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GIRARD —
GIRARD — It’s not easy to claim the crown of Crawford County Fair 2012 Rodeo Queen.
There are five contenders this year, and the winner will have to ride well, speak well and sell lots of rodeo tickets. The horsemanship portion of the competition was held Tuesday, and on Thursday the young women presented their speeches on the topic of “A Winning Ride with 4-H” following a dinner at the Triple S Steak House.
Queen candidates are Layne Karhoff, 13, daughter of Mark Karhoff and Tanya Karhoff, who will be an eighth grader in the fall at the Girard Middle School; Hartley Merrell, 13, daughter of Scott and Dustee Harrison, McCune, and Lewis and Nancy Merrell, Girard, who will be a Girard High School freshman; Sam Sarley, 16, daughter of Mike and Angie Sarley, Pittsburg, who will be a Pittsburg High School senior; Abbigail Stephan, 16, daughter of Tim and Lisa Stephan , Walnut, who will be a GHS junior; and Rebecca Wright, 14, daughter of Wayne and Tammy Wright, St. Paul, who will be in the ninth grade at St. Paul.
Karhoff, Merrell, Stephan and Wright are all members of the Lucky Riders 4-H Club. Sarley is in the Win or Bust 4-H Club.
In her speech, Karhoff noted that winning first place in 4-H competitions is very nice, but that meeting new friends, volunteering, learning responsibility and having fun are also ways of winning.
“If you are dedicated to what you want, you will have a winning ride in 4-H,” she said.
Merrell said that 4-H is not just about agriculture, but also has a lot to do with leadership and has taught her responsibility and the importance of having respect for others.
“Whether it comes to rodeo or life in general, never give up,” she said.
Rebecca Wright said, “To have a winning ride you need to practice, and to practice you need coaches,” and stressed the importance of parents and leaders.
Stephan made a poster board exhibit of herself in 4-H, telling of her love of horses and going through her other accomplishments in 4-H.
“4-H is not just about horses and crops, but about leadership,” she said. “This is not the end of my ride, it’s the beginning.”
Sarley said that she had three older brothers in 4-H and went to her first 4-H meeting when she was only three days old.
“4-H is about building better citizens,” she said. “It doesn’t matter if you’re on a farm or in a big city.”
GIRARD — It’s not easy to claim the crown of Crawford County Fair 2012 Rodeo Queen.
There are five contenders this year, and the winner will have to ride well, speak well and sell lots of rodeo tickets. The horsemanship portion of the competition was held Tuesday, and on Thursday the young women presented their speeches on the topic of “A Winning Ride with 4-H” following a dinner at the Triple S Steak House.
Queen candidates are Layne Karhoff, 13, daughter of Mark Karhoff and Tanya Karhoff, who will be an eighth grader in the fall at the Girard Middle School; Hartley Merrell, 13, daughter of Scott and Dustee Harrison, McCune, and Lewis and Nancy Merrell, Girard, who will be a Girard High School freshman; Sam Sarley, 16, daughter of Mike and Angie Sarley, Pittsburg, who will be a Pittsburg High School senior; Abbigail Stephan, 16, daughter of Tim and Lisa Stephan , Walnut, who will be a GHS junior; and Rebecca Wright, 14, daughter of Wayne and Tammy Wright, St. Paul, who will be in the ninth grade at St. Paul.
Karhoff, Merrell, Stephan and Wright are all members of the Lucky Riders 4-H Club. Sarley is in the Win or Bust 4-H Club.
In her speech, Karhoff noted that winning first place in 4-H competitions is very nice, but that meeting new friends, volunteering, learning responsibility and having fun are also ways of winning.
“If you are dedicated to what you want, you will have a winning ride in 4-H,” she said.
Merrell said that 4-H is not just about agriculture, but also has a lot to do with leadership and has taught her responsibility and the importance of having respect for others.
“Whether it comes to rodeo or life in general, never give up,” she said.
Rebecca Wright said, “To have a winning ride you need to practice, and to practice you need coaches,” and stressed the importance of parents and leaders.
Stephan made a poster board exhibit of herself in 4-H, telling of her love of horses and going through her other accomplishments in 4-H.
“4-H is not just about horses and crops, but about leadership,” she said. “This is not the end of my ride, it’s the beginning.”
Sarley said that she had three older brothers in 4-H and went to her first 4-H meeting when she was only three days old.
“4-H is about building better citizens,” she said. “It doesn’t matter if you’re on a farm or in a big city.”
The evening also included a tearful farewell speech by Shelby Lewis, the Crawford County Fair 2011 Rodeo Queen.
“This is not an occasion where the winner packs up her loot and rides off into the sunset,” she said.
Lewis participated in numerous area parades and activities, and said she especially enjoyed visiting Horses of Hope, a therapeutic riding facility for children and adults with disabilities.
“Seeing their faces light up when they met me just melted my heart,” she said. “Wearing this crown should not be taken lightly, but you don’t have to have a title to make a difference.”
Desiree Humble, rodeo queen coordinator, said that the queen will be announced during the rodeo on Aug. 2.
“All five of you have done an excellent job, and I would be happy to serve with any of you,” Humble said.
