Dedicated to all Rodeo Queen Contestants:
This month has been a busy month of rodeo with many contestants vying for success and ready to ride. It's exciting to see all the activities take place, from the opening Flag ceremonies to the final coronation of the new rodeo queen. This year, I've had the honor of working with several individuals on interviewing and ambassadorship skills who have dreamed of being a queen for their rodeo association. As you watch them go after their goals, you'll see that their determination will restore your confidence in this generation. They study so hard, they practice horsemanship skills, they work on speeches, interviewing, impromptu questions, modeling, connecting with others, researching current events, and so much more. All in pursuit of being the best leader they possibly can be. The strides they make are remarkable. So remarkable, that you wish every contestant that competed could walk away with a crown, when in actuality only one is crowned per year.
However, one can argue that these contestants aren't just competing to be a queen of a rodeo association or part of rodeo royalty, but preparing for the big rodeo of life. As a rodeo contestant, you may have won your crown, or you may have went home without one, regardless of your result, your life will always be bigger than a crown. Think about this:
Did researching those current events make you more informed?
Could learning those crazy interview skills be helpful when applying for a scholarship, award, or future career?
Did the modeling make you feel more confident and helped you believe in yourself?
Could it be that you've learned how to master riding a horse so that one day, you can teach a little princess down the road how to ride?
And could it be that you put all this effort and time preparing to be the best leader because you were meant to be impacting someone's life forever?
Everyone agrees, it's great to win the title and the crown, but never lose sight of the BIG picture. What you have learned and will continue to learn through your rodeo experience will benefit your life greatly no matter the result on coronation day. So cheer up, be proud, and keep that smile alive, because even if this was your 1st rodeo, I promise you, it won't be your last, because life itself is a rodeo, question is, "Are you ready for the ride?" #RodeoQueenPost #Proud #ReadyForTheRide
Brandon Baumgarten 