The recent snowfall might prevent most locals from thinking of August and the Jasper Heritage Rodeo, but for some, planning for the event is already well underway. Applications are already available for young women wanting a share of the spotlight as Miss Rodeo Jasper 2006.

“This is a very big one for us; it’s our tenth anniversary,” says Pattie Pavlov, the director of the competition. “We have a special, silver-laden saddle coming for us and we’re hoping for a good number of girls.”

The coronation of a rodeo queen started in 1992 and ran until the year 2000, when Pavlov took a four-year break from the event. With her return, the contest was reinstated and last year saw the first Miss Rodeo Jasper in five years.

“I don’t think it was a bad thing,” Pavlov says of the break. “You hate to say we were running out of stock, but we were. You have a limited number of girls who are interested in being part of this sort of thing.” 

While the rodeo itself might be a popular event, Pavlov has struggled to attract enough participants to make the rodeo queen contest truly competitive. 

“Last year we started with three, lost one and only ended up with two,” she recalls. “We usually have anywhere from three to five.”

Given that candidates are meant to be between the ages of 18-22, there is sometimes not a lot of interest from the local population.

“This is a difficult community to recruit from because there are a lot of young ladies who don’t feel that they have the background or the experience, especially on a horse. But we are willing to train ... We’re flexible because we’d rather see a competition run than not run. We don’t want to discourage anyone from giving us a call if they’re not sure.”

In the past, this flexibility has had a limited effect, and as a result, candidates from all over the region are encouraged.  

“We end up recruiting not just from Hinton and Edson but also right out to Mayerthorpe and Whitecourt,” Pavlov says. “Out of the 40-some girls that have run over the ten years, approximately a quarter have been Jasper girls.”

Having a regional competiton makes a lot of sense, given the fact that the Jasper Heritage Rodeo, unlike many other small-town events, has professional status.

“Because there is no professional rodeo queen between here and Edmonton, we end up in a lot of different places throughout the area,” Pavlov says.

Once the queen is crowned, however, the focus is on Jasper.

“They have to know the community that they are representing. We really really emphasize that, and they have to be available for all the events that they appear at during the course of the year,” says Pavlov. These events include the Canadian Finals Rodeo in Edmonton as well as local occasions such as Jasper in January. Miss Rodeo Jasper makes an effective spokesperson, she believes.

“Jasper the Bear is great, everyone loves Jasper the Bear, but he can’t talk. The rodeo queen and princess can talk and they can tell the world what a wonderful place Jasper is.”

The competition itself is based around several separate events, many of them held at the Sawridge Inn and Convention Centre, a major supporter of the competition that Pavlov praises extensively.

“We would be sunk without them,” she says.

Judged by a panel of three that this year includes Paul Phillips of Pyramid Riding Stables, the contestants are put through their paces in events focussing on public speaking, horsemanship and glamour. 

“It’s a really full process and it is a time-commitment,” said Pavlov. “I don’t want anyone to think for one minute that this a rinky-dink thing where you take the prizes and go home.”

Those prizes are substantial. Besides the custom-made trophy saddle, the winner and runner-up each earn a lucrative scholarship. Almost more significant, according to Pavlov, is the experience that comes with winning.

“We are one of the smaller rodeos that really utilizes the queen in promotion throughout the year,” she says. “A lot of people have told me that their life went in a totally different direction as a result of being named Miss Rodeo Jasper.”

While the fashion show and modelling aspect of the competition is prominent, there’s a lot more to being a rodeo queen.

“We are very, very professional — we do a lot more than the glamour end of it. We teach everything from public speaking to which fork to pick up,” Pavlov says.

Applications are available online at www.jasperheritagerodeo.com. 

Pavlov hopes to have received all applications by mid-March and the first event in the competition is set for the end of the month.