Wider Horizons

Katy Lucas, Miss Rodeo Canada 2015, makes it clear that being a rodeo queen is about more than big hair andKaty Lucas flashy outfits (although those are certainly part of the job). “It’s also about being a great ambassador for the sport and a role model for young women in any sport,” she says. “I grew up on the rodeo trail and feel so confident about this sport and sharing real information about it. I knew it would be a position for me to really make a difference.”

The job of her dreams came at the Canadian Rodeo Finals last November after almost a decade of competing in local rodeo queen pageants. During the six-day pageant, Lucas participated in a horsemanship competition, took a written test on horsemanship and rodeo knowledge, gave prepared and impromptu speeches, faced a Q&A with an interview panel and modelled a gown she wore as Miss Ponoka Stampede 2014 before her name was called.

“It was very hard to believe,” she recalls. “It still surprises me when I open my protective box and my crown is in there, even now that I have settled into the job.”

With the title comes a full-time job of traveling to the United States, Canada and Australia promoting rodeos and horsemanship, interviewing competitors and participating in events whenever possible (last year, she was the team roping champion in Canada in her category). She says her experience in the Communication Arts program at Lethbridge College gave her the experience she needs to do the job well.

After her year is up, she says she would like to represent the Canadian Pro Rodeo Association on the media side of the business, “and would use my schooling from Lethbridge College to do that.”

Wider Horizons
Lisa Kozleski
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