Farewell

Hello for the last time,

Since my last report, things have been pretty slow and laid back. After the NPRA Finals, I went to the Roy Rodeo on Saturday, September 5th. It was really nice to finish off the crazy week of Finals with a nice relaxing rodeo. Thank you Roy Rodeo Board for being so hospitable toward my family and me. After Roy, I headed to Pendleton on September 17th and 18th. It was my first time at the Round Up and it couldn’t have been better. I had the privilege of riding in a horse drawn wagon in the non-motorized parade through downtown. It was the neatest thing to see such a long parade full of so many horses. Following the parade was the queen’s luncheon and rodeo. It was a great experience and I will definitely be returning next year. Following Pendleton was the NPRA Awards Banquet in Salem. Here I helped hand out awards to all the winning contestants. Congratulations again to everyone for a great season.

On November 21st I attended Miss Rodeo Oregon Jackie Gibson’s good luck party. Here I met some of the new royalty for next year and wished Jackie the best of luck at the Miss Rodeo America Pageant. That night I went to Circuit Finals where I thanked the Circuit Finals Board for sponsoring our Finals Rodeo. The following day, Sunday, November 22nd, was the Salem Fairgrounds Rodeo Queen Pageant. Congratulations to Katherine Rickert who will be next year’s Salem Queen.

Like I said in the beginning, this is my last report. I cannot thank everyone enough for the year that I’ve had. You all have made me feel a part of the NPRA family and I will truly miss all of you. Thank you for allowing me to represent such an amazing group of people and a wonderful organization. I wish I could stay on another year, but unfortunately it doesn’t work that way. Good luck in next year’s season and hopefully I will see you soon.

Thank you for everything,
Mackenzie

NPRA Finals

Hello again,

The Finals began with the Junior Rodeo on Monday, August 31st. There were two performances, one morning and one afternoon, with a huge turnout. All of the competitors did such a great job and it was the perfect way to start out the week.
Tuesday, September 1st, the first day of the Finals, started out with a 6 a.m. TV appearance on News Channel 8. They asked if I wanted to ride the “Big Sling” with reporter Drew Carney and get flung 250 feet into the air. I graciously declined and let my friend Geordie Richards the Salem Fairgrounds Rodeo Queen do it. I was very content watching from the ground. That evening, the rodeo was underway. From packing the American Flag to helping the little kids during the boot scramble, the night was filled with many things to keep me busy.
Wednesday, September 2nd, Finals rodeo number two. We started the show of with an amazing grand entry; a serpentine with 14 different military flags, a horse drawn cannon with civil war reenactors, and not to mention all of the visiting royalty. The rodeo was bigger and better than the night before; I could only wonder what Friday night was going to be like.
Thursday, September 3rd, the first day of the 2010 Miss NPRA Pageant. The seven contestants arrived bright and early for orientation; everyone was dressed to the nines. Immediately following was the horsemanship pattern. After I demonstrated the pattern, I watched as the contestants began to compete. After they had finished riding their patterns, it was time to see how well they and their horses dealt with cows. Things ran smoothly and everyone did a great job. Following the horsemanship portion, the contestants took their written rodeo knowledge test and were interviewed by the judges. Then it was a quick breather and I was off to the rodeo. After grand entry, I pushed cows for a little bit and was then rushed off in a golf cart to open up the Rodney Atkins concert by singing the national anthem. It was one of the neatest experiences of my life. To have the spotlight on me and the crowd going wild when I hit the high note was such an adrenaline rush. It was definitely a highlight of the week.
Friday, September 4th, the last day of the pageant and the Finals. Another early morning for me with a TV interview with News Channel 6 and Alana Kujala. After the 2007 December flood, she interviewed my classmates and I before we went on our senior trip to Disneyland. It really nice to interview with her again and she even let me do the tease. After my TV interview, it was more interviews, but this time it was the pageant contestants getting interviewed by the judges. Following the interviews was the Luncheon held in the beautiful “Hart of the Garden.” Then it was off to hear the contestants’ speeches, accompanied by the treat of getting to listen to Jonie Harms perform. That evening it was off to the rodeo again. The stands were full and the crowd was cheering so loudly. It was definitely a Friday night rodeo. After the rodeo performance was the Aaron Tippin concert and the announcement of the 2010 Miss NPRA. The 2010 Miss NPRA winning the categories of speech, personality, appearance, and horsemanship was Nicole Schrock. What an ending to such a memorable week.

Sincerely,
Mackenzie Carr
2009 Miss NPRA

2010 Miss NPRA Announced!

Seven beautiful young ladies competed for the title of 2010 Miss NPRA (Northwest Professional Rodeo Association) in the areas of horsemanship, written rodeo knowledge test, horsemanship interview, personal interview, modeling, speeches, and mock TV interview. The pageant was held during the NPRA Finals, which was held in conjunction with the Oregon State Fair. The contestants were:

Caylee Cooper - St Helens, Oregon
JoAnna Fischer - St. Helens, Oregon
Michelle Hunter - Ellensburg, Washington
Stephanie Larson - The Dalles, Oregon
Amanda Paul - Corvallis, Oregon
Nicole Schrock - Corvallis, Oregon
Katherine Rickert - Salem, Oregon

The results of the pageant were:

Congeniality - Amanda Paul
Sales - JoAnna Fischer
Spirit Award - Amanda Paul
Photogenics - Katherine Rickert
Appearance - Nicole Schrock, Katherine Rickert, JoAnna Fischer
Personality - Nicole Schrock
Knowledge - Katherine Rickert
Speech - Nicole Schrock
Horsemanship - Nicole Schrock
2nd Runner-Up - JoAnna Fischer
1st Runner-Up - Katherine Rickert
2010 Miss NPRA - Nicole Schrock

One Busy August!

Greetings,

The end of July and beginning of August began with four rodeos in four days. Day one, July 29th, I trekked to Redmond for the Deschutes County Fair and Rodeo. Here I had the wonderful opportunity of riding in a hummer limousine with world famous bareback riders. I had the privilege of meeting world champion bareback rider Bobby Mote, Jason Havens, Clint Wells, Brian Bain, and Ryan Gray. It was a great start to a great week.
Day two, Jul 30th, from Redmond I drove to Corvallis for the Benton County Fair and Rodeo. Again, not only did I get to enjoy the rodeo, I got to meet some more famous people. This time it was the band, Lady Antebellum. I couldn’t believe how lucky I was getting so far, little did I know there was more to come.
Day three, July 31st, from Corvallis I skipped on over to McMinnville for the Yamhill County Fair and Rodeo. After the rodeo was over, their queen Alyssa Ritchie asked me if I wanted to meet Jake Owen. I thought I was going to have a heart attack. He and I talked a little bit about my hometown and how things have changed since he last visited.
Day four, August 1st, over to Sublimity I headed for the Santiam Canyon Stampede and the Junior/Teen Miss Rodeo Oregon Pageant. Despite the horribly muggy and hot weather, the day turned out great, and it cooled down just in time for the rodeo.
After the crazy four days, it was nice to stay in my home town for the Jamboree. I rode in the parade, where I won 1st place, sang the national anthem at the horse show and the logging show, and was interviewed by Officer Mike Kay at the concert. It was a nice quiet weekend and just the break I needed after the week before.
The following weekend on August 15th, I traveled to Tygh Valley for the Wasco County Fair and Rodeo. Here I discovered that my mom is quite the salmon bargain shopper and that Pedro is deathly terrified of donkeys. The crowd found it pretty entertaining watching Pedro act like some little donkeys were going to eat him alive. All I could do was laugh and shake my head.
On August 21st and 22nd I traveled to John Day for the Grant County Fair and Rodeo. Here I helped at the rodeo, pushing cows and packing flags, and rode in the parade. It was a nice rodeo to wrap things up before Finals.
Lastly, I’d like to invite everyone to come enjoy the Oregon State Fair and the NPRA Finals Rodeo held September 1st – 4th. The 2010 Miss NPRA pageant will be held on Thursday the 3rd and Friday the 4th, with the announcement of the 2010 Miss NPRA at the Aaron Tippen concert following the rodeo Friday night. Please come cheer on the contestants who will be vying for my title.

Good luck rodeo contestants and may you have a successful finals.

Sincerely,

Mackenzie Carr
2009 Miss NPRA

Finals Getting Close!

The 2009 NPRA Finals are fast approaching. They are September 1 - 4, with the 2010 Miss NPRA Pageant on Thursday and Friday. The Queen's Luncheon and Speech competition are Friday. Friday is also TETWP night. Please email ccrodeo@hotmail if you are rodeo royalty and plan on attending any of the performances or the luncheon. Reservations for participating in Grand Entry or attending the luncheon need to be in by August 15, please.

Good Luck to the 2010 Miss NPRA Pageant Contestants!

Caylee Cooper, St. Helens, OR
JoAnna Fischer, St. Helens, OR
Michelle Hunter, Ellensburg, WA
Stephanie Larsen, The Dalles, OR
Amanda Paul, Corvallis, OR
Nicole Schrock, Corvallis, OR
Katherine Waynette Rickert, Salem, OR

Last Half of June

Hello again,

The latter half of July was home to many fun-filled rodeos. On July 10th I attended the Sweet Home rodeo where I pushed cows, packed flags, and even rode out on the barrel truck. I had never been to this rodeo and had a wonderful time. Thank you to Queen Nicole and the Kem family for all of their hospitality. The following day, July 11th, was the Sweet Home parade and an NPRA Director’s Meeting. Once I finished the meeting, I was off the Philomath for their rodeo. Thank you Queen Sarah for allowing me to help you throughout your rodeo; I had such a great time. Congratulations to Sarah McRae who was chosen as their 2010 Queen.

On July 16th I traveled to The Dalles for the Fort Dalles Days Pro Rodeo. Since The Dalles rodeo is new to our association, I spent all day welcoming them and promoting the Finals at radio interviews and luncheons. The rodeo that night was amazing. There were over 500 contestants scheduled to be at The Dalles for the weekend. Once the rodeo was over it was back to St. Helens for the Columbia County Fair and Rodeo.

Friday the 17th was the Columbia County Pageant. I really enjoyed watching the girls compete; you could tell that they had been working really hard. That evening was the rodeo, where I had the privilege of singing the national anthem during the performance. The next morning I pushed cows during slack and then helped push cows and pack flags during the rodeo that night. After the rodeo they announced the 2010 Columbia County Fair and Rodeo Court. Congratulations to Queen Leilani Schmidt and Princesses Stephanie Esterly and Emily Simpson. I would also like to thank Columbia County Fair and Rodeo for all of their hospitality and support over the past three years; I truly appreciate all that you have done.

The next weekend, the 25th, I was in Long Beach for their rodeo and acted as their host queen. I was also able to do a radio interview with 103.9 the Eagle, promoting the Finals and the association. After the rodeo we had some fun on the go-carts and even saw the “alligator man.”

Lastly, I’d like to congratulate the contestants for the great job that they’ve been doing this season. I wish you all the best of luck during August and I will see you on the rodeo road.

Sincerely,
Mackenzie Carr
2009 Miss NPRA

Pageant Deadline Approaches

Reminder -- Applications for the 2010 Miss NPRA Pageant is August 1, 2009. For more information or an application, please email ccrodeo@hotmail.com.