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For the past 2 years, Hailey Frederiksen was 1 of 31 authorities rodeo queens, an grant and a privilege connected its own.
“When I won Miss Rodeo Colorado, I conscionable wanted to correspond Colorado well,” Frederiksen said.
On Sunday, astatine the Miss Rodeo America Pageant, Frederiksen precocious to go 1 of 10.
“I made it to the apical 10, and I thought, ‘All right, I’m bully here,’” she said. “If they liked maine capable for the apical 10, that’s great. And if I didn’t spell immoderate further, well, God has bigger and amended plans for me.”
Then Frederiksen precocious to the last 5 contestants.
“And I thought, ‘This is great!’”
But marque nary mistake, by that point, Frederiksen wanted God’s bigger and amended plans to see that past step, the 1 successful which the Miss Rodeo America crown is transferred from existent title-holder Jordan Tierney to the caput of this rodeo queen from Wellington, Colo.
“To beryllium among the apical 5 amongst these 31 girls is conscionable unreal. I couldn’t judge it,” Frederiksen said. “But I’ve wanted this rubric since I was 12. I’d worked my process extremity disconnected for this.”
By the extremity of the time Sunday, that enactment paid off. Hailey Frederiksen is the 2022 Miss Rodeo America.
“It was a humbling infinitesimal and precise satisfying. I knelt down crying. I couldn’t judge I’d conscionable won the title. People person recognized the enactment I’ve enactment in,” she said. “It’s a infinitesimal I’ll ne'er forget. I’m beyond humbled and grateful for this opportunity.”
Frederiksen’s main nonsubjective successful 2022: to beryllium the inspiration that Tierney and truthful galore different Miss Rodeo Americas — present 66 successful all, dating to 1956 — person been to her arsenic she’s pursued her dream.
“I conscionable privation to beryllium that inspiring airy for different people. I wouldn’t person gotten into rodeo queening without being inspired by others,” Frederiksen said. “I emotion to talk, and I’m profoundly passionate astir what I represent. I’m excited to explicit that passionateness with everyone I meet.”
The Miss Rodeo America Pageant makes for a pressure-packed, stressful fewer days, to beryllium certain. But similar each of the champions who person travel earlier her, Frederiksen noted the week has been afloat of airy and memorable moments too. Her roommate was Miss Rodeo Hawaii Gabrielle Berce.
“She taught maine however to accidental ‘good morning’ successful Hawaiian: Aloha kakahiaka,” Frederiksen said. “I’m not fluent successful Hawaiian, but I tin accidental that now!”
Then determination was the Sunday nighttime triumph dinner.
“I had an 8-ounce filet mignon. I told my parents, ‘I privation a big, juicy steak,” Frederiksen said, portion noting she didn’t get immoderate much carried distant than that. “No drinks, nary drinks. I was starving, my parents asked maine what I wanted, and I said I privation steak. You know: Beef, it’s what’s for dinner.”
Off that punctuation alone, Frederiksen mightiness conscionable beryllium proceeding astir sponsorship opportunities from the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association.
Along with dinner, Frederiksen said she conscionable enjoyed being capable to decompress and stock the infinitesimal with those closest to her.
“It was large conscionable being with my family. We don’t truly get to beryllium with them each 8 days,” she said. “I’ve said this before, and I’ll support saying this: I’ll deterioration the crown and sash, but it’s conscionable arsenic overmuch my family’s crown arsenic it is mine. They are the crushed wherefore I’m here.”
Going forward, Frederiksen conscionable hopes to transportation the mantle arsenic good arsenic her predecessor and bully person Tierney.
“I got to walk 2 years with Jordan,” Frederiksen said, noting the antithetic condition of Tierney holding the Miss Rodeo America rubric and Frederiksen the Miss Rodeo Colorado crown the past 24 months due to the fact that of the pandemic canceling the 2021 pageant. “Jordan did marque maine outcry this week. She gave an unthinkable code to each the girls. I couldn’t beryllium much honored to travel idiosyncratic similar her. I’m genuinely honored to transportation this contented connected aft her.”
Tierney, gracious arsenic ever, is assured that Frederiksen volition bash the rodeo satellite arrogant these adjacent 12 months.
“She’s gonna bash a large job. I’ve traveled with her a batch the past 2 years and person truly gotten to cognize her. She’s amazing,” Tierney said. “I’m besides a small partial to her due to the fact that we’ve got a akin consciousness of humor. She’s truly funny!”
With that consciousness of wit and passionateness for the rodeo world, Frederiksen can’t hold to complaint into the coming 12 months.
“I’m acceptable for this adjacent year. One twelvemonth is gonna alert by.”
English (US) ·