After two weeks of cancellations due to Iowa blizzards, the annual clinic was finally held at the beautiful Wildwood Hills Ranch in St. Charles, IA. Participants came from across Iowa and Illinois to garner hands-on experience and one-on-one instruction from clinic coordinators and instructors Jill Perkins, Megan Wiemold and Kimber Dall. Tips and tricks for all aspects of pageant competition were covered, and a clothing sale and mock pageant were also held. MRI committee members Connie Wiemold, Paula Jameson, Kristi Wainscott, Irene Blazek Pauley, and Tammy Roepke helped throughout the weekend with food, instruction and answering questions from parents. Lindsay Ahrenholtz, former Miss Teen Rodeo Iowa and Iowa High School Rodeo Queen, was on hand to give insight on high school rodeo pageants. Due to the clinic being held on the same weekend as the Iowa Horse Fair reigning MRI titleholders alternated between events. Suzette Walker, MTRI '07, attended the clinic on Saturday, with Amanda Eason, MRI '07, and Rachel Burton, MRIT '07, attending on Sunday. When not at the clinic the titleholders were greeting guests and participating in a variety of events at the Horse Fair.Another clinic will be held later this year and it will be coordinated by Megan Wiemold. "Cowgirl Horsemanship" was not held in 2006 due to scheduling conflicts but will be held in the next few months. When the dates are finalized they will be posted on RodeoRoyalty.com, and you'll want to register early as space is limited.
Thanks again to all who attended the clinic and to those who helped make the event a success. This is a major fundraiser for MRI and we appreciate your support. Good luck to you and we can't wait to hear about your pageant successes this summer!
