Gainesville —
Gainesville Riding Club Rodeo queen and princess contenders are hitting the streets to sell tickets for the rodeo slated for July 27 and July 28 at the riding club arena at 3152 N. Grand Ave. in Gainesville.
Tickets sales continue until July 25 and queen and princess contestants may also receive contributions and donations to bolster their ticket sales.
The contests also include horsemanship exhibitions and interviews during which the contestants are judged by sanctioned card holders from the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA), the American Paint Horse Association or the Appaloosa Horse Club.
Earning the rodeo queen or princess title is about more than horsemanship and ticket sales, said rodeo queen committee chair Debbie Sicking.
“A lot of girls do this competition, first and foremost, because they love their horses,” she said. “This is my first year to chair the queen committee and I’ve had the pleasure of watching these girls, even the young ones, learn to break out of their shell and present themselves. The confidence they gain is amazing.”
Most of the contestants have spent a big chunk of their lives riding and taking care of livestock.
“These girls love their horses,” Sicking said. “They love to run barrels. They love the rodeo atmosphere. They learn to take care of a horse and manage an animal that far outweighs them.”
For most, riding horses is a family affair.
“I think a lot of people miss the fact that it’s not just the girls,” she said. “It’s their whole family. This competition gives families an opportunity to get behind one of their own and support them and show them that they love them.”
Riding club members also hoped to expand the queen and princess competition by adding a new junior princess contest for girls ages five to eight.
Queen contestants are ages 14 to 18.
Princess candidates are 9 to 13..
The winners will be selected based on individual ticket sales and scores for the horsemanship and interview competitions.
Sicking said she’s excited to be involved in this year’s queen and princess competitions.
“One thing I’ve seen is the girls love what they are doing and they are working so hard,” she said.
Competing for Gainesville Riding Club Rodeo junior princess are Kaitlynn McCage and Kylee Byars.
Kaitlynn’s parents are Bryce and Amy McCage of Thackerville, Okla. Kaitlynn, 7, will be a second grader at Thackerville Elementary School.
Kylee is the daughter of Cody and Fussie Byars of Marietta, Okla. She will be a kindergarten student this fall at Thackerville Elementary School.
Princess contestants are Kylee Butts and Laura Dill.
Kylee is the daughter of Robin Levison and Steve Butts of Gainesville. She’s 11 years old and will be in the sixth grade at Valley View Middle School.
Laura’s parents are Kris and Marsha Dill of Gainesville. She is 12 years old and will be in the seventh grade this fall.
Gainesville Riding Club Rodeo queen candidates are Alyssa Stephenson, Taylor Carroll and Tylar Clements.
Alyssa is the daughter of John Stephenson and Sherri Eubanks of Keller. She is 14 years old.
Taylor’s grandparents are Donnie and Nadene Powell of Denison. She is a 15-year-old student at Denison High School.
Local News
Related Photos
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Meet the Gainesville Riding Club’s rodeo queen and princess court for 2012. Kneeling, left to right, are Kylee Byars, Kylee Butts, Kaitlynn McCage. In the back row, left to right, are Taylor Carroll, Alyssa Stephenson and Laura Dill. Courtesy photo
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