Rodeo/Beauty Pageants Experiencing Decline In Entry Numbers

Girls may dream about growing up and becoming a rodeo queen or a beauty queen, but with the recent rise in gas prices and inflation, some may never get a chance to compete for a crown.

Most pageant winners have to pay for their own gas, hotel rooms and food when they appear at various events, regardless if it’s an event that’s local or nationwide.

Last month at the Miss Wyoming America and Miss Wyoming America Outstanding Teen competition in Sheridan, there were only 3 entrants in each category.

There were no entries for the 2023 Miss Sheridan WYO Rodeo Queen, Princess and Junior Princess pageants.

As for the Senior Princess category, 2 ladies entered and both scored high enough that judges decided that they would share the title.

Isabella Yellowtail is one of the two senior princesses and says another reason for the decline in entrants is that not everyone knows that rodeo and beauty queens have to do a lot more than just look good. 

“I think a lot of people almost think of rodeo queens as like ‘Oh, they don’t know how to ride, they don’t know how to do this,’ but if they were to put a little bit more research into them, they would see how much studying and training goes into horsemanship and the written tests and the pageant and the pictures.”

Kylee Lamb is the other Senior Princess and the Sheridan WYO Rodeo pageant is the first pageant she has ever entered.

She says some potential entrants get cold feet, stage fright, and have other misconceptions of what’s needed in a pageant contestant.

“I think personally this one here in Sheridan, everyone thinks, I know I personally did, you have to have a mother or a grandmother, someone there to push you through it, but really it’s in everyone’s realm. It’s something that I’m willing, and I think any past royalty is welcome to coach someone through it. It’s not as un-doable as everyone thinks it is.”

Both Yellowtail and Lamb say even if someone doesn’t win, it’s still worthwhile to enter, because you learn more about the pageant and about yourself.