ROCKWALL, TX (November 13, 2014) Utley Middle School 7th grader Samantha Layne Miller will put her rodeo and horseback-riding skills to the test as she prepares to compete in her first-ever rodeo pageant and represent her hometown of Rockwall at the UPRA (United Professional Rodeo Association) Miss Teen and Queen Pageant.
“I’m very excited and nervous about the pageant,” Layne said. “It’s a chance to do something different and challenge myself.”
The UPRA is an organization made up of roughly thousand members (including rookies and weekend participants) and hosts events such as saddle bronc, bareback riding, bull riding, team roping, tie down roping (calf roping) barrels, breakaway roping and ranch bronc riding. Participants earn money and points by competing in events throughout the year beginning in April with finals in November. This year’s finals will be held at the Hopkins County Civic Center in Sulpher Springs on Nov. 21-23.
Every year during the finals, a contest is held for young ladies ages 13 – 21 to run for the title of Miss Teen UPRA or UPRA Queen. The girls must submit an application during the summer and attend a mandatory meeting to obtain list of duties, advertisement sales, and schedule of events during the contest and rodeo performances of the finals.
Unlike a typical beauty pageant, the girls must compete in horsemanship in which they are given a set pattern to ride with various maneuvers in front of a panel of judges. The contestants must also give a two minute speech, answer interview questions given by a panel, and are also given a 20 question quiz to test their knowledge of events happening in the UPRA, current standings and rodeo knowledge of rules. The girls will also perform in a modeling show.
Points are also accumulated with number advertisements sold ($600 being the minimum), number of performance tickets (minimum of 50 to sell $8.00 each) along with raffle tickets ($1.00 each) for $250 visa gift card or cash money (and you do not have to be present to win).
Beginning November 21st the girls have an itinerary they must stick to, in order to full fill certain duties during the competition. The winning title holders are required to make appearances throughout the following year at rodeos, parades, celebrations, and opening events as booked through UPRA Pageant Director Linda Chase.
Layne said she feels that she’ll excel in the horsemanship portion of the upcoming competition, and that she feels the most confident whenever she’s riding her mare, Glory. Of course, it helps to have such wonderful encouragement and support from parents Jerry and Susan, whom Layne calls “my best cheerleaders,” making her feel like a winner no matter what the outcome.
“I’m looking forward to the horsemanship, and showing the skills my horse and I have,” she said. “I’m also looking forward to the modeling, this is the first year they have done modeling, there is boutique from Louisiana that is bringing basically the whole store and we get to choose our outfits. I have never modeled before but it should be fun.”
Of course, it helps to have such wonderful encouragement and support from parents Jerry and Susan, whom Layne calls “my best cheerleaders,” making her feel like a winner no matter what the outcome.
Very eager to see their daughter perform, Jerry and Susan said they are both just as nervous as Layne because they don’t know what to expect, but are happy to see her step out of her comfort zone and try something new.
“I think unlike your traditional beauty pageant, the rodeo focuses more on personality, knowledge, their confidence and how well they handle themselves horseback,” Susan said. “They look for who is and can represent the sport of rodeo and how these ladies can reach out to other young adults/kids and make a connection with them. By stepping outside her comfort zone and wanting to try something new and go on with it, she has already shown that she has confidence to do anything she sets her mind to, that in itself will have an impact on her future endeavors.”
A sixth generation Rockwall resident and A-B student at Utley Middle School, Layne is a member of the Silver Pack Drill Team and also works with the non-profit group Hanna4Hope to help students adjust to life in middle school, and provide them with people they can talk to about bullying, cyber bullying, self-esteem, depression and suicide.
Layne first started rodeo a couple of years ago, but has been riding as long as she can remember. In fact, rodeo runs in the family, as Layne’s parents both used to ride horses and participate in rodeos in their younger years. It’s a passion, a hobby that the whole family can enjoy doing together.
“What attracted me to rodeo was my love of horses – and all animals – and going to rodeos or jackpots or playdays is another way of being able to ride,” Layne said. “I also enjoy going and competing with my friends, we cheer each other on and support one another if someone has a bad ride, we try to find the positive or help each other figure out what we did wrong and fix it. I’m still learning and trying to improve my times, but it’s mostly just having fun.”
Layne plans on competing in another rodeo pageant this year – the Texas Junior High Rodeo Pageant – and hopes to compete in one or two more next year.
“It’s a great way to meet new people, a good learning experience, and when I get to high school division I hope to get scholarships with them for college,” Layne said.
The public is invited to visit Layne’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/samanthamiller01 to purchase tickets for the upcoming UPRA competition as well as the Junior High Rodeo. Visitors to the page are also welcome to leave encouraging messages and comments for Layne.
Story by Austin Wells, Blue Ribbon News staff writer and reporter. Photos submitted by Susan Miller.
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