Miss Rodeo 1997 reign nears end

Thursday, Dec. 4, 1997 | 12:22 p.m.

On a stage as glittering as the outfit she wore, MiQuel Holyoak, a tall, tanned, 21-year-old who has attended Arizona State University, was crowned Miss Rodeo America 1997.

When she learned she had won the title, Holyoak, who never gave away the fact that she was standing on stage with a broken foot, was already wiping away tears from sweeping away other honors for speech, appearance, personality and horsemanship.

Wearing a two-piece fringed outfit of burgundy and silver, Holyoak had to bow down slightly to accept the crown from the outgoing Miss Rodeo America.

"This is the best feeling in the world," Holyoak said later, trying to control her trembling.

In order to win the coveted title that makes her the First Lady and an official spokesperson for the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, Holyoak was selected from a group of 33 state title holders.

Holyoak, who comes from Mesa, Ariz., is currently a junior at Utah State University pursuing a bachelors degree in family and consumer sciences with a double minor in mathematics and horse training.

Her interests include rodeo, horses, fishing, barrel racing, softball, volleyball, camping, skiing, country dancing and promoting therapeutic horseback riding for disabled children as a 4-H leader.

"I'm a first-generation cowgirl, but hopefully not the last," she said, adding that her family has been in farming for generations.

"I got my first horse when I was 16," she remembered, laughing. "I saddled him up, he took me for three laps around the backyard and then dumped me."

MiQuel's role as Miss Rodeo America has included a year of travel and public appearances on behalf of Professional Rodeo and the Miss Rodeo America program.

The concept of Miss Rodeo America was developed in 1955 by a group of gentlemen organized under the name of International Rodeo Management.

Their objective was to bring together various entities in the rodeo business, to strengthen and better organize the rodeo industry. In so doing, they saw an opportunity to promote rodeo and the Western way of life through a pretty, intelligent young lady who could ride a horse well and tell people about rodeo.

The first Miss Rodeo America Pageant was conducted in Casper, Wyo., in 1955. The following year, the Pageant was produced in Chicago at the International Dairy Show. San Francisco was the locale for the next pageant, where it was conducted in conjunction with the Cow Palace Rodeo.

The Pageant then moved to Las Vegas, where it stayed for 16 years, then moved to Oklahoma City, Okla. There it dovetailed with the National Finals Rodeo for 11 successful years. During those years of growth, IRM's sole purpose became the selection of Miss Rodeo America.

In 1985, the pageant followed the NFR and moved back to Las Vegas. It remained there until 1989 when it returned to Oklahoma City, Okla., and was conducted in conjunction with the National Finals Steer Roping. The Pageant was produced for television and aired on the Nashville Network (TNN), courtesy of the Lazy E Arena in Guthrie, Okla.

In the meantime, IRM was re-incorporated under the name of Miss Rodeo America, Inc. The business office was relocated from Springdale, Ark., to Pueblo, Colo., which provided the organization with the opportunity to work much closer with the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association and the ProRodeo Hall of Fame. In 1990, the Pageant again returned to Las Vegas and the NFR, where it remains today.

The organization continues a positive growth pattern that includes a substantial scholarship program for contestants.

For today's rodeo fans, it's difficult to imagine the world of professional rodeo without her ... her charm her ability, and most importantly, her knack for turning rodeo spectators into rodeo fans.