Poway Rodeo’s new queens ride away with prizes

By Emily Sorensen

Three new young women have taken up their tiaras and spurs, as the 2014 Poway Rodeo Queens, crowned Saturday, March 15 at the Poway Rodeo Queen Pageant.

Nine girls competed for the crowns, in three categories: Young Miss, Junior Queen and Queen.

This year, the winning girls are Queen Mariah Hunt, 19, Junior Queen Hannah Dickerson, 14 and Young Miss Paris Antonello, 10.

They replace the 2013 queens: Queen Rachael Owens-Sarno, Junior Queen Jessica Phillips and Young Miss Sarah Hans.

The contestants were judged in three different areas: horsemanship, the contestant interview and the pageant itself. The road to rodeo queen is a two to three month process, and includes weekly meetings and regular horsemanship practices.

Queen Hunt is a 2013 Westview High School graduate, who currently attends Miramar Community College and plans to become an elementary school teacher. This is her second pageant title; she also served as Miss Rodeo Lakeside in 2013.

“I’ve been riding horses since I was four, and started competing at 10,” said Hunt, who grew up riding at the Poway Valley Rider’s Association and competing in the Poway and Ramona rodeos.

Hunt was inspired by a friend’s sister being Poway Rodeo Junior Queen in 2006.

“It changed my mind about being in a rodeo pageant,” said Hunt, who added that prior to that, she’d been a tomboy. She previously competed for the Young Miss title in the Poway Rodeo Queen Pageant.

“[Participating in pageants] helped me be comfortable speaking in public,” said Hunt. “It made me grow up a lot.”

Junior Queen Dickerson is an eighth-grader at Valley Center Middle School. The 2014 Poway Rodeo Queen Pageant was the first pageant for Dickerson. “I was a little surprised [to have won],” she said.

Dickerson has been riding since she was 4, but only started competing in rodeos last year. Her first was in the Valley Center Stampede Rodeo.

“I’ve been around rodeos since I was 3,” said Dickerson. “I love the rodeo. The first one I saw was the Poway Rodeo. I loved watching the queens.”

Young Miss Antonello attends Mt. Woodson Elementary School in Ramona. She is also fairly new to pageants, having only competed in one previously, in Valley Center.

Antonello is also no stranger to riding, beginning when she was 4, and has been competing in rodeo for two years.

“My favorite part of the [Poway Rodeo Queen] pageant was spending time with the other girls,” said Antonello. “Being in pageants taught me that even if you don’t win, it doesn’t mean that you’re not good. It just means that someone else did better than you, and you can do better next time.”

As Poway’s new rodeo queens, Hunt, Dickerson and Antonello will act as PR to the sport of rodeo and the community of Poway. Their duties will include news interviews, school visits, and carrying the sponsor flags at the Poway Rodeo.

“We have to ride in parades and in rodeos, and sign autographs,” said Dickerson.

Hunt said she was looking forward to traveling during her year as queen.

“I want to travel a lot this year, and promote Poway Rodeo as much as possible,” said Hunt. “You get to meet all kinds of people, and build relationships with them.”