Miss Rodeo Utah contestants pay tribute to country
By JaNae Francis
Standard-Examiner staff
jfrancis@standard.net
OGDEN - Contestants in the Miss Rodeo Utah pageant paused to pay tribute to their country and the men and women who serve in the armed forces Monday in the annual fashion show.
The woman who said carrying the American flag was her favorite part of being Miss Rodeo Utah, 23-year-old Cami Cushing, of Sandy, got to tote the red, white and blue one more time as she prepares to give up her title.
Escorting the young women as they showed off their Western gowns in the most prestigious event of the weeklong contest was Air Force Staff Sgt. Nathan Stolle.
"Falcon, thunderbird, minutemen - these terms really describe our love for our servicemen and women who call Hill Air Force Base home," said announcer Roger Mooney.
He said the base is another word for gratitude, thankfulness and heroes.
Event organizers also took time to honor South Ogden resident Ben Day with the first induction into the newly formed Miss Rodeo Utah Hall of Fame. Day, the former president of Coca-Cola of Ogden, has contributed to the Miss Rodeo Utah pageant annually since 1981.
He also joined the pageant steering committee in 1985.
"He has helped so many in the MRU to go to the next level," Mooney said. "He's helped the junior posse to local queens and youth sports to so much more."
The nine contestants showed off outfits, from the most casual jeans featured in dance numbers to the most sophisticated gowns in elegant style, before a crowd that hollered and rooted as though they were at a sporting event.
"I've been here four or five years," said Mooney. "I'm always impressed with the elegant grace of the contestants."
But he said the response of the enthusiastic fans always surprises him,
pointing out the loud gestures some supporters were making.
"They sound like they just left a tractor pull in Mississippi," he said.
The fashion show featured a travel guide through the state, from the red rocks of Moab to the white powdery mountain slopes that support the state's ski industry.
But the final destination was the Ogden Pioneer Days rodeo.
"No matter what road you take, each trail leads to Ogden," Mooney said.
Cushing jumped on the stage wearing a parachute to help depict nightly events at the rodeo. She smiled wide and caught the audience's attention as she accidentally took out some scenery with the open chute.
Young girls in attendance said they looked up to the contestants and wanted to be just like them.
Paxton Jackson, 7, of Ogden, said the show was a highlight of her week.
"I thought it was cool stuff," she said. "I got to see the girls shake their booties."
She said in the future, she hopes to do everything the contestants did.
She said she wants to be Miss Rodeo Utah someday.
