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Girls ready for Rodeo Royalty Pageant
• Rebekah Lynne Scott, 18, is the daughter of Phil and Angie Roman of Yuma, Arizona and Robert Scott of Sachse, Texas. A senior at Cibola High School, Rebekah serves as the vice president of the FFA organization at her school and is a member of the concert choir. Rebekah has been a member of the Up & Coming 4H Club since age 9, is active in the 4H Horse Project, and serves as the current president of her 4H Club.
Rebekah has been on horseback since age 2, and started formal riding lessons at age 6. She spent three of the last four summers volunteering at two adaptive riding stables in Texas for children with disabilities. In her free time, Rebekah enjoys opportunities to introduce local children to their first taste of riding horseback. She has two horses: Bella's Heart, a Missouri Foxtrotter, and Pretty Twist Leo, an American Quarterhorse.
Active in Champion Church's Drama Program, Rebekah will attend Arizona Western College with plans to transfer to New Mexico State University to pursue an Agriculture degree. Rebekah ultimately plans to become a veterinarian. Rebekah has two older sisters, a younger brother, three nephews with a new niece expected in the spring.
• Sara Lynn Akins, 18, is the daughter of Robert and Barbara Akins. Akins is homeschooled and has two older brothers, Matthew and Bobby, and one younger sister, Bethany.
Akins enjoys spending her free time by showing several small animals as well as horses at the Yuma County Fair, drawing and painting, and spending as much time as she can with her best friend, her horse Deon.
While she said that being a rodeo queen would mean glamorous big hair rhinestones, it would also mean being a role model to all the aspiring young cowgirls and representing the city of Yuma around the state. She noted that it's also to better herself both as an individual and as a competitor.
Akins said that she is grateful for her family's support through her years in horses and in her life as well as her sponsor Danny Bryant of Pacesetter Homes.
2013 Yuma Jaycees Silver Spur Rodeo Teen Queen candidate:
• Taylor Sheets is a freshman at Carpe Diem Academy due to graduate in 2016.
She first experienced horseback riding in Hawaii at the age of six and knew that she wanted to grow up riding horses. Years later she became a member of the 4-H horse club which gave her the opportunity to learn to ride. Now, three years later, she is competing in English, Western, and Gymkhana events.
She received her first horse Bert two years ago when he and his stable mate were trailered to Yuma all the way from Montana.
After the excitement of riding in the 2012 Silver Spur Rodeo Parade and Grand Entry and watching event after event, she knew that she was hooked on rodeo. Taylor said that she is grateful for the support of her sponsor Jane Bell, owner of Bells Hay Services, for making it possible for her to run for the title of 2013 Yuma Jaycees Silver Spur Teen Queen.
2012 Yuma Jaycees Silver Spur Rodeo Queen:
• Anna Tillou, a lifelong equestrian, was raised on Rider Ranch. She learned to ride at the young age of 3. She is a member of the Yuma Progressive Barrel Racing Association where she competes in Barrels and Poles.
As the 2012 Yuma Jaycees Silver Spur Rodeo Queen, Anna travels around supporting the sport of rodeo and her western heritage. Anna has been active in the community for the past two years, as she held the title of Teen Queen in 2011.
Traveling around the state of Arizona supporting surrounding rodeos and representing the Yuma Jaycees has made a huge impact on Anna. Anna loves to meet new people and teach them the importance of gathering the whole family for an evening of a traditional sport that is based on having a passion and love for dedicated cowboys and powerful, hard working animals that spectators see during a rodeo performance. Not only does she work at rodeos but she helps out at many events right here in her community. Several events this year alone are The Heart of Yuma, The Caballeros De Yuma Tower Lighting, The YRMC Christmas Tree lighting and the Paws for Cause fundraiser.
The time is almost here for Anna to pass on the reins of the Yuma Jaycees Silver Spur Rodeo Queen and to place the crown on another beautiful young lady.
*Information provided by the Yuma Jaycees
Since October, girls from Yuma County have been preparing to compete in the Rodeo Royalty Pageant as part of the 68th Annual Yuma Jaycees Silver Spur Rodeo.
In order to gear up for the judged competition, the group was trained in areas including horsemanship, modeling, etiquette and speech, said royalty director Bethany Leeds. They were also taught things like how to hold themselves in public and stay on neutral ground during a conversation for example, she added.
Leeds said that the girls will also be visiting local schools to read to children and let them know about the upcoming parade and rodeo events.
“Once crowned, they travel to seven or eight different rodeos throughout the state of Arizona. While at these rodeos, they run sponsor flags, push cattle and help the rodeo committee wherever needed. They represent the Yuma Jaycees and our community proudly. When these girls are not on the road, you can find them at a community function.”
Leeds said that people from the community are welcome to contact them about having the future teen queen and queen assist people during various events around town.
She encouraged the community to come out and support the girls during the pageant as it will be fun for the whole family.
The pageant will be held at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 2 at the Yuma County Fairgrounds Theatre Building, 2520 E. 32nd St. Tickets, which include lunch, can be purchased for $20 at the Yuma Jaycees Clubhouse 2577 E. County 14th Street. The clubhouse is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
There will also be a silent auction at the event and a raffle for a 32-inch television with tickets at $5 each. Tickets for the raffle can also be purchased at the Yuma Jaycees Clubhouse.
The public is also invited to attend the horsemanship competition at 9:00 a.m. at Whispering Horse Ranch, 3899 S. Avenue 3E, on Friday, Feb. 1. This portion of the contest is free to attend and Leeds added that they ask that people remain quiet during the contest as to not distract the girls.
For more information contact Leeds at yjssr.royalty.director@gmail.com or the Yuma Jaycees Clubhouse at 344-5451.
