loewen competes in barrel racing. Although she almost lost her life in a very bad horseback riding accident, Loewen said she still has the drive and desire to ride and compete on horses.

• Kelsey Kruse, 17, of Red Bluff, is a tenth-grader at Red Bluff High School. She is the daughter of Kass LL Kruse, and will be competing on her horse Doc.
She competes in barrel racing and pole bending, and said she has wanted to be a rodeo queen since she was a little girl.

• Kendall Rose, 14, of Stonyford, is the daughter of Sandra Rose and Mark Rebele. She attends Elk Creek High School, and will be competing on a horse named Joe, owned by The Dearman Ranch.
In her first rodeo event Rose competed in steer riding, but today competes in barrel racing. She would like to someday be a professional stock contractor for rodeos.

• Taylor Munk, 16, of Stonyford, will be riding David Brandenberger’s horse Spenser in the rodeo queen competition.
She is the daughter of Stephanie Gleason and Cheveyo Munk, and is a sophomore at Elk Creek High School.
Munk competes in barrel racing, but also likes to compete in basketball and volleyball, ride ATVs, hunt, fish and being on her grandparents ranch.

• Amelia Mae Massie, 12, of Hamilton City, is the daughter of Holly and Jerry Massie. She is a seventh-grader at Core Butte Charter school.
Massie will be riding a horse named Juny in the queen competition. She said she likes to compete in steer riding because it is a hard and scary, but fun.

• Michell Woolbert, 14, of Gerber, will be riding her horse Rece’s Soxy Dream in the competition. She is the daughter of Hope and Berry Woolbert, and is in the eighth-grade at Vista Middle School.
Woolbert likes to participate in sports and likes to earn straight A’s in school. She competes in barrel racing, but also likes steer riding.

• Danielle Hedglin, 17, of Chico, is the daughter of Glen and Eileen Hedglin, and a senior at Pleasant Valley High School.
She will be riding her horse Rocket in the competition. Hedglin likes to compete in reining events, softball, and 4-H. She is involved in college connections which allows her to be enrolled in high school and college at the same time.