Gainesville — It was a hot day, but the young women vying for the title of 2010 Rodeo Gainesville Queen and Princess were practicing keeping their cool Saturday afternoon at the Gainesville Riding Club arena.

The six candidates arrived early to unload their horses and get ready for the riding skills portion of the competition.

Each contestant dressed in typical cowgirl attire — pearl snap shirts, jeans, boots and hats.

Some, such as Queen contestant Kayla Carroll, used sparkle powder to give their horses extra pizzazz.

The young women faced high winds that blew some of the contestants’ hats off as they took their turns in the arena performing the pattern under the direction of competition judge Morgan Lybbert.

The skills portion of the contest accounts for 40 percent of each candidate’s score in a competition that is as much a test of public relations prowess as it is of horsemanship. The remaining 60 percent of the contestant’s scores is derived from her ticket sales.

One woman who knows a lot about rodeo events is former Gainesville Rodeo Queen Whitney Lemons who heads up the riding club’s Queen and Princess competitions.

Lemons, who is the Gainesville Riding Club’s secretary, said she understands what it’s like to compete for the title of rodeo Queen.

Ticket sales are a key factor in deciding the contest, she noted.

“Selling rodeo tickets gets the contestants out meeting people and promoting the rodeo..I’ve been in (the contestants’) shoes. I’ve beat the streets to sell tickets in the middle of July,” Lemons said in a previous interview.

During Saturday’s competition, the contestants were asked to ride their horses in a pattern in the arena.

The contestants performed for a small crowd, most of which we were parents. Some recorded their daughters’ performance using cell phones.

“We had quite a few people there,” Lemons noted Monday afternoon.

Lybbert also asked the candidates to display some of their other riding skills including getting their horses to back up in the dusty arena.

For some, the contest seemed easy. For others it was a bit more challenging.

The key is practice, Lemons said.

“It’s like anything else. You have to practice and prepare. It’s like any other sport, like softball, for instance. The better you prepare, the better you’ll do,” she said.

Lemons said the girls are set to turn in their rodeo ticket money and any donations they received today.

“We’ll get a final count when each girl turns in her ticket sales,” she said, noting that the contestants won’t know where they rank in the group. But each will have an idea how well she did.

“We’ll give them their individual scores but not the other contestant’s scores, so they’ll know where they’re sitting individually as far as ticket sales,” she said.

The queen and princess will be crowned during Friday night’s festivities.

For some, the dream of becoming rodeo royalty is a long time in the making.

“Every little girl dreams of being a princess at one time or another,” said Lemons. “Our contest is for kids who love riding and would like to represent Rodeo Gainesville at various events during the year.”

Prizes include a trophy saddle, trophy belt buckle, a sash and tiara and a savings bond.

Each young woman who participated will be rewarded for her effort, Lemons said

“Every girl will get a prize,” she noted.

Here are the contestants vying for this year’s Rodeo Gainesville Queen title:

Kayla Carnes

Kayla is the daughter of Renda Parsons and Scott Shaw. She is 16 years old and is home schooled. She enjoys working with horses, barrel racing, fishing and spending time with family and friends. She is a member of the Gainesville Riding Club. Kayla’s future plans are to become a pediatrician or registered nurse and work with horses on the side.

Kayla Carroll

Kayla is the daughter of Tim and Sherrie Carroll. She is 16 years old and will be in the 10th grade at Denton High School. She is active in 4-H, barrel racing and trail riding, enjoys fishing, swimming, roping, hunting and hanging out with friends and playing with her dog. She is a member of the Denton Round-up Club. Kayla has received Best in Show, first place in poles and third in barrels at the Cooke County Youth Fair. Future goals for Kayla are to become a veterinarian or horse trainer. She would also like to help raise funds for the SPCA and start a nonprofit organization, she said.

Victoria Sicking

Victoria is the daughter of Joe Sicking and Debra Sicking. She is 14 years old and will be in the eighth grade at Callisburg Middle School. Her hobbies include riding and training horses, art, running track and playing volleyball. Victoria would like to become a veterinarian, riding instructor and own a riding stable for special needs children. She would also like to ride bareback in rodeos.

Stacie Schumacher

Stacie is the daughter of Gene and Susan Schumacher. She is 17 years old and will be a senior at Era High School. She is active in 4-H and FFA where she shows heifers and commercial steers. She has received various placings at Fort Worth and Houston. Stacie competes on the FFA horse judging team and in Farm Skills. Stacie is an “A” honor roll student and has received awards in speech and algebra. Her hobbies include riding horses, working and doctoring cattle for her dad in his cattle operation and driving the grain cart during harvest. After graduation, Stacie plans to attend West Texas A&M University to pursue a bachelor of science degree in animal science. She would then like to enter a pre-veterinary program.

Kinzey Tucker

Kinzey is the daughter of Barbara Tucker. She is 17 years old and attends North Central Texas College. She is active in her church youth group where she is a leader. She has also gone a church mission trip where she helped build an orphanage. She also enjoys riding horses, being outdoors and has a special interest in breaking horses. She plans to attend McLennen Community College in Waco to become a veterinary technician. She is currently working to earn a Breeding and Equine Science certificate at NCTC.

Princess candidates are:

Rylee Pearson

Rylee is the daughter of Jeff and Kristi Pearson and Michael and Rhonda Bond. She is 12 and will be in the seventh grade at Long Grove ISD. She is active in barrel racing and pole bending where she has received second place in the 2D Youth Barrel Race at the World Finals in 2010; first place in barrels at the 2009 TRCA Series and first place in poles at the year all-around at the Gainesville Riding Club Playday Series and competing at the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas.

Macy Hobbs

Macy is the daughter of Donald and Janna Hobbs. She is 11 years old and will be in the fifth grade at Callisburg Elementary School. She is active in cheerleading, riding horses, playing volleyball and is an A/B honor roll student. Her goals for the future include winning the title of Rodeo Gainesville Princess and becoming a nurse.