To all the girls of District 2!
It is time to start thinking about running for this year’s District 2 queen. You are eligible to run if
you are currently a freshman, sophomore, or junior, and of course you must be female!
This year’s district contest will be held at our APRIL rodeo in Ferndale. You will need to enter
the contest on the April rodeo entry form just as you do your rodeo events. The new district
queen will be crowned at the end of the April rodeo, and her reign as District 2 queen will start
at our last rodeo in May. The new queen will run the grand entry and will help hand out the
district year end awards. Having our queen contest in April, will allow the newly crowned queen
plenty of time to prepare for the state contest and to put together our state finals judged grand
entry. I will be available to help the new queen prepare for the state contest.
The District 2 queen contest will consist of the following categories, these are the same
categories used at the state competition:
HORSEMANSHIP
Attire for the horsemanship portion of the contest is very strict. You will need classic Wrangler
blue 5 pocket jeans. They are high rise, and should be long enough that when you are sitting on
your horse, the bottom of the jean leg covers the bottom of your boot. Your shirt must be solid
white, plain, no pockets, no lace, no frills, no pattern what so ever. It must have a collar and
cuffs (western style), and the sleeve should come to the base of your wrist when you are
holding the reins. Your boots, belt, and hat color are your choice. Just be sure everything
matches. I wore black boots, black belt, and a white hat (try not to mix brown and black). The
belt must be plain; no crystals, conchos, or metal studs, and you need to wear a trophy buckle.
If you do not have a trophy buckle, we will find one for you to borrow.
The horsemanship pattern consists of two figure eights (see the rule book). The first is slow and
small; the second is fast and large. They prefer a flying lead change, however, a simple change
is accepted. Just make sure your horse is on the correct lead. There are a couple of roll-backs,
and one slide stop. There are no spins. You will be scored higher if your hand, your seat, and
your leg is quiet and steady, and if your horse looks settled and under control. You will be
marked down for pulling or hanging on your horse's mouth. Even on the slide stop, they are
looking for a quiet hand.
During the horsemanship pattern, they prefer a relaxed soft smile. They want you to look like
you are having a good time riding your horse. A forced smile is just as bad as a look of terror!
The final part of the horsemanship category is a flag run and a queen wave run. During the flag
run, wear a flag holder on your stirrup. Hold the flag so that your forearm is parallel to the
ground. Be sure that the flag is completely unfurled and that the flag pole is perpendicular to
the ground. Your speed going around the arena should be controlled. You want the audience to
look at your sponsor flag, not at you racing around the arena.
During your queen run, wave to the audience, and SMILE! Let your face shine! And again keep
your speed controlled.
THE WRITTEN TEST
Start to study your rule book now! Anything in the book can be on the written test. Know the
names of the California, state and national officers, both student and adult. Know the names of
the current student national officers. Know the names of the Wrangler division officers.
Learn distances and times. Minimum distances between barrels and fence, time for a qualified
ride, how long a goat must stay tied, distance of the eye to the start line in poles…..you get the
idea. Pretty much anything and everything in the rule book is fair game.
Learn dates: When are national entries due, when are sponsorship fees due, what is the
deadline for horse of the year nominations….
Memorize terms and definitions: What is the jerk down rule and the penalty, what does
marking out a horse in the saddle bronc and bareback mean, what is the score in the roping
events…..
Don't forget to read about cutting. They love to ask what is cow side leg and how is it used.
If you have any questions about the rule book, please feel free to call me and I'll help you. But
also it is a good idea to talk to the students who compete in each of the events. Talk to the
rough stock riders and ask them to explain the rules to you. Talk to the timed event kids and
have them explain team roping, or steer wrestling to you. If you see a tie-down roper, ask him
to name and explain the equipment he uses, like: what is the rope around the horses neck for?
Or what is a pigging string made of. Have fun getting to know the students in our district as you
learn more about their events.
Other people to talk to are the arena director and the event directors. Ask them to explain rules
to you. Be proactive in order to get as much information as you can.
SPEECH AND MODELING
This was one of my favorite parts of the contest. Write a 2 minute long speech with a western
theme. Make it personal, make it yours, it will come across much better. Please DO NOT use a
speech someone else has used. Practice giving your speech in front of a mirror, or give it to
your English teacher in school and get some good corrections. The more you practice your
speech, the more comfortable it will be for you to give in front of a large group. When you
know your speech really well, it shows. You will look like you are having fun and that you are
confident!
The modeling is really fun. It is not about how pretty you are on the outside, but about how you
let your personality shine. You will need a full length leather (can be fake suede) dress that has
a defined collar and a cuff. It doesn't have to be full length, but that does seem to be the trend.
Wear standard western boots, no fancy heels. The boots and the belt MUST be the same color
as your dress. You can buy, borrow, or rent dresses from other queens, or you can make your
own. Try to choose a dress color and shape that flatters you.
When modeling your dress, walk slowly and elegantly. Turn in ways that show off your outfit
and that accentuate your grace and movement. I can help you learn the different turns so that
you can practice before the event. Again, the more you practice, the more confident you will be
and the more your confidence will be reflected in your modeling!
IMPROPTU QUESTION
This can be one of the most difficult parts of the competition because you are put on the spot
and will most likely be nervous. These questions are asked in front of the audience. Once you
hear the question, breathe, smile, repeat the question and give the first answer that comes to
your mind. Don't be afraid to ask for the question to be read once more to give you a bit more
time to think of an answer.
The best way to practice is to have your friends and parents ask you questions. For example, at
the dinner table, your mom might ask you: If you were a vegetable, what would you be and
why? The trick here is that there are two parts to the question. Just pick a vegetable that is on
your plate and say. "If I was a vegetable, I would be a perfectly shaped bright orange carrot. I
would have a good figure, I would wear bright colored clothes, and I would be firmly rooted in
the ground with a strong character."
Of course there are hundreds of other answers, maybe you have red hair and that is why you
choose a carrot, or maybe you would choose to be spinach because it makes you strong or can
be made into spinach dip which everyone loves. The idea is that you answer calmly, completely,
and that you have a little fun with the answer. Most of the questions will be fun and fairly easy
to answer.
PERSONAL INTERVIEW
This portion of the competition is held behind closed doors with just you and the judges. The
questions asked during the personal interview can be much more difficult to answer than the
impromptu questions. You may be asked about current events or your opinion about certain
topics in the news today. There will most likely be some questions about integrity and
representing the California High School Rodeo Association. You may be asked about rules and
rodeo equipment. In order to prepare for the interview you should read newspapers,
Newsweek, and your rulebook. You should also research information about animal welfare
issues, promoting the sport of rodeo, etc. Be prepared for anything!
OUTFITS
I loved this part! It’s like dress-up for big girls! Once you are chosen as the District 2 queen
you’ll want to wear queen shirts that glitter and sparkle. I bought most of my shirts on line at
SierraTradingPost.com. Look in their women's section under western wear. Most of my shirts
cost less than $15.00. I also went to Ross and bought long sleeved colored shirts. Then I
embellished them myself with crystals, sequins, and glitter paint. You can buy fabric that has
western style prints, cut shapes out and use Wonder Under to adhere them to your shirt. Add a
little glitter paint, some bling and suddenly you have a queen shirt!
I would suggest that you buy a couple pairs of white wrangler high rise jeans and a couple of
white blouses (cotton) and dye the jeans and shirts together in the same dye bath. Then dye
your white boots and belt the same color.
To avoid a lot of dying, choose shirts that match black or brown wrangler jeans. It is easier to
find black boots and belts to match.
You will also need a felt hat or two; preferably a 6X or better, since they hold their shape. A
white hat and a black hat is really all you will need.
I did a lot of my shopping on eBay. I found boots, shirts, and hats there that worked really well
for me. The more time you put into looking for bargains, the less expensive the wardrobe will
be. You can be beautiful on a budget!
For the district contest, you will only need the horsemanship outfit, your modeling dress, and
two other queen style shirts to wear at the rodeo.
MISC INFO
Please remember to wear your back number for the entire queen contest event. That means
you will need to wear it during the written test, the horsemanship, etc.
I realize it sounds like a lot of work, but it’s really more fun than work. Take it one step at a
time, ask me anything, let me show you how to fix your hair, or bling your shirts (If you give me
enough time, I can even help you bling some shirts), help you practice modeling, give you
pointers on your horsemanship pattern. I am ready and willing to help anyone and everyone!
I will be posting the District 2 contest schedule very soon, check the website for updates.
You can reach me at my email:
HollieKucera@hotmail.com
Or you can call me at home : 650/ 854 - 8552
Or you can call me on my cell : 650/ 207 -3054
Hollie Kucera,
Miss CHSRA District 2 Queen