Kennedy Edwards, 14, of Tontitown, won the Junior Miss Rodeo Arkansas 2012 pageant in Conway on August 4th.
Edwards has been competing in rodeo pageants since 2009, when she won the Miss Rodeo Arkansas Princess pageant.
“I really wanted to go around and share my love for the sport of rodeo,” Edwards said.
Edwards says that rodeo pageants are similar to beauty pageants in some ways but different in many others.
“…you’ve also got to have a lot of grit and a lot of drive, and you’ve got to be a cowgirl, because you ride horses, you’re at rodeos every weekend, in the mud, rain or shine, so you’ve got have a little grit,” said Edwards.
For Edwards, winning the pageant means getting to set an example for other kids in Arkansas who love rodeo.
“I’m helping the rodeo, I’m getting more kids involved, and I’m a leader for a lot of other people,” said Edwards.
by Hayden Herrera