RODEO

experience. It’s really di erent than seeing it as a spectator because you don’t understand what’s going on behind the scenes and all the hard work that the volunteers are putting in. It was cool to see the other side. I made some great friends. It was nice to meet and bond with the other royalty from around Colorado.

Isabelle: It was very interesting. When you’re in royalty and representing a rodeo as large as the Elizabeth Stampede, everyone is watching you. If you don’t think someone is watching you, they are. You have to put on this mature look, and make sure what you say is appropriate and within standards. It was a good teaching experience. Seeing how much goes in to making National Western happen is really cool. Meeting the other royalty girls was great. I knew no royalty before coming into this and I had a ton of friends by the end of it, which was so amazing. It was a life-changing experience for me.

What was your favorite part of National Western this year?

Kyra: I had a lot. It’s hard to pick just one. We got to do so many cool things. I got to run with the longhorns when they moved them from one pen to another. We got to go to the Brown Palace in Denver. I’d have to say that my favorite part was going to the rodeos and getting “gold buckle” priority seating. I got to meet some state queens and other royalty doing that, so that was a lot of fun.

Isabelle: e Exceptional Rodeo through CSU was my favorite thing. It’s for kids with special needs. I love working with kids that don’t have as much as I do, and to help give them the experience that I have. I love working with kids with special needs. It was great seeing the parents and their reactions. ere was a family aspect to it. It gave families a lot of bonding time to do the activities there. One girl I worked with had autism. At one point she grabbed my hand, and we started petting the pony together. en she went in for a hug and just stared at me. It was a life-changing moment for me. It was really cool.

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What does the community aspect of rodeo royalty mean for you? Why is it important?

Kyra: I never really had a lot of rodeo friends in middle or high school. It was really fun to go into something as huge as National Western and meet all of the rodeo girls who are just as passionate about the rodeo industry as I am. It is also fun to reign with someone like Isabelle who has the same passion that I do. I made a lot more friendships that circle around agriculture and rodeo and royalty.

Isabelle: I think it means a lot, because I come from a very di erent background, and I feel like a lot of royalty girls did too. After talking to some of them, I didn’t feel as alone. I felt like it was a bigger community of people that made me feel like I wasn’t so di erent in the background that I have. Everyone is learning with me at the same time, which is a really comforting feeling.

What do you do outside of rodeo and royalty? What do you do for fun?

Kyra: Does school count? I feel like I spend most of my time working on my classes. But outside of that and royalty stu , I work the front desk at a salon in Castle Rock. I enjoy hanging out with my friends, spending time with my horses, and spending time with my