Junior Miss Rodeo South Dakota, Kay Marrs
Hello! My name is Kay Marrs and last July at the Black Hills Roundup in Belle Fourche, SD I was honored to be chosen as Jr. Miss Rodeo South Dakota (JMRSD) 2011. In the last six months, I have been to some great rodeos and met many wonderful people. My first rodeo as JMRSD was the Black Hills Roundup and I had so much fun with Miss Rodeo South Dakota (MRSD) 2011, Vanessa Ternes and Courtney Peterson, MRSD 2012.
A week after being crowned, I was part of the Boss Cowman Rodeo on July 9, in Lemmon, SD. There I rode in the parade with the Boss Cowman royalty, and carried Old Glory for the grand entrance.
In August, I was off to the Faith Stock Show and Rodeo. There were very talented young ladies vying for the Princess, Jr. Queen, and Queen titles. All of them did a fantastic job.
Both of these rodeos were fun to attend and it was great to see so many talented cowboys and cowgirls competing.
The Days of ’76 Rodeo in Deadwood, SD, on July 28-30, was one of my favorite rodeos I’ve attended so far. I signed numerous autographs, saw many rodeo performances and had a luncheon with Governor Dennis Daugaard. The entire weekend was incredible. I was able to spend it with: MRSD Vanessa Ternes; MRSD Lady-in-Waiting Courtney Peterson; Miss Rodeo New Mexico Kacey McDaniel; Miss Rodeo Colorado Kelsey Purdy; and even Miss Rodeo America McKenzie Haley. Another special highlight was the induction of the Days of ’76 Rodeo into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame.
As August drew to an end, I traveled to Pierre, SD for the 2011 South Dakota 4-H Ambassador Contest and 4-H Finals Rodeo. The same weekend, I carried flags during one of the Central States Fair’s rodeo performances. It was a treat to watch Lisa Lockhart from Oelrichs, SD win the barrel racing portion of the rodeo.
During Labor Day, I was asked to be a judge for the Newell Labor Day Rodeo Princess contest. It was quite an experience being on the other side of the judging. I had a difficult time selecting the Princess out of five competitors.
The next event that I attended was the South Dakota Fur Trapper’s Association’s annual meeting in Wall, SD, with Courtney Peterson. We had a blast visiting with various people about traps and different furs. One gentleman generously gave Courtney and I a small trap! It was great to meet all these people and thank them personally for all the support they give the JMRSD and MRSD pageants.
Every year, Jerry Westphal and the other trappers sponsor a fur coat for MRSD and a leather coat with a fur collar for JMRSD. I was thankful to receive my beautiful coat at MRSD 2012 coronation this January.
Year-end events I attended included the South Dakota Rodeo Association (SDRA) Finals in Rapid City, SD. The National Finals Rodeo (NFR) send-off parties in Sturgis, SD and Belle Fourche, SD and the Deadwood Cowboy Christmas Ball.
I am looking forward to representing rodeo in South Dakota with MRSD 2012 for the next six months.
