Tara's Review
My years spent as the Saskatchewan High School Rodeo Queen have been two of the most amazing years of my life. In June of 2006, I was crowned the 2006-2007 Saskatchewan High School Rodeo Queen. After a year serving the SHSRA as their queen I made the decision to re-run as the SHSRA Queen for the 2007-2008 term.

Hello everyone, my name is Tara Slade and I am the 2007 – 2008 Saskatchewan High School Rodeo Queen and I have the pleasure of representing the SHSRA for a second year. As I was crowned again for a second year at the High School Rodeo Finals in Wood Mountain, Saskatchewan I knew I would be in for yet another exciting year.

Shortly after the Saskatchewan Finals, the other National Qualifiers and myself headed south, to the National High School Finals Rodeo.  I had the privilege in competing in the 59^th Annual National High School Rodeo Queen Competition. The elements of competition are identical to those presented at the Provincial level. Two horsemanship patterns, a written test on the rulebook, an impromptu question, a two-minute prepared speech, a personal interview, modeling, personality, and appearance. Every State or Province, 46 in all, must have a queen at Nationals in order for their team to compete. The Thursday before the beginning of the rodeo competition all the queens arrived to begin the queen competition. By Friday the competition was in full swing, with the written test and the impromptu question. The evening went great, and the support from the Saskatchewan Team was amazing. By Saturday night the personal interviews and modeling / speeches part of the competition was completed. The support that I received from the Saskatchewan Team was astounding, and most members of the audience were a little hard of hearing thanks to the shakers, noisemakers and overall cheers Saskatchewan brought with them. The only thing the MC could manage to say was ‘Well, as you might have heard, she is from Saskatchewan”.

In the following days the horsemanship portion of the competition was completed, and the judges overall opinions of the girls personality and appearance were added up. The score sheets were handed in and myself, along with the other 45 girls were left waiting and wondering. Meanwhile, the rodeo was taking place, and the hard work and dedication of all the competitors was evident. I spent the rest of the week attending the rodeos, selling 50/50 tickets, helping with the Scholarship Foundation Auction, going to the evening dances, and meeting other rodeo competitors from around North America and Australia. The lifelong friends and memories you make at nationals are one-in-a-million.

The rodeo went great, and the Saskatchewan team gave it their all, and finally after many days of waiting, the day of the Queen Coronation came around. When the dust settled, and the results were in, I placed 11^th, the highest of any Saskatchewan Queen in the history of Nationals. I left the Illinois State Fair Grounds with a smile on my face, and a sense of pride. Not only did I have the honour of competing in the National High School Finals Rodeo Queen Competition I was also able to represent the great province of Saskatchewan.

Until next time, Happy Trails,

Tara Slade

Saskatchewan High School Rodeo Queen 2007-2008

Canadian High School Finals 

The Canadian High School Rodeo Finals were held in Medicine Hat, Alberta. Attending the event is optional for the Queen, but I could not resist coming along to cheer on my fellow team members. The four day event went off without a hitch, except for a
minor tornado warning ;-), but all in all the Saskatchewan team was very successful. On short-go Sunday the Canadian High School Rodeo Committee presented contestants with awards, and I was fortunate enough to be one of them. Through the week it was announced that a memorial buckle would be awarded in memory of Shauna Nicholson. Shauna was a dedicated volunteer and parent within the Saskatchewan High School Rodeo Association. The award requirements were for the recipient to be a positive person who strived to promote rodeo. Each team was to nominate 3 contestants it felt worthy of such an honour, and the Canadian High School Rodeo Committee made the final decision. In the end, I was chosen to be the recipient of the beautiful buckle and the honour of being the Shauna Nicholson Memorial Champion.

Happy Trails,

Tara Slade

Saskatchewan High School Rodeo Queen 2007-2008

Our fall rodeo season has come and gone. The Saskatchewan High School Rodeo Association has been to Big Beaver, Martinsville, Beechy, and Russell Manitoba. The rodeos have been a blast, and the competition is heating up, with all competitors striving for a spot on the National Team. As Queen it is my responsibility to organize the Grand Entry at every rodeo and to promote the Saskatchewan High School Rodeo Association to sponsors, spectators, and contestants. It has been an excellent season, and I know the SHSRA members can’t wait to begin rodeoing again in the spring. Until then, many hours will be spent in the practice pen, practicing and honing skills. I hope to see everyone at Agribition, helping the SHSRA sell 50/50 tickets and programs for the ranch horse sale.

Happy Trails,

Tara Slade

Saskatchewan High School Rodeo Queen 2007-2008