Wow! Time really does fly when you’re having fun! I can hardly believe that it has been almost two whole months since the pageant in Great Falls. These two months of being Miss Teen Rodeo Montana have been so much fun. So far I’ve been to two rodeos and five civic events. I can’t wait to see what new exciting things I’ll witness as my year continues. My first event was the Winter Fair, held in Lewistown Montana. Lesli and I held a kiddie rodeo and then toured the booths of the winter fair. Oh, did I forget to mention the kiddie rodeo consisted of sixty-eight kids? I was so impressed with the enthusiasm of the kids, especially since the
weather that day was at a high of four degrees!
The second rodeo I attended was the NRA Finals, in Billings Montana. I had so much fun. I saw three concerts, including Trailer Choir, Sawyer Brown, and Josh Gracin. The rodeo was fantastic also. Lesli and I carried flags during the rodeo and signed autographs afterwards.
During my year as Miss Teen I plan to accomplish two things. The first goal being to reach out to younger kids. This means making visits to grade schools and also 4H groups. My second goal is to bring awareness of people with disabilities at rodeos. At the pageant in January a man named Staff Sergeant Bennett gave a motivational speech to all the contestants, but one thing he said really stood out. Staff Sergeant Bennett had been injured in Iraq and he said that he loved going to rodeos but now it was more difficult to get in after his injury. This caught my attention and I will now be bringing awareness to the people and facilities of rodeo about better arrangements for people with disabilities.
I recently attended Miss Rodeo Montana’s coronation fundraiser event. I want to give a big congratulation to Lesli and her family and friends on all of their hard work. It was a great event and I had so much fun and I know everyone else there did too. It was really great to see all the support that was being given. Thank you very much to everyone who came and supported Lesli. I will be having my own gala celebration event coming up April 18th. It will be a live and silent auction to help support me with my year. I invite everyone to come out for it.
These two months of my reign have been phenomenal and I know that it is only the beginning. Thank you to everyone who helped me get where I am today. I hope to see you all at the next rodeo!God Bless,
Samantha Manley
Miss Teen Rodeo Montana 2009
