Cooperative Living July 2024 - 23

DELIGHTFUL DIVERSIONS
Grit, Guts and Glamour
Meet Miss Rodeo Virginia 2024
by Laura Emery, Staff Writer
respond to that. Some of them
have never even seen a horse
in person. By the time I leave,
they all want to be a cowgirl or
cowboy, " she says with a laugh.
Rogers plans to use her
T
his certainly isn't her fi rst rodeo.
Autumn Rogers, 23, of
Gordonsville, Va., is pictureready,
proudly donning her offi cial
Miss Rodeo Virginia crown, buckle and
sash. With poise
and elegance, she
mingles and chats
with rodeo visitors,
signing autographs
and snapping
selfi es with anyone
who asks.
In her role
as Miss Rodeo
Virginia, Rogers
is an ambassador
for the Professional Rodeo Cowboys
Association and the Miss Rodeo
America Organization. She also works
full-time at the University of Virginia
as a laboratory specialist assisting
cardio-thoracic surgery research.
Th e Miss Rodeo Virginia program
is an organization devoted to helping
young women between the ages of
18 and 26 achieve greatness. Th e
winning title holder represents the best
Virginia has to off er in the categories
of personality, conversational skills,
horsemanship, poise and intelligence.
Each Miss Rodeo Virginia is given
the opportunity to represent the sport
of rodeo and compete at the Miss
Rodeo America Pageant in Las Vegas,
Nev., for scholarships to support their
educational goals. " I'm excited to
compete for Miss Rodeo America in
December, " Rogers says.
Rogers heard about the pageant
through word of mouth. " I thought,
'I love to ride horses, and I like people.
Th is could be fun,' " she says with a
smile. " But I'm defi nitely not your
typical pageant girl or rodeo queen -
co-opliving.com
July 2024 * Cooperative Living * 21
and that's what I love about the
Miss Rodeo Virginia program. It
opens up opportunities for a diff erent
demographic of women. "
In her role, Rogers stays busy
attending events on weekends and
working on fundraising during the
week when she's not working her fulltime
job. " I have no free time, " she
jokes. " It takes a lot of work and time,
but I am committed to generating
as much awareness about the rodeo
industry as possible - but also to
spread the word about the Miss Rodeo
Virginia program and inspire other
young women to apply next year. "
She is invited to attend industry
events, rodeos, county fairs and even
elementary schools. " I go to the
elementary schools and read books to
the students. I explain about how a
rodeo works and help bring awareness
to what it means to be a real cowgirl.
It's something diff erent, and the kids
For more information on the Miss
Rodeo Virginia program or to invite
Autumn Rogers to an event, visit
facebook.com/missrodeovirginia, or
email missrodeova2024@gmail.com.
platform as Miss Rodeo
Virginia to spread a message that
is important to her: " Sow the seeds
to your growth. " She believes that any
small act can impact one's future. She
wants " every person to know that if they
continue to sow the seeds of their eff orts
with intentions of reaching their goals,
no matter the circumstances, they will
see growth and fi nd their community, "
just as she found her community in
the rodeo world.
A lover of horses, Rogers has a
Spanish mustang named Brio that she
calls her " heart horse. " Together, Rogers
and Brio enjoy trail riding, and have
participated in mounted shooting,
roping clinics and parades.
When she's not on top of a horse,
Rogers loves being outdoors, engaging
in community service, reading, tanning
hides/leather work, and hanging
out with her beagle, Remington, and
cat, Binx.
*
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Cooperative Living July 2024

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