CIS Q’s & A’s

c owgirls in Style magazine: you were crowned miss rodeo utah in 2022. where did you grow up and have you been around horses all of your life?

Bradie jill anderson: I am an 8th generation cowgirl from a tiny town in northern Utah, called Henefer. My pioneer ancestors were some of the first to put down roots in the State of Utah. My love for Utah, and this way of life runs deep because of my inborn attachment to them.

Growing up in Henefer, I have been around the western way of life my entire life. My fam ily is deeply rooted in agri culture. However, my dad spent his career in the United States Army; so the most involvement we had throughout my childhood, was a Foxtrotter named Bing, that we kept at a friends house, so that he was taken care of while my dad was on frequent deployments. At 10 years old, my parents tried to get me to do horse 4H but after one brutal spill off of a horse, I was broken, battered, and no longer interested. Fast forward to high school when on a whim, I signed up for an FFA class. One of our first assignments was to memorize and present the FFA creed. I’ve never heard the words before, but I was deeply touched from the first read through. I felt a deep and undeniable call in that moment to dedicate my time and talents, to the western way of life into the preservation of agriculture. As I think back on those 8 generations of cowgirls living upon the same acres that I now live, it’s obvious to me where this inborn fondness originates.

I pursued a degree in broadcast journalism and political science. On the eve of my college graduation, at 24 years old, I was driving to my final course at the University of Utah. I had the radio off in the car and was using the time to do some quiet reflection. I asked myself, “Is there anything I regret not doing?” Boy, what a mistake that was. Instantly, regret filled my heart, that I had not pursued my dream of riding horses, being a cowgirl, and God willing, being Miss Rodeo Utah. I called my mom and told her my realization. She laughed at the notion, and told me to call her back when I could do a flying lead change...

I said “What’s a flying lead change?”

Over the next three years, I learned firsthand what a whole lot of grit can get you. I rode un- til I could barely walk, studied until I fell asleep every night, and put all other pursuits on hold. On the evening of July 24, 2021.... It all paid off! ciS: Was competing as a rodeo queen a life long dream? ciS: Could you tell us a little bit about your husband, Bracken (how you met) and your engagement? Did he get down on one knee type of info...

Bja: It wasn’t! As a little girl, I saw a Rodeo Queen ride by from the grandstands, and her custom dyed raspberry wranglers. I turned to my parents and told them I wanted to be one of those. My dad, no doubt, instinctively gripped his wallet a bit tighter. However, after a nasty accident, on a horse at our local arena, I swore the creatures off for life. At 24 years old, I swung a leg over a saddle for the first time in 15 years. I had trauma and deep fear to overcome. I’ll forever be grateful for 3 horsemen that got me through it all—Marty Simper, Mack Weaver and my dad, Colonel Bryce Jones. It was no accident that the night I was crowned Miss Rodeo Utah that I was wearing my own pair of custom dyed raspberry wranglers.

Bja: Bracken was born a cowboy. His mom tells a story of him cutting the electrical cord off of her expensive vacuum, to create a rope, so he could lasso everything within roping distance. There’s hardly a single photo in his baby books of him without a cowboy hat, wranglers, and boots. On top of that, he is the sweetest soul alive. He gives everyone the benefit of the doubt and would do anything for anyone. He doesn’t know the word “no.” He works as a butcher and loves to hunt, train his own horses, and ride bucking horses (for reasons beyond my own understanding). I used to be embarrassed to admit how we met, but I’m getting over it. We matched on a dating app—for which I’m very grateful for... Bracken is so shy, even if he had been standing on the bucking chutes at a rodeo as I had ridden pasted, he never would have dare to say, “Hi.”

He came into my life at exactly the right moment. Being a State Rodeo Queen isn’t always easy. One rule of being a rodeo queen is that you are not allowed to publicly have a boyfriend, so early on in our relationship I had to address this with him. I had had guys in the past have a big problem with this, they were often unwilling to extend that amount of trust in a relationship, and their jealousy was too deep. Bracken was exactly the opposite. He was happy to do whatever he needed to do to help me shine. From behind the scenes, he worked his butt off to help me fulfill my role fully. There were a lot of wonderful and generous people throughout my year that helped get me down the road, but Bracken was probably my biggest sponsor if we added it all up.

My contract as Miss Rodeo Utah officially ended, and rolled over into the 2023 queen on January 1st at midnight. However, the official transfer of the crown wasn’t until a few nights later. I walked away that evening, free and clear of all my Rodeo Queen obligations. It felt good, as I knew I had done everything I could to be the best I possibly could in that position. I drove away excited for the rest of my life and all of the new possibilities I had for my time. I decided to head to Idaho that evening, to spend a couple of days with Bracken’s family. On my way to Idaho, Bracken’s cousin asked me to meet her at the Wellsville Park and Ride in Cache Valley to pick up some stuff for Bracken’s sister. The Wellsville Park and ride was the halfway point between my hometown and Bracken’s hometown. We met there almost every Tuesday night for date night. As I pulled into the park and ride, in the dark, I could see strands of twinkly lights hanging from the tree. My heart leapt. It was happening! I pulled up to my favorite cowboy on one knee, surrounded by photos of the memories we had made together, asking me to marry him. It was the easiest yes ever. (cont’d) ciS: TELL US ABOUT yOUR WEDDInG/ RECEPTIOn. WHAT WERE yOUR COLORS, Any SPECIAL T yPE OF DECOR , CAkE, FOOD, ETC.? WHERE WAS IT HELD? Any FRIEnDS yOU WAnT TO MEnTIOn.

Bja: We had our reception at a beautiful, rustic barn, surrounded by acres of farmland. That evening, the barn was full of everyone we love. We laughed, line danced, and celebrated with our loved ones. I never really nailed down a specific color palette—I was just going with any color found in nature. Burgundy’s, dark greens, browns, metallic gold’s, and metallic silver. We decorated with pine greeneries of princess pine and silver fir tips, massive, trophy elk antlers, and moose paddles. We had an ice cream bar with a smorgasbord of toppings, and fresh, hot cobbler served right out of the pan. ciS: WHAT WAS yOUR FAvORITE PART OF yOUR WEDDInG? ciS: WHAT WAS THE MOST STRESSFUL PART AnD IS THERE Any THInG yOU WOULD CHAnGE? ciS: SInCE yOUR REIGn AS MISS RODEO UTAH AnD nOW SETTLInG DOWn AS A MARRIED WOMAn, WHAT HAvE yOU BEEn UP TO?

One of my favorite parts of the day, was having a few of my fellow sash sisters there to celebrate. Miss California (Jackie Scarry), Wisconsin (Jessica Moor) and Nevada (Gabby Szachara) all flew in to be there.

Bja: My favorite moments were the quiet, still ones, spent with my newly-minted husband, talking about the future that we were beginning to build that day. Our first dance was one of those moments. We swayed to ‘By My Side’ by Nes Ledoux. Ledoux sang about “joining our lives together at the foothills of our dreams.” That lyric is so poignant for Bracken and I. Whether we’re at one of his rodeos, and I am cheering my lungs out from the stands, or he’s saddling my horse at a rodeo, we are always there for each other while we chase our dreams. On our first date, I asked Bracken what his dream job was and he said, “to be a rancher.” As fate would have it, that’s my dream job too. Together, we are working toward that dream.

The week after I got home from my Rodeo Queen run, Bracken used the funds he made off of selling a horse that he trained, to buy us 4 bison, creating our herd, and bringing us one step closer to being bison ranchers. Together, we are building the Roamstead, a bison ranch, and agritourism venture.

Bja: Nothing was really all that stressful, thank goodness! There was one small moment the morning festivities started, when Bracken realized he had left his cowboy hat at home, an hour and a half away. His brother had to run home and get it, and said that he saw ‘Groomzilla’ come out of Bracken, but what he doesn’t know is that it was actually bridezilla me, insisting that we have the hat. It was a beautiful, black, felt cowboy hat, shaped especially for Bracken’s face, that needed to be worn to this cowboy’s wedding!

Bja: Bracken and I just purchased a home in beautiful small-town southeastern Idaho. We are on the Idaho/ Utah/Wyoming border. I am working as a full time Realtor, part time reporter, and part-time rancher. Bracken is working as a full time QA manager at the local grain mill, a full-time butcher, and a part-time rancher and bareback rider. We are working on building our bison ranch, the Roamstead. Right now we raise, process and sell bison, with shipping offered across the United States. We are passionate about gate to plate production and bringing America’s original protein to plates across the country. ciS: WHAT ARE SOME OF yOUR FUTURE GOALS?

Bja:I would like to expand the ranch, to include guest cabins & other agritourism elements. I’d also like to continue to become an established realtor in the Star Valley Wyoming region, and raise a herd of kind, gritty cowkids.

CIS: WHAT IS yOUR ADvICE TO THAT yOUnG GIRL WHO IS LOOkInG TO COMPETE In RODEO PAGEAnTRy OR WHO HAS BIG GOALS In HER FUTURE?

Bja:To have grit. I wrote “Have grit!” on thousands of autograph sheets, because I believe it will take you further than any other attribute. Unyielding courage, that comes with grit, has taken me to so many incredible places. It took me to live abroad in Africa and Italy, it took me to a career as a sports reporter for the Cowboy Channel, to the Miss Rodeo Utah crown, and I don’t doubt it will take me to, and through, anything else my future holds. Grit keeps you from giving up on yourself, and gives you the backbone to build the life you want.