Anna Woolsey, age 23, is Miss Rodeo USA. She sat down with the San Miguel Basin Forum over the weekend at a national equestrian event and talked about her role and what it means.
Woolsey started riding as a very young child. She got her first horse, Hershey, when she was 4 years old. By the time she was 13, she was competing in rodeo queen contests — something she’s now done consistently for a decade.
She’d wanted her own saddle back then, and her mother, who’d competed in rodeo queen contests in her earlier life, told her she could win a saddle by entering a rodeo pageant.
Woolsey won the first competition she entered, in Skiatook, Oklahoma. She’s held a title nearly every year since then.
At age 21 she was crowned Miss Rodeo Oklahoma. Then, she began traveling to places like Cheyenne Frontier Days, and the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in Colorado Springs, as well as to Florida for an event where many of the state queens meet up.
And, in January of this year, she was crowned Miss Rodeo USA. She has just a few months left carrying that title, and in January she will crown the new 2024 queen.
Part of Woolsey’s work is mentoring young women. It’s part of life for Miss Rodeo USA, and she enjoys guiding the ladies down “a good path” and giving them advice. She coaches them for their respective rodeo pageants, specifically for interviewing and modeling.
All rodeo queens compete in categories like horsemanship, speeches, modeling, and sometimes impromptu questions. They’re judged on personality and appearance, too. They also take a written test.
“I like to help wherever I can,” she said.
Part of her mission is to help create “a better rodeo queen,” she said, because it’s about representing the tradition well. And, everyone watches the queen. These days with social media, people are really paying attention.
Woolsey said the experiences in rodeo pageantry have helped shape who she is.
“I don’t know the type of person I would have been if I didn’t start queen contests,” she said. “I can get on stage, I can talk to crowds, I am talking with the media, and I am also interviewing others.”
For her, the experiences have opened doors and help guide her into the future. It’s also helped her win scholarship opportunities, and she’s basically debt-free with her education.
For young aspiring rodeo queens, Woolsey said there’s something for everyone. She advises young women who want to follow in her footsteps to start in small, local pageants and work their way up. She recommends finding someone who’s done the queen contests in the past. She said girls can also rent the clothes they need for the competitions.
“It will open doors no matter how far you take it,” she said. “You can travel and go bigger.”
Woolsey said it’s important to carry on the rodeo queen tradition — and rodeo itself. She said it’s about celebrating agriculture and western traditions.
“Rodeos — and horse shows — they started somewhere, and there are hardworking cowboys and cowgirls who started them, and who are still involved in these wholesome traditions with great morals and values … and we need to preserve that and keep that going.”
Part of her work is also educating people about adopting pets. It’s an issue close to her heart. She asks all to “save a life, adopt a dog.” She rescues animals, fosters them and also volunteers with animal shelters.
Anyone who’d like to learn more about Woolsey and her queenship can find her on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat.
