Published August 4, 2020
Last week, the Dodge City Community College (DC3) campus once again hosted the Miss Rodeo Kansas organization, which is something the college has done since the 1990s. However, this year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a four-day clinic was organized instead of the usual pageant.
The clinic, which ran Wednesday through Saturday, was taught primarily by the reigning Miss Rodeo America, Jordan Tierney of Oral, S.D., who said she was excited to give back to the organization by investing in the lives of the younger girls.
“They’re not having the Miss Rodeo Kansas pageant this year, so instead they decided to put on this wonderful clinic for these girls,” Tierney said. “It’s an opportunity for them to come and learn and grow and develop new skills.”
Tierney said that in a typical year, the reigning Miss Rodeo America would attend the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame inductions in Colorado Springs, Colo. However, this year the induction ceremonies were cancelled due to COVID-19, and this unexpected cancellation opened the door for her to attend Dodge City Days.
“I’ve heard amazing things about this rodeo,” she said. “I’ve always wanted to come to this rodeo, and I didn’t think I would get the opportunity as Miss Rodeo America. And so, here I am. Next year, hopefully, we’ll have the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame, and I’ll get both experiences.”
Miss Rodeo Kansas President J.T. Croft said, “Normally the Miss Rodeo Kansas pageant would happen during Dodge City Days, and we would have a modeling presentation, a horsemanship presentation, and speeches, which are all scored by a group of independent judges. They would total those scores up, and we would have a new Miss Rodeo Kansas who would start her reign in January.”
This year, however, that is not the case, he said. Instead, Kansas—like most other states—will extend the reigns of their 2020 rodeo queens through 2021, which means there will not be another Miss Rodeo Kansas pageant until next summer.
The reigning Miss Rodeo Kansas, Tiffany McCaffrey of Hays, said, “This year is definitely a little bit different than the rest. But for me, I think it’s such a unique opportunity, because we get to not only hold 2020, but also 2021. With that opportunity we get to have two very unique years with different opportunities.”
Although there are many opportunities for Tierney and McCaffrey to serve during their extended reigns, their core responsibilities remain unchanged. They are there to serve as ambassadors for the sport of rodeo, to promote the Western way of life, and to educate the public on the agriculture industry.
“You know, 2 percent of the world’s population feeds the world,” Tierney said. “I think sometimes we can get comfortable living out in the sticks and tending to our animals and our crops. We forget that we need voices. My message is that ‘I’m here to be your voice.’ ”
By Lance ZieschDC3 Media Specialist