Rodeo Queens to be crowned Saturday

Thursday, June 28, 2018
Courtesy photos

McCOOK, Neb. — The new Miss Southwest Nebraska Rodeo Queen and her court will be crowned following competition on the Red Willow County Fairgrounds in McCook Saturday.

Watching the competition among eight girls and lending them support and encouragement will be last year’s royalty, queen Chyanne Friehe of Culbertson and junior queen Lacey Langer of Superior, and the new “Miss Teen Rodeo,” Rebel Sjeklocha of Hayes Center.

The horsemanship contest is open to the public and starts at 9 a.m., in front of the grandstand.

The new queen royalty will be revealed at 7 p.m., and will be called “Ladies in Waiting” until their official crowning at the first performance of the Red Willow County Fair rodeo on Saturday, July 28, at 8 p.m., also in front of the grandstand.

The first riders will be those in a new “Princess” division, which pays tribute to the rodeo queen contests for the youngest cowgirls at the Wilsonville Rodeo, which ended after the 50th annual rodeo in 2017. Girls in this division will be 12 and under as of June 1, 2018.

The “Junior Queen” division will involve riders who are 13, 14 and 15, as of June 1. Queen contestants will be 16-20 years old as of June 1.

Rodeo queen contest coordinator Myrna Harper, who is marking her 25th year as director, said the contest policy states that even if there is only one contestant in a division, she must compete before the judges and meet their criteria for the title.

Harper said 25 years ago, the contest encompassed the seven counties of Southwest Nebraska, and then grew to nine counties, and now, welcomes girls from all over Nebraska.

Contestants are:

Queen Division

Danielle Jo Forster of Smithfield, the 18-year-old daughter of Kevin and Kim Forster. Danielle will be a freshman at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in the fall, preparing to major in pre-veterinary medicine.

Kealey Franzen of Holdrege, the 17-year-old daughter of Scott and Melissa Franzen. Kealey will be a senior at Kearney High School in the fall.

Jaycee Lapp of Hayes Center, the 16-year-old daughter of Heath and Michelle Lapp. Jaycee will be a sophomore this fall at Hayes Center High School.

Shyann Worm of Taylor, the 18-year-old daughter of Mike Worm and Tonya Lakin. Shyann will be a freshman at Hastings Community College in the fall, majoring in hospitality management and culinary arts.

Junior Queen Division

Sabrina Nichole Schemper of Holdrege, the 13-year-old daughter of Jared and Dawn Schemper. Sabrina will be an eighth grader this fall at Holdrege Middle School.

Princess Division

Jaelyn Himmelberg of Lawrence, the 12-year-old daughter of John and Cassandra Himmelberg. Jaelyn will be a seventh grader at Blue Hill Community School.

Gracey Jo Rodocker of Taylor, the 10-year-old daughter of Sally Peters of Taylor and Bryan Rodocker of Halsey. Gracey will be a sixth grader at Loup County Public School in Taylor.

Sophia McKinley Schemper of Holdrege, the 9-year-old daughter of Jared and Dawn Schemper. Sophia will be a fourth grader at Holdrege Elementary School.

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