Cowgirl fashion and rodeo lifestyles got off to a rip-roaring start on a recent weekday night at the Miss Rodeo South Dakota competition as the ladies came out dancing to country music.
Mikayla Sich, 22, of Brookings, hit the stage in a white hat and a purple dress and boots for the modeling portion of the competition. It was a standout wardrobe of vibrant colors that was difficult to resist.
In the speech and on-stage question portion of the pageant, Sich spoke in a pleasant South Dakota singsong, citing former Miss Rodeo America Jennifer Smith as an inspiration for her stage career and speaking about her own plans to conquer the world of broadcast journalism.
The four women in the main competition all performed well together and individually at the Belle Fourche Area Community Center on July 2. Two days later, Sich, 22, of Brookings, was selected as the next Miss Rodeo South Dakota Lady in Waiting.
She was crowned by last year’s winner, Kendra Peterson, of Sisseton, who was given a heartfelt sendoff by Miss Rodeo South Dakota President Ted Thompson and National Director Cindy Wilk.
“It’s hard to put into words the bond we have with these girls,” Wilk said.
Picture:jasmine bridesmaid dresses
Peterson tried to keep things short, saying that “if you give a rodeo queen a mic, she’ll keep talking.”
Peterson’s reign will end in December, after she competes at Miss Rodeo America at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand. Sich will compete in December.
Sich wasn’t lacking competition: Her fellow contestants, Carrietta Schalesky of Bison, Shamee Merkel of Aberdeen, and Stephanie Gruener of Brandt, all performed admirably.
Schalesky wore a red leather dress with a cowhide design on the skirt and a white hat. Her speech praised the work ethic of South Dakotans and an on-stage question gave her time to speak of her travels in South Africa.
Gruener wore a purple dress with a white hat and spoke of her background in agriculture.
Merkel’s white dress, hat and boots all matched beautifully as she gave an energetic speech about her greatest inspiration, her grandmother. Her on-stage question gave her time to talk about her background in physical therapy.
Each contestant had a chance to speak about what South Dakota meant to them and about their own inspirations, but it was Sich’s speech about how South Dakota is shaped by its weather that won over the crowd.
In the Junior Miss Rodeo South Dakota pageant, Bailey Bosworth of White Lake was crowned by last year’s winner, Martina Loobey of Sturgis.
Bosworth’s gray dress with blue satin ruffles was accentuated by her black boots and hat, and her amiable on-stage presence and speech about South Dakota’s self-reliance won over the crowd.
She was joined in the competition by Victoria Hagg of Rapid City and Tyler Flintz of Aberdeen. Hagg hit the stage in a red satin gown with a black hat while Flintz wore a green satin and lace gown.
The contestants also competed in a horsemanship section on July 3. Wilk said that she looked forward to working with Sich and Bosworth in the future, and said that they’d be excellent role models for future Miss Rodeo South Dakota contestants.
“Their job is to promote the sport of rodeo and to be all around well-rounded girls and good role models,” Wilk said. “And I have faith in them and in all of the girls.”
Read more at:wedding dress shops glasgow
