Morgan ' s journey of rodeo royalty started when she saw a flyer for the Jackrabbit Stampede Ambassador contest hanging up in a building on her college campus .
" If I hadn ' t gone out of my comfort zone and seized that opportunity , I would not be Miss Rodeo South Dakota and I would not be the person I am today ," said Morgan .
Since then this concept developed into Morgan ' s platform " Seize It ," and through it Morgan said , " I hope to encourage others to seize any opportunity that comes their way , to get out of their comfort zone and to do new things ."
Morgan competed for the title of Miss Rodeo South Dakota in the 21 to 26 age division November 3rd through the 6th in 2022 . During the pageant , she took part in three rounds of interviews including an open interview in front of an audience , a personal interview with the judges and a horsemanship interview .
For the fashion show , contestants were able to showcase a fashion-forward outfit and a western elegance outfit . There was also a rodeo , and the coronation took place after doing speeches throughout the final day .
During the pageant , Morgan said she tried to do the best that she could and have fun .
" I was pretty confident ," she said . " I try not to think about the other girls that are competing with me . It ' s more about being better than you were the last time ."
" I had been a local rodeo queen since 2019 , and a state level pageant such as Miss Rodeo South Dakota is a goal of almost every local rodeo queen ," said Morgan . " It ' s a very prestigious title ."
When Morgan was crowned , she said , " I was very excited — happy tears , happy laughs ."
According to the official website , Miss Rodeo South Dakota " desires to act as an official representative of rodeo , who understands the sport of rodeo in its entirety and is able to explain it to anyone whom she comes in contact with . Miss Rodeo South Dakota strives to promote the state of South Dakota and the western way of life . She also acts professionally , speaks intelligently and with dignity and enjoys meeting people ."
Thus , through the role of Miss Rodeo South Dakota , Morgan represents the entire state of South Dakota as an ambassador of rodeo . Along the way , she promotes agriculture , cowboys and cowgirls everywhere and the western way of life . By the time Morgan ' s year of royalty concludes she will have traveled to 15 states and every Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association rodeo in the state of South Dakota .
When traveling out of state , Morgan is invited to rodeos hosted by other state rodeo queens . There she represents South Dakota rodeo , helps carry sponsor flags , goes to sponsor visits and does marketing along with other public relation type things . Sometimes she even does school visits .
" It ' s been a lot of fun just having so many different experiences and opportunities and meeting a lot of people , spreading knowledge and the world of rodeo and agriculture and the western way of life . It ' s been just an unforgettable , amazing experience ," said Morgan .
Below , Morgan carried the American flag on her horse Sierra to open the performance at the Xtreme Broncs Finals which took places at the Central States Fair in Rapid City . Next page , Morgan seized the moment to hold this python at Gatorland in Orlando , Fla ., during her travels as Miss Rodeo South Dakota .
8 Down Country Roads November / December 2023