Eleven women to vie for Miss Rodeo Utah
By JaNae Francis
Standard-Examiner staff
jfrancis@standard.net
OGDEN - Eleven women will compete for the Title of Miss Rodeo Utah during the Ogden Pioneer Days Rodeo celebration starting next week.
This year's contestants are: Tammy Jo Bardwell, Lacey Bennett, Jennifer Christensen, Renae Cowley, Loy Michelle Grimm, Stormy Henderson, Ashley Jackman, Brittany Murray, Micki Musick, ChrisAndrea Leigh Wade and Jenna Whitaker.
Bardwell, 19, is from Garland. She is a graduate of Bear River High School, where she was a state diving champion, and is pursuing a degree in a medical field at Weber State University.
Her hobbies include boating, wakeboarding, waterskiing and tubing with friends on hot summer days. She also likes to play softball and shop for shoes.
Bennett, 19, is a resident of Hooper. She is a graduate of both Fremont High School and the Ogden-Weber Applied Technology College and is seeking her state license in cosmetology.
Bennett enjoys writing poetry, scrap-booking and watching football. With her family, she likes to go camping, fishing and hunting.
Christensen, 21, lives in Lehi and is a graduate of Lehi High School. She attended Utah Valley State College and is a student at Salt Lake Community College. She likes to ride reining horses, rope with her father and brother, travel to rodeos with her family and is learning the trade of horse-hair hitching from her father.
Cowley, 19, is a resident of West Point. A graduate of Woods Cross High School, she is seeking an agricultural-communications degree at Utah State University.
Her hobbies include watching movies with friends, sending text messages to any of the 130 people listed in her cell phone, camping with her family and playing pinochle. She also has an extensive collection of Elvis memorabilia.
Grimm, 21, lives in Parowan, graduated from Parowan High School and earned an associate of arts degree at Dixie State College. She enjoys the theater, riding horses, camping, hanging out with friends and helping young children succeed. She is a 4-H leader.
Henderson, 20, is from Riverton. A Riverton High School graduate, she is a student at Salt Lake Community College. She enjoys spending time with family, country dancing with friends, singing along with her favorite country artists and competing with the college rodeo team. Henderson is a club leader for the 4-H horse program.
Jackman, 22, is a Draper resident. A graduate of Juan Diego Catholic High School, she is pursuing business and accounting degrees at Utah Valley State College.
Her interests include shopping, quilting, four-wheeling, camping and hunting with her dad and brothers, teaching young children how to ride horses, watching rodeo and spending time in the barn with horses and dogs.
Murray, 23, is from Lapoint. A Uintah High School graduate, she earned an associate of general science degree from Utah State University. She is a licensed pharmacy technician.
She enjoys dancing, singing, playing softball, boating, wake boarding, snowboarding, hunting, riding horses and watching rodeos.
Musick, 20, is from Spanish Fork. A Spanish Fork High School graduate she is seeking a degree in education at Utah Valley State College.
When not at the rodeo grounds, Musick enjoys hunting and camping with her family, painting, drawing, trail riding, shopping and country dancing.
Wade, 21, lives in Heber City. A Wasatch High School graduate, she is pursing business and accounting degrees at Utah Valley State College.
Her interests include snowmobiling, four-wheeling, basketball, softball and running. Wade said she loves photography, scrap-booking and cooking. She also said she's a "pool shark."
Whitaker, 18, is from Kaysville. A graduate of Davis High School, she will begin school to become an esthetician in September.
Whitaker enjoys wakeboarding, water skiing, barrel racing, cow cutting, reading, playing the piano, and teaching western horseback riding lessons to children.
Contest events open to the public include the horsemanship competition at 2:30 p.m. Thursday at the Golden Spike Arena, 1100 N. 1200 West in Ogden; a luncheon at the Timbermine Restaurant at 1 p.m. Friday, 1701 Park Blvd. in Ogden; contestant speeches at 9 a.m. Saturday in junior ballroom No. 3 at the Ogden Eccles Conference Center, 2415 Washington Blvd.; a fashion show, reception and silent auction at 10:30 a.m. Monday, July 23, at the Ogden Eccles Conference Center, 2415 Washington Blvd., and the free-style horsemanship contest scheduled as the pre-rodeo entertainment at 6:30 p.m. Monday, July 23, at Ogden Stadium, 668 17th St., Ogden.
The cost of the Timbermine luncheon is $30 per person. Reservations must be made by July 19 at (801) 668-2555.
Cost for the reception and fashion show is $35. Organizers do not expect to run out of tickets for this event. Reservations may be made by calling (801) 668-2555. The contestants will attend the Ogden Pioneer Days Rodeo each night, July 19-24, at the Ogden Stadium, 668 17th St. in Ogden, and sign autographs.
They also will appear at Smith and Edwards in Farr West at 3 p.m. Saturday for the store's 60-year anniversary celebration. Contestants will sign autographs after the 10 a.m. parade July 24, at 24th Street and Washington Boulevard. The winner will be announced about 9 p.m. at the Ogden Pioneer Days Rodeo July 24.
