My first appearance of 2015 brought me to Waco for the Ram Texas Circuit Finals Rodeo. 
The circuit finals involve the top 12 contestants in each event competing not only for the champion Texas Circuit title, but also for a chance to qualify for the Ram National Circuit Finals Rodeo held in Kissimmee, Florida this year. It was such an exciting rodeo to watch since so many of our sport’s best athletes claim Texas as their circuit! That Saturday morning, I got to be a part of their annual Rustics and Rhinestones Ladies Luncheon and Style Show. Several contestants, people involved with the rodeo, and I modeled different styles for those that attended the fashion show. It was great to spend time with such a fun group of people! Thank you to Vicki Hobbs for inviting me and coordinating the event.
The next weekend, I stayed in San Antonio for our Miss Rodeo Texas clinic. We had a very good turnout as girls came to learn from different parts of Texas, New Mexico, California and Idaho! I love that we have these clinics because they help girls learn what it takes to compete in a rodeo queen pageant and how to be a respectable titleholder. We go over horsemanship, modeling, speeches, answering questions,
have mock interviews, and answer any questions girls may have about competing. I attended these clinics while I was preparingto compete for Miss Rodeo Texas and I think everything I learned there helped me get to where I am today. Thank you to Marjorie Murphy, Devin Sisk, and Rosanna Pace for all of the hard work they do to put together such an informative seminar. Also, I really enjoyed getting to spend time with some of the new state titleholders, we had so much fun together! On their last night in Texas, I took Miss Rodeo California, Miss Rodeo Idaho, and Miss Caldwell Night Rodeo to the Riverwalk and the Alamo so they could get a little taste of Texas and the culture of San Antonio. They are such a sweet group of girls and I hope to see them again soon!
This past week, we spent a lot of time on the road as Miss Rodeo Texas Teen, McKenna Greene, Marjorie Murphy, and I traveled from San Antonio to Fort Worth and on to Austin. Our first trip took us to Fort Worth for the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame inductions. I was SO excited to be a part of this year’s event since they were honoring such influential people that I have admired since I was young. This year’s inductees were Larry Mahan, Leon Coffee, Chris Cox, and Johnny Trotter. Clay Walker was also honored and received the Rick Smith Spirit of Texas Award. It was amazing for McKenna and I to be in the company of not only these honorees, but so many other influential and iconic people of our industry in the audience. Congratulations to the 2015 inductees on their well-deserved honor.
From Fort Worth, we drove to Austin for the Miss Rodeo Austin pageant. McKenna and I were the 2013 Miss Rodeo Austin and Miss Rodeo Austin Princess so we were looking forward to visiting our Rodeo Austin family again. We enjoyed watching the twelve contestants compete in the horsemanship, speeches, and impromptu question portions of the pageant. It was a tough competition with so many incredible girls that I am lucky to have personally gotten to know over the years. Congratulations to Chloe Costello, the 2015 Miss Rodeo Austin, and Destinee Brown, the 2015 Miss Rodeo Austin Princess, on their accomplishments. You are in for an amazing year ahead and I can’t wait to visit Rodeo Austin again in March!
2015 is off to a GREAT start and I can’t wait to see what the rest of the year has in store!
Blessings always,
Alex Ingram – Miss Rodeo Texas 2014
