Interview 101 & What Every Rodeo Queen Should Know

Every rodeo queen interview, whether it's a small local pageant or a competition for a state or national title, comes down to the same four things: what you've studied, how you answer, how you sound while you're doing it, and how you show up. Get a handle on all four, and the specific questions almost stop mattering, because you'll be ready for nearly anything a panel throws at you.

Practice, then be yourself

Practice comes first because it's what makes “be yourself” possible in the first place. Nerves make it hard to access your own personality, and the only real fix is repetition: real mock interviews, with real people, as many times as you can stand it. Do that enough, and walking into an actual interview room stops feeling like a performance. Once it does, being yourself is easy. It's who the judges are actually there to meet. 

Next comes the knitty-gritty of preparing yourself for that interview because, of course, even the best personalities require polishing to put their best foot forward. 

1. Study

Before you sit down, you should know two things cold: the job, and yourself. The job means the rodeo's history, its board, how it gives back to the community, and what's on the schedule. Yourself means your values, your personality, and the real reason you want the crown, not the version that just sounds good. Round both out with a working knowledge of horsemanship, rodeo rules, and current events, and you'll be ready for the large majority of what gets asked.

2. How to answer a question

A strong answer follows the same shape every time: listen closely enough to catch the whole question, take a beat or a small transition before diving in, answer exactly what was asked with personality or flair when possible, and then conclude cleanly instead of trailing off. If a question stumps you, it's fine to say so. Judges respect honesty over a bluff every time, and a girl who admits she doesn't know and moves on confidently leaves a better impression than one who tries to talk her way around it. If you don’t know, feel free to use your personality in the question! For example, “Oh my gosh, of the 564 notecards I created, that wasn’t one of them! I’ll have to add it to the deck.”

3. Fine-tune your speaking

How you sound carries almost as much weight as what you say. Most importantly, slow down. Nerves make nearly everyone talk faster than they realize, and what feels too slow to you usually sounds exactly right to a judge. Keep your tone conversational instead of like a rehearsed speech, watch the “um”s, “like”s, and other fillers. Speak the way you would if your English teacher were sitting in the room, and if you feel one of them coming on, stop yourself, take the pause, gather your thoughts, and continue. 

4. Appearance

This is a great example of an appropriate horsemanship interview outfit.

Interview rooms are small and close, so pare things back from what you'd wear on stage. Simple, well-fitting clothes, polished but not stage- or arena-level makeup, and nothing loud enough to pull a judge's attention off what you're saying. For example, a full sequin dress may be gorgeous on stage, but up close, it’s distracting. Sit up straight, hold eye contact, and if you know you're a fidgeter, keep your hands still in your lap, clasping your fingers to keep them in check. 

Why interview is simpler than it feels

Judges aren't trying to trip you up, and in most cases, they’re rooting for you! Their job is simply to figure out if you're a good horsewoman, a good person, and someone genuinely ready to represent their rodeo, association, or title. That's it. So, study, answer well, sound confident, and show up looking put-together, and the rest takes care of itself. And in the end, be true to yourself and have fun. Because win or lose, that's really what all of this is about. Learning and making memories. 

About Sydney

Sydney Butler is a fourth-generation Idahoan and Boise native who discovered horses young and built a career around them, competing in APHA and AQHA events and winning regional and world show awards before getting her start in rodeo queening through 4-H. She was Miss Teen Rodeo Idaho, Miss Rodeo Idaho 2018, and third runner-up at Miss Rodeo America. She's coached and judged rodeo queens across the country, including coaching a former National High School Rodeo Association (NHSRA) Queen and judging the NHSRA and Wilderness Circuit Queen contests. Sydney holds an MBA and a bachelor's degree in communications from Boise State University and currently works as a corporate event specialist for TMN Events. When she's not working or traveling, she's outdoors with her dog, Cooper.