2023 Miss Rodeo Wyoming Reata Cook Looks Back At Her Time Wearing The Crown

She has officially worn the crown as Wyoming’s Rodeo Queen since this year started and as her time draws to a close, a 2019 Big Horn High School graduate is hoping to win a much bigger crown and be known nationally.

Reata Cook, who is the 2023 Miss Rodeo Wyoming, and the 2021 Sheridan WYO Rodeo Queen, will soon be competing in the competition for Miss Rodeo America 2024, before and during the National Finals Rodeo event in Las Vegas.

As Miss Rodeo Wyoming, she has spent much of her time this year at various rodeo events both in and out of state, to promote rodeo and Wyoming.

She says because of scheduling there were a number of rodeos that she wanted to go to, but couldn’t, including one in Oregon that from what she’s heard, reminds her of a rodeo event in Sheridan County.

“One rodeo that I really hoped to make it to was the Pendleton Roundup. That’s all done on grass and it’s kind of like what we have here for Don King Days, but it’s an entire rodeo on grass, and so that’s just super cool. It’s kind of like the Cheyenne of Oregon.”

A lot of out of state rodeo queens visited Wyoming during Cheyenne Frontier Days and Miss Cook says she tried to direct them to a couple of scenic areas.

“One question I got asked a lot down in Cheyenne is, ‘where are the mountains?’ I’m like, ‘you got to go up north to where I’m from to see the beautiful Big Horns or over onto Jackson to see the Tetons to get some mountain views in sight.’”

Miss Cook will leave on December 1st to head to Las Vegas.

The Miss Rodeo America 2024 competition starts on December 3rd and the winner will be crowned on December 10th.

A send-off party is being held on Friday, November 17th from 5:30 until 8pm at the Just LeDoux It Saloon and Steak Out in Big Horn.

The public is invited.