As I sat perched high in the
seats at the east end of the coliseum Sunday night during the Congress
Queen ceremony, I had a lot on my mind.
Actually, I was pleased that the arena was dark because it allowed me to
slouch down in my chair and privately contemplate the first 18 years of my
life. As I watched the beautiful
queen candidates sachet down the runway in their gorgeous gowns, it took me
back to a time in my life when I actually dreamed of being Miss America instead
of Miss AQHYA President. I know,
that sounds corny, right?
As the lovely Miss Brittany
Barker accepted her crown as the 2010 Congress Queen, I had a little secret of
my own. That same day, I was
actually crowned Miss Rodeo Ohio, USA during Congress. As Brittany cried tears of joy, I
quietly had a little moment of my own slumped down in my dark seat. As a longtime friend, I was not
only happy for her, but I could relate to her happiness.
With my first major horse
“pageant” title secured, I turned my attention to the Congress Queen
program. Since my amazing OQHA
youth advisor is also the director of the Congress Queen Team, I have always
respected that the Congress Queen program was not just about the prizes, pomp
and circumstance. If Kelli Diaz
was involved – I knew there had to be a lot of substance. After getting very little sleep Sunday,
I traded my Miss Rodeo Ohio Queen crown for my GoHorseShow.com hat Monday and
set out to see just what the path to Congress Queen entails.
My first stop was an interview
with the fabulous Brittany Barker.
Brittany and I have quite a history together, so I was filled with
emotion for her big win! The first
time Brittany and I actually met, was when my mother and I hauled solo for the
2003 Rookie of the Year title in my age group. One of our first stops was Gordyville with our little three
horse living quarters and our big, pushy halter gelding. I knew my Mom was nervous without my
Dad in tow. In typical Gordyville
fashion, there was plenty of snow awaiting us in Illinois that fateful winter
day. If my Mom tried to back the
trailer once into our camping spot, she tried 1000 times. I was never so relieved when a
pretty face appeared in my Mom’s driver’s window, asking if she could help my
Mom back the trailer. The youth
was Brittany Barker.
With the skill of a CDL licensed
driver, young Brittany backed our Sooner in the spot in the blink of an
eye. My Mom was spared a
nervous breakdown, and I knew this girl and I would become instant
friends. BB was my new hero. Show after show, Brittany would appear
out of nowhere to help my Mom who still can’t back a trailer to this day. That girl rocked! When she was my age, she was
driving a trailer the size of a semi and hauling her fabulous gray gelding, Kay Cee Me Now, alone all over the
country. She put over 700 points on that horse and was crowned AQHA World Champion in Amateur Western Riding in 2004. She is still an
amazing role model to me.
After losing her father tragically at an early age, Brittany’s mother
taught her capable daughter the importance being independent as a survival
tool.
Her life skills of confidence,
hard work and independence have made Brittany a force to be reckoned with for
years as a horseshow competitor.
Inspired by her ability to do the training, the driving, the preparation
and showing by herself, I was not surprised that she rocked the rulebook test
and horsemanship for first place wins on her road to becoming Queen. Fresh off her victory from the
night before, Brittany said the road was paved with hard work, and
perseverance, tools she credits learning from her single Mom (pictured here with Brittany). When I asked her stoic mother how proud
she was of her daughter, Brittany’s Mom broke down in an uncharacteristic river
of tears. This mother and
daughter teams’ journey together had culminated into a joyous and memorable moment
which was one of the most touching displays I have ever witnessed. It reminded me of my Mom
when I was voted AQHYA President and we both had a good cry together.
Brittany’s advice to young ladies
aspiring to the crown? “Work Hard”
– plain and simple. Kelli Diaz is
the first to point out that the AQHA rulebook test is what foils most
candidates’ chances of winning the crown.
With a perception that the most important element is the horsemanship
pattern, Kelli is quick to suggest that girls need to “study, study,
study.” Armed with over 1500
flashcards and recordings to aid in her tutoring, Brittany started her self-tutoring
a year in advance, bound and determined to ace the written exam. Kelli emphasized – “This
ain’t no beauty pageant” (LOL)!
Congress queens need to be likable, smart, outgoing, compassionate,
and believe in the cause!
The cause is amazing, and Queen Candidates
must be passionate about philanthropy and giving back. Each candidate is required to sell 150
raffle tickets prior to arriving at Congress with proceeds to benefit the Shirley
Bowman Cancer foundation. Shirley
is the late sister of the beloved Shorty Koger, owner of the popular Shorty’s
Caboy Hattery. A unique
approach of the Shirley Bowman foundation is that it raises money to support
patients struggling to beat cancer through awareness and nutrition. This differs from raising money for
research which had a lot of appeal to Brittany. To date, Brittany and the other queen candidates have sold
$20,000 in raffle ticket sales alone.
The challenge is still
overwhelming. With a goal of
$60,000 this year, the Congress Queen team is hoping that the live auction on
Master’s night will help them with their financial challenge to help cancer patients. With seven amazing items showcased at the live auction they have termed “Couture for a Cure”, Kelly
is hopeful that the goal will be met in this challenging economy. How can you help? Why, bid of course!
Click here to view a slide show of all of the items being auctioned at Couture for a Cure.
The lucky seven items include a one of a
kind bling show shirt by Congress Queen sponsor extraordinaire, Berry Fit; a
pair of three dimensional “ribbon” motif black and pink patent leather boots by
Babs at LaGrange; a special “pink” Schneider’s trophy jacket representing the
quest for the cure (I’m wearing it here with OQHA
youth advisor, Kelli Diaz); a magnificent western ladies black and pink hat by Shorty’s Caboy Hattery (modeled by Brittany, above);
a sterling silver pendant encrusted with pink sapphires and diamonds by SR
Gold; a red, white and blue unique golf cart donated by the Salopek family; and my favorite – a breeding to the out
of this world hunt seat stallion Hot Ones Only who, of course, is a
GoHorseShow.com sponsor!!!!!
Join Kelli, and Brittany along
with the out of this world sponsors for the excitement on Masters night
following the introduction of the hunt seat riders. Please…bring your generosity, smiles and checkbooks! I’ll be there to help cover the
festivities and cheer on this outstanding cause. Can’t wait to see y’all there! For those I haven’t met personally, I’ll be the one with stars in my eyes as
I aspire to become a future Congress Queen. Armed with my interview details, I totally respect that
becoming Queen isn’t about the beauty.
I did learn however that a “little” knowledge of beauty does come in
handy. When my dear
friend the newly crowned Queen, had an “eyelash moment” before a presentation, who but Moi
would have had the skill to artfully glue that baby back on in an instant? Sort of like the way Brittany backs a
trailer!
Xoxo Dakota
p.s. I’m going to let you in on one little Dakota secret. Before I ever became serious about horses and showing, I
could be seen on many given Sundays at a mall near you, parading in my hula
skirts and “fun wear” as I hauled for my first serious title – Miss Hawaiian
Tropic. Call it a bad
episode of Little Miss Perfect, but it’s how I got my start. Although the horses thankfully became
my priority, it might sound sappy to admit that I actually enjoyed pageant
life. OK, I’m not ‘gonna lie – I LOVED IT. So here’s to all the future Queens out there! May we all be as beautiful, smart and talented as Brittany!
