I just wanted to tell everyone thank you for making my Miss Rodeo Utah Gala Fundraiser successful. The amount of support I have received as Miss Rodeo Utah is overwhelming and I have some of the greatest friends and family that a girl could ask for.

There were people at the Legacy Center at 12:00 in the after-noon helping set everything up. We had some awesome donations for the live and silent auctions. Josh Evertson and his band were awesome. Comedian Keith Stubbs was hilarious. Bella’s Fresh Mexican Grill prepared the best meal; the pulled pork and ribs were amazing! Gossners, Coca-cola and Frito Lay were so great to work with. I appreciate Davis County for letting us use the exhibit hall at the Legacy Center. The building was perfect! The whole atmosphere was enjoyable and I will cherish that feeling forever.

I would like to thank my Mom and Dad for their support, my brothers Cooper and Cody, Sharlee and Brandee, John and Cindy Percival, Lisa and Barry Panter, Vance and Peggy Farrer, Barry and Heidi Fitzgerald, and Kent and Jane Fitgerald for being such a good family and being there to help. Thanks to the Price Family for every-thing: Jay, Becky, Casey, Jason & Jen, Mindy, and Angie for your support. Thanks to Cindy Brunson for your long hours spent baking. The Whitaker Family and Clay for organizing the silent auction- we had a ton of items! Paula Smith, Jackie Belnap, and Kathy Montgomery for helping at the door. The Mounted Sheriff’s Possee, the Ogden Pioneer Days Whoopie girls, Bev Clark, and Callie Smith did a great job at the live auction. Thanks to Carla Wilmoth for making the cute quilts and rounding up a ton of other donations for the auctions. My good friends Kaydee Miner, Tammy Sweat and Kasee Smith did a beautiful job with decorations and flowers, fliers, and a special sponsor presentation. Kelly Slater, Linda Stark, Jody Stark, Stephanie Pollard, Jeff Haney- thanks for your support. There are so many special people and good friends and I can’t thank you enough. It makes me emo-tional to look back on the evening to realize that all of these people were there for me and a great organization. I will keep pushing through the year and I hope to make you all proud. Thanks for everything!

To continue where I left off with my last news letter, I had a great time at the Davis County Fair and Rodeo and met so many new friends! Before the rodeo, I went and walked through the fair exhibits and retail booths and of course my favorite was the one with all of the JEWELRY!!!! I was able to meet Jennifer Barlow, who along with her husband Dave, owns Bohemian Cowgirl and they outfitted me with an awesome charm necklace. It was such a pleasure to meet them and I love my new bling. The announcer for the rodeo was Don Jesser from Idaho, who announces from horseback. I was able to visit with him and Regan Torres, the Wilderness Circuit Queen before the rodeo and while we were clearing the arena during the timed events. I would like to encourage every-one to make it out to Farmington’s rodeo next year. They are such wonderful people and I want to thank them for having me at their rodeo as well as allowing me to use one of their exhibit buildings for my fundraiser.

Congratulations to Karianne Berry for winning the Hooper Tomato Days Queen contest and her attendants McKenzie Maughn and Jackie McMullin. All of the contestants looked beautiful and did a great job! I had a great time watching and visiting with the contestant’s families during the contest. I wish you girls the best year!

I had my biggest shock as Miss Rodeo Utah so far when Jon Huntsman himself planted a big kiss on my cheek at the Hunstman Cancer Hope on the Range Gala. Huntsman Cancer was founded by Jon and his wife Karen who are committed to finding a cure for cancer through genetic research. A cancer survivor himself, Mr. Huntsman has donated over $500 million to the institute during his lifetime. The Huntsman Cancer Institute aids in the research of cancer through the world’s largest database for genetics. It was such an honor to be invited to this grand event, where I was able to meet people like Jon Huntsman and Utah Jazz coach Jerry Sloan and his wife. I was able to work along with some of my fellow rodeo queens Stormy Henderson, the DNCFR Queen; Jackie McMullin, the Cache County Rodeo Queen; Martina Wardel, Miss Rodeo Oakley; Bailey Sizemore, the Silverstate International Rodeo Queen; and Courtney Woolsey, the Utah State High School Rodeo Queen. We greeted people at the doors, helped them find their seats, sold raffle tickets, and served as spotters during the live auction. The dinner and the whole event were beautiful and I want to say Thank You for allowing me to be a part of the event. It was such an honor!I have officially found the new rodeo queen capital of Utah. Tremonton’s petite rodeo princess category had 32 contestants and I think I was more excited than they were when their director asked me to ride on the trailer with them through the grand entry at the rodeo. It was so much fun! The people were so nice and they have the best mutton busters that I have ever seen.Evanston Cowboy Days was my first out of state rodeo even though it was closer for me than for Miss Rodeo Wyoming Allie Bass. I also had my first funnel cake and my first peanut butter ball at the suggestion of the Ogden Pioneer Days Secretary Jackie Belnap and it was well worth it.I was able to attend the Wilderness Circuit Queen Contest. Congratulations to Chenae Shiner, the new Wilder-ness Circuit Queen. She will represent professional rodeo in Utah, Idaho, and Nevada for the next year and I know she’ll do a great job! As a former Wilderness Circuit Queen, it was an honor to be in attendance. Paula Smith and her committee put on such a fun contest. My favorite part of the contest is the costume freestyle horsemanship. The year I won the Wilderness Circuit Queen, I rode as the Runaway Bride in the freestyle com-petition and wore my mom’s wedding dress.

I had a great time at the four nights of the State Fair Rodeo. It was an honor to carry the American flag in front of a packed stadium during the weekend of September 11th. Chad Nicholson does a great job announcing their rodeo and Bar T Rodeo stock contracting company puts on some great Utah rodeos.

The St. George Lion’s Club organizes an awesome Special Needs Rodeo and it was an honor to be involved this year. I enjoyed working with the Dixie Roundup Queens Shaylee and Summer. Participating in Special Needs Rodeos is such a rewarding experience and it really has taught me to have a better outlook on life. I had a very special Aunt Bonnie (my dad’s sister) who passed away this last year and she was the most amazing person I have ever met. She was born with some mental challenges as well as physical. She was born with deformed legs and the doctors told my grandma that she would never be able to walk. My grandma wouldn’t accept that and after multiple surgeries Bonnie was able to walk and play and go to school like all of the other kids. Even with all of the challenges she faced, she always had a positive outlook on life and I know that I am a better person just for having her in my life. Special needs children love animals and rodeo and I am so happy that I am able to help share those things with them.

At the Dixie Roundup Rodeo we had a family reunion. I was over four hours from home with my mom and dad, Aunt Lisa and Uncle Barry, Cousin Justin and his wife Randy and their children, Cousin Marsha and her husband and children, my brother Cody and his wife Sharlee, and her parents John and Cindy all there for the rodeo. I guess I can honestly say rodeo is in our blood.My brother was up in the steer wrestling Saturday night and my dad hazed for him and Dustin Bennett. Cody got 2nd in the rodeo and won a check; made his trip well worth it. Both Cody and Dustin have qualified for the Wilderness Circuit Finals in October in Ogden, Utah; so once again I know that I’ll have another rodeo with a huge family support. I know that good parents and rodeo have been the structure for the type of person I am and I’m so proud of my heritage and our family relationship.

Victory Ranch Golf Course by Park City was kind enough to hold a golf tournament fundraiser to help me with my travels and expenses of competing for Miss Rodeo America in Las Vegas. They have a beautiful course with great views and a great staff. I felt like I was on a vacation instead of working. I want to thank everyone who came and participated in the tournament. We had some great prizes, food, and fun thanks to a lot of good friends and volunteers. I would like to thank Victory Ranch first of all for allowing us the honor of holding our event at their private golf course. Thank you Tom Bonner for your countless hours spent organizing the event. As always, I appreciate Jackie Belnap and the Ogden Pioneer Days Crew for coming and helping us set up and serve lunch. Thanks to Kristine Hummer, Deb Ivie, Peggy and Vance Farrer for helping my family and I with the food and registration. Jay and Becky Price, I appreciate your support so much. My big brother Cooper, my dad Randy, Casey Price, and Wasatch Mountain State Park, thanks for helping us get more golf carts.

Once again it’s overwhelming; the support and love that people give to help pull these events together to support me during the year as Miss Rodeo Utah. It’s such an honor to call you all friends and I look forward to representing you all at the Miss Rodeo America Pageant in Las Vegas and during the year as Miss Rodeo Utah.

I got to be a kid again at the Spanish Fork FFA Carnival where the high school students were raising money to pay for their trip to National FFA Convention because their chapter had the winning state horse judging team. I got to jump in their bounce house, pet farm animals with my little Samantha, throw darts at balloons and play horseshoes with Tammy Sweat-Chipman, throw a whip cream pie in a little kids face (lol), eat nachos and cotton candy, and all sorts of other crazy things. I really enjoyed myself. Their advisor and teacher, Kasee Smith took me in their Ag Building and showed me the bones of the Horse Steve that the students are cleaning and re-build-ing and I got a good lesson on teeth and some other bones. I want to thank Kasee and the FFA for inviting me to their event and I wish them the best of luck and hope they have a ton of fun at National Convention next week!I am almost a quarter through my year as Miss Rodeo Utah and have less than 50 days until I compete for Miss Rodeo America and I’m having the time of my life. I couldn’t do it on my own. There are so many wonderful people in Utah and in the rodeo community that have opened their hearts to me and my family and they have truly made this the best experience for me. I’m so proud of the things that I have been able to accomplish the last couple weeks and know that I’ve taken advantage of every opportunity I could. I appreciate the Miss Rodeo Utah and Ogden Pioneer Days Organizations and committees and all their sponsors for making a young woman’s dreams come true every year and thank you to my family and friends that have been so supportive. Wish me luck in Las Vegas!

- Love Always,

ChrisAndrea Wade
Miss Rodeo Utah 2009

I can’t believe that I’m finally here, standing before you all, as Miss Rodeo Utah. I have imagined this moment my whole life.  I’ve dreamed of the day when Roger Mooney would announce my name in front of a cheering crowd at Ogden Pioneer Days Rodeo. The tears, hard work, determination and dedication was worth it.  I now have the chance to represent the things about which I am so passionate:  Family, rodeo, the American cowboy and our western way of life.

The wait has been long but worth every second. I started competing in rodeo queen pageants when I was 12 years old.  That was the same year Mary Shaw from Utah was Miss Rodeo America. It took me five tries to real-ize my dream to become Miss Rodeo Utah, and I am so thankful for each of the previous years and the experi-ences, lessons and friendships that came with each one. Before being crowned Miss Rodeo Utah, I had been the 1st Attendant twiceas well as the 2nd Attendant. Each year I had high expectations for myself to do better, which-made every year I came back even more challenging. I’ve learned that things happen for a reason and I was supposed to be Miss Rodeo Utah in 2009. My goal this year was to be the winner but also to be a leaderand to set the example of how to be your true self.  I wanted toestablish friendships with thenew girls and be a friend to my competitors fix their hair if they needed help, tuck in their shirt if it needed tucked in and I wanted to leave, win or lose, with no regrets. What a rewarding experience.

I have to say that the young women that competed at Miss Rodeo Utah n 2009 were so much fun.  We had a great time! From KariAnne’s and Chantell’s “armpit dance,” to staying up until 2  in the morning to practice dance steps with Stormy, there was never a dull moment. Thank you to all the girls for making this last year so memo-rable. I cherish my friendship with each one of you. What a great opportunity I have been given,to not only represent rodeo committees, sponsors, cowboys, my family, myself, and the other ten beautiful Miss Rodeo Utah contestants, but to also become part of an elite group of women for the rest of my life.

My first two weeks as Miss Rodeo Utah have been crazy! I went to seven rodeos, two parades, a tribute to fallen soldiers, a special kid’s rodeo, had a meeting for my fundraiser, got a beautiful Logan coach trailer, and had amazing photo shootswith Hazen Studios.Wow! I feel like I won a month ago! I looked at my mom the other day and I said, “You know what?  It’s only been 10 days and look at all of the cool things I’ve done already.”  I realize it’s just a small glimpse of what the future holds.

My first appearance as Miss Rodeo Utah was at the Days of 47’ Rodeo in Salt Lake City. Most of the winners in the past have gone to Cheyenne Frontier Days for their first appearance, but I was fortunate enough to get to make my first appearance in the great state of Utah! The rodeo committee was so kind to my family and me.  Theymade us feel right at home. I receiveda special introduction and they allowed me help with an award pre-sentation. Many thanks to Brad Harmon and Days of 47’ Rodeo for making my first ride something I will always cherish.

Wednesday I was able to go to Wright Signs in Ogden to pick out the design to have my name on my Logan Coach Miss Rodeo Utah trailer. Cody Wright and his staff let me pick the font and they applied the graphics while I waited.I pulled the trailer home that night. Thank you so much! I love it. It’s fun to watch people kink their necks to see who is pulling that fancy trailer as I travel down the highways of Utah.  My first trip to Castledale’s Professional Rodeo was fun. I haven’t been to that arena since my high school ro-deo days. My brother was up in the team roping Thursday night so I just jumped in with him for the three-hour drive. We arrived to the rodeo in plenty of time but I had three team ropers grabbing boots, saddles, and bridles to get my horse ready before I could even open the truck door. Now I could get used to that!

Friday I was able to go to the very first Special Kids Rodeo held by the Mountain Valley Stampede my own hometown rodeo. They had a great turnout. There were33 kids signed up prior to the event and even more showed up that day. The events they had were so exciting: barrel racing, team roping, horseback riding, a prin-cess contest, and even hide races from the back of a Polaris Ranger. My special cousin Tiffany Simmons was in the princess contest where all of the girls answered questions and got tiaras and banners. It was so special to have family there.  Saturday was a packed day. The morning began at the Roy Days Parade and had my first little panic attack as Miss Rodeo Utah. I went to check-in for the parade and they didn’t have me entered! Somehow my entry had been deleted from their list º but they were so great. They put me at the front of the parade with the dignitar-ies, gave me a corsage, and made me feel welcome. They weren’t “expecting horses” and I had the only horse in the entire parade, but the attendees really seemed to enjoy the whinnying horse. I’m sure the Roy City Police Department enjoyed the parade right behind us in their clean vehiclesmore than I enjoyed their sirens the whole morning. Thank goodness they weren’t on duty as they watchedmy un-registered trailer driving down the parade route.

After the Roy Parade I visited the Healing Field in Ogden. This field is a tribute to every American life lost during the Global War on Terror, where an American Flag is raised in the name of each American. There are approximately 5,000 flags raised in the shape of the United States, making it the largest flag field display of its kind in history. It was an emotional experience to remember those that have stood for America and fought for the freedoms that we enjoy.

Then, I went back home to Heber for yet another parade. We’ve really got a great system down. My mom comes with me to the parades (Thank you, Mom!). We drive my Logan Coach through the parade as part of our entry and when it’s over I hurry and throw the horse in and off we go to the rodeo. It’s awesome to be announced at your hometown parade and rodeo just days after realizing your dreams. I had so many people coming up and congratulating me.I can’t tell you just how much I appreciate everyone’s support. Stormy Henderson, the Dodge National Circuit Finals Queen and I had a little showdown at the rodeo that night. After all the little kids ran the stick-horse race, Stormy and I raced each other. The announcer really got the crowd going- people yelling for Idaho, people yelling for Utah, we had our stick horses and had to run around a barrel and back to the starting line. To be honest, I cheated, on purpose. I took off on “get set” and Stormy went on “Go”, I had the inside lane to run around the barrel and…we still tied. I’m slow, but Stormy is, like, a foot taller than me so I’m OK with that.

The following Thursday night I went to the Cache County Fair and Rodeo in Logan and was able to eat dinner with the gentlemen from Logan Coach Trailers. They provided the cowboy’s hospitality dinner for the rodeo and I was able to talk to them about my awesome trailer and their business. I look forward to working with Randy, Scott, Jason, and the entire teamat Logan Coach throughout the year. I also enjoyed visiting with Jackie McMullin the Cache County Rodeo Queen who competed at Miss Rodeo Utah this year. She is such a fun girl, and I appreci-ate the hospitality she showed me at her rodeo.

Friday and Saturday night I was able to go to the rodeo in Coalville. My mother grew up with the North/South Summit residents and I was able to meet some old acquaintances who had learned that my long journey at the Miss Rodeo Utah Pageant had finally paid off.  The local rodeo queens, Hannah Nilson, Bailee Richens, and Sierra Boyce, were all fun girls  I enjoyed meeting and I hope to see them in future years competing at the Miss Rodeo Utah pageant.

I have found there are endless opportunities around every corner as Miss Rodeo Utah, and I hope to take advantage of each one. This is my lifelong dream, and I have 365 days to make the best of it. I want to thank everyone who has supported me in achieving my dreams — and those who will support me this year. It’s going to be a great one!

- Love Always,

Chris Wade
Miss Rodeo Utah 09