Rodeo royalty gets a makeover

Turnout has declined, but those who wear the crowns still bring passion.

By Kate Ready

If the Teton County Rodeo Royalty program were a pine log cabin, it was ready for a new foundation. Amidst a program restructuring with new rules, turnout dipped this year with four competitors compared with last year’s 11.

The two-day pageant was moved from August to May, new age groupings were put in place, the Lady in Waiting crown for the Queen title evaporated, and now the program has stricter requirements for community involvement.

“We changed the title age groups to mimic the state of Wyoming royalty rules,” Teton County Royalty Coordinator Amy Renova explained.

Rat her than five title positions, each with two attendants, the royalty program now has only four titles with one attendant each: PeeWee Princess (ages 7-10), Junior Princess (1114), Senior Princess (15-19) and Miss Teton County Queen (20-26), with one attendant each.

On May 11, after two nights of competition, the revamped program crowned the winners of the 2023 Teton County’s Rodeo Royalty in the Heritage Arena of the Fairgrounds.

In her third time competing, 13-year-old Ella Hatch, from Moran, received the year’s top crown for Junior Princess.

A passionate member of the 4-H Club, Ella has two Grand Champion buckles under her belt for rodeo in Wyoming. Her confidence and composure on her horse, Easy, shone through, snagging her the win in the horsemanship category as well as in modeling and sp eeches.

Ella’s competitors were both crowned on May 11, too, in an act that broke the new rules but honored the commitment of the young women as the future of the new program.

Margaret Dornan, 14, is the First Junior Attendant. Thi s year’s Miss Congeniality, 13-year-old Bailey Cook, snagged the Second Junior Attendant with Lucila Scharp, 11, crowned as the Pee Wee Princess.

Royalty represent Teton County throughout the year at different town events as ambassadors of Western heritage, helping laypeople understand the s port of rodeo and its deep roots to the history of Jackson Hole.

Ella wanted to compete in order to carry the flag at the rodeo, said her mother, Kelly.

Margaret, the First Junior Attendant who also won in the personal interview category, said the same.

“I went to a lot of rodeos with Ella [Hatch] last summer,” Margaret said. “I talked to some of the girls who did it and saw how much fun they were having. It’s a dream of mine.”

Dornan is a fifth-generation Jacksonite whose great-great-grandmother, Evelyn Dornan, homesteaded on the Snake River. It was her first time competing.

“A level of comfort sets in when you’re on your horse,” Ella said. “The speech was nervewracking. The program definitely develops your public speaking skills.”

Next up for Ella and the group of newly crowned title holders will be to continue improving their skills in horsemanship and public speaking while broadening their knowledge of rodeo history and Western heritage.

Renova plans to guide the royalty in this by facilitating workshops and clinics and providing “healthy community exposure.”

“I would not be surprised that they step up to roles that are not being asked of them,” Renova said. “These girls are truly passionate about keeping royalty alive in the Tetons and have time and time again shown their commitment and dedication .“

Contact Kate Ready at 732-7076 or courts@jhnewsandguide.com.

Jackson rodeo sharpens skills of young athletes.

By Evan Robinson-Johnson

Clowns and confections may sweeten the spectator side of the Jackson Hole Rodeo, but there’s work behind the wings that makes local competition a treat for up-and-coming athletes.

With mini bulls for young kids on the path to a college scholarship, and more bullish rides for semipro athletes looking to sharpen their skills, “there’s no other stock like this around,” said rodeo patriarch and current operator Phil Wilson, who’s seen his share of friends and family members rise through the rodeo ranks.

“We try to match the ability of the young man with the animal,” he said.

Wilson’s son, Buskin, used to ride bulls in the pro circuit before he became the resident stock expert for the local rodeo. His grandson, Levi, has held a Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association card since he was 18. And Levi’s brother, Seth, has been on the TV show and Premier Professional League known as Bullfighters Only and has been ranked top 10 in the world for the last four years.

Another local, Dylan Grant, cut his teeth in the Jackson arena before join ing the pro circuit in 2018. In 2021, he

Your one stop shop Your one stop shop for adventure! for adventure!