WEYBURN - The reigning Miss Saskatchewan High School Rodeo Queen, Ember Schira of Weyburn, contended for the crown of Rodeo Queen at the National High School Rodeo in Lincoln, Nebraska, as well as competing in the barrel-racing event.
She traveled there with her mother, Lindy, for 10 days, and returned home over the weekend. While Ember didn’t place well in the queen pageant, she did extremely well in the barrel-racing, placing 15th in the world, competing with a field of 187 of the top riders from Canada, U.S. and other countries.
“It was super exciting to have the opportunity to take part in this,” said Ember. “Overall, it was a really neat experience.”
The travel arrangements were a bit convoluted, but Ember needed to have her horse, Hippy, there for the barrel-racing.
Due to the border restrictions to enter the U.S., Ember flew down to Bismarck, N.D., as her mom drove with the horse trailer there to meet her for the remainder of the trip. The family’s farm status allowed Lindy to drive the horse over the border, but not with Ember as a passenger.
Ember took part in 2019 in the Rodeo Queen pageant after she was first crowned as Saskatchewan’s High School Rodeo Queen, but then COVID happened in 2020, cancelling most rodeos and competitions. She retained her crown until this year, which is the final year she is eligible to do so before she ages out.
At the Rodeo Queen Pageant, she was up against 42 other girls from Canada and the U.S., and they took part in a variety of events.
“We were judged on our speech, on modeling, our answers to an impromptu question, and we had a personal interview. We were also judged on our appearance,” explained Ember.
She admitted she was very nervous for the pageant, as she was on a stage in front of a capacity audience at the rodeo event, plus it was shown live worldwide on the Cowboy Channel.
Most of her outfits for the pageant events were sewn by her mom, around 20 to 25 outfits. Many of the outfits were leather tops, along with Ember’s leather dress.
“It was a tough week, but I still think I did my very best to represent Saskatchewan High School Rodeo,” said Ember.
In the barrel-racing, she was very pleased to end up 15th in a tough field like this, with the top riders from the U.S. and Canada. Her best run in a standard pattern was 17.9 seconds.
The top four riders from each province and state, along with other countries, qualified to come for the barrel-racing event, she added, so the very best racers comprised the 187 competitors.
Meantime, as the reigning High School Rodeo Queen for Saskatchewan, she will retain her title for the remainder of this year, and she will crown the new queen next year. As she is going into her Grade 12 year, this is her last year of eligibility.
“Depending on how opened events are this year, I will have a couple of rodeo appearances to attend, and if Agribition is on, I will attend the CFR (Canadian Finals Rodeo),” said Ember, adding there is also a possibility she will be able to attend the NFR in December.
She noted there was one other girl from Saskatchewan there to compete, Cassidy Weber of Carlyle. She competed in the break-away roping event, and placed 17th in the world.
Asked what it was like to attend this event without COVID restrictions, she noted she had to wear a mask on the flight down, but in Lincoln there were no requirements for a mask. “It was very refreshing to be there,” she added.
Ember had a COVID test before she left for the trip, and she had another one when she came back, and was awaiting the results at the time of the interview.
