Merry Ann Reed - Miss Rodeo Canada

Merry Ann Reed
1977 Miss Rodeo Canada
Interview with Pauline Briggs – January 16, 2014
Question: In 1976 you ran for the Miss Rodeo Canada title,
under what name?
I ran for Miss Rodeo Canada in 1975 as Merry Ann Reed, but I
am married now and people know me as Merry Ann Stoney.
Question: What can you tell me about your family?
I am married to Robyn Stoney. I have two wonderful
daughters - both are married. My eldest daughter is Christina.
She is thirty one years of age and is very musical. Christina
loves her art and culture. She has two children, a boy and a
girl.
Sierra is my youngest daughter. She will be 30 in a couple
months. Christina is our “all cowgirl” daughter. She never had
any queen interests! Both girls now live in Calgary.
Question: Where did you grow up?
I was born in Nebraska and my family moved to Anahim, British Columbia (BC), then South Dakota, then
to Washington. I spent most of childhood growing up in Anahim Lake, BC. Anahim is located west of
Williams Lake. It was a great place to grow up and we “lived in the saddle” as kids. My parents were
ranchers. My mother taught school in Anahim Lake. I attended that school. It was actually a one room
school for Grades 1 through 7. Eventually the class sizes expanded and they landed up splitting the
classes. I also did some schooling through correspondence. I was also home-schooled for a couple years
(Grades 8 and 9). I went to 100 Mile House for Grade 10 and I finished high school in Montana. I guess
you can say I learned how to meet people changing schools this often! When my mother taught school,
we stayed in town during the week and it was only on the weekends that we went to the ranch. It was
interesting country – but hell on women and horses– but as
kids, we had a great time!
Question: Can you tell me about your western heritage
lifestyle?
When I was a young girl, we had a big ranch located in
South Dakota. I started riding when I was about four years
of age. I loved to ride! I remember we had little Shetland
ponies and I used to ride bareback on them. If a pony was
not available to ride, I would get on my stick horse!
Question: Why did you move to South Dakota?
There was this book called “Grasp Behind the Mountains”
that my father once read. After reading this book and
falling in love with the thought of the northwest, he moved
our family and chased his dream. After South Dakota, we
moved to Washington where we had a riding stable. Then,
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Merry Ann Reed
1977 Miss Rodeo Canada
Interview with Pauline Briggs – January 16, 2014
we moved to Anahim Lake in BC. Our family’s business was just to take people out riding. Mom and I
looked after the ponies and we had quite a few ponies! My Dad and older sister, they managed the big
horses. As kids, I remember we would just hang out and ride whenever we could!
Question: Did you belong to any clubs growing up?
I did not belong to any clubs when I was young. When we moved to Anahim Lake, I wanted to start
barrel racing, so I would set up little buckets and practice my patterns using the buckets. My parents
told me that when I got good enough, I could enter the Anahim Stampede, so it wasn’t a long time
before I finally learned to race real barrels!
I was involved in a lot of associations and gymkhana clubs, but only as I got older. To start, I just
attended local rodeos. I also was involved in Girl Guides for a couple years.
Question: I know you are a barrel racer – how did this begin?
I got my barrel racing bug at the age of 9 or 10. There was only one rodeo a year growing in Anahim. I
found out that I was a pretty competitive person. I placed and did well at the rodeos. We also rode in
the “flat” races. Anahim still has a big amateur rodeo.
Question: Did you ever ride bulls or broncs?
No. I was a barrel racer through and through.
Question: How did you get involved in the Miss Rodeo Canada world?
I took Business in University for few years. After University, I lived in Williams Lake and worked for the
school district. I was around 20 years of age at the time. I believe it was Dee Butterfield’s father who
told me “you need to run for the Williams Lake Stampede
pageant.” I had never really considered it because I was
very shy at the time. One thing lead to another and
eventually I ran for that title.
The Interior Rodeo Association was an amateur rodeo
association for British Columbia. They sponsored me to run
for the Williams Lake Stampede queen title. There were
eight of us that ran that year. It was your typical rodeo
pageant. I won the Williams Lake title and had a wonderful
time travelling.
Sis Thacker was Miss Rodeo Canada (MRC) the year I was
Miss Williams Lake. I met Sis and Miss Dalyce Shapka one
year when they attended our Williams Lake Stampede. It
was through her that I began to learn about Miss Rodeo
Canada and see what she stood for. I didn’t’ know
anything about Miss Rodeo Canada until I met Sis. After
meeting her, it never really left my mind.
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Merry Ann Reed
1977 Miss Rodeo Canada
Interview with Pauline Briggs – January 16, 2014
Question: How did you get interested in becoming Miss Rodeo Canada?
I had a wonderful committee behind me (Williams Lake Queen Committee) and they encouraged me to
run for Miss Rodeo Canada – so I did! In 1976 there were about 50 girls vying for the MRC title. At that
time, we (the contestants) all met in Sherwood Park at a facility called Azure Acres. Only a handful of
the 50 ladies that day would be selected to carry on and actually run for the MRC title during the
Canadian Finals Rodeo (CFR). This mini selection process was held in one day!
We had to ride horses (a simple reining pattern) and complete an impromptu speech. We also had a
private interview with the judges. Out of the 50 girls, only five of us were selected to move on.
[Pictures of all the 1977 contestants can be seen on the Miss Rodeo Canada website].
Question: Did you have a mentor?
No. I had met Sis Thacker (MRC 1976) and she asked me to run for Miss Rodeo Canada. Everything
about Miss Rodeo Canada was very new to me, so I didn’t have her as a mentor. However, Dee
Butterfield was the Williams Lake Queen prior to me and I remembered her, so I would have to say that
she was my mentor.
Question: Who was organizing the MRC pageant? How were you selected for the competition?
After I was selected as one of the five contestants to compete for Miss Rodeo Canada, we all met in
Sherwood Park in October and then I came back in November for the pageant itself. CFCW was the
organization hosting and sponsoring the Miss Rodeo Canada pageant. They were quite involved with
the CFR. Warren Holt was very instrumental in seeing that Miss Rodeo Canada was part of the show. He
was on the Edmonton Northlands Committee too.
Question: Were there other queen pageants being held in Alberta – did you hold any previous titles
before representing Canada?
I was only aware of the Williams Lake title. I was 20 when I held the Williams Lake title. I had just
turned 21 when I won the Miss Rodeo Canada title.
Question: Did you, as Miss Rodeo Canada, have a Princess?
No. I was alone. We were still breaking ground with just a rodeo queen, so no, there was no Princess
role.
Question: What events did you have to compete in?
There were a couple pageant events we needed to complete in. Horsemanship was definitely one of
them. We did a simple reining pattern and I cannot remember who supplied the horses, but they were
not our own. It was nice that I did not have to haul in a horse to compete. When I won the title, I didn’t
want to haul a horse everywhere, as I lived too far away. We also rode in the grand entry a few times. I
believe we were judged on that as well.
The Williams Lake Stampede Committee was quite concerned when they learned I borrowed an Arab to
run in the grand entry. They didn’t need to worry because he was a fabulous horse. I could trust him.
He knew what to do and what I wanted him to do. I borrowed him from Eileen Djuff. Eileen Djuff ran
for MRC the year after me. [She was eventually crowned Miss Rodeo Canada 1979]. I borrowed the
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Merry Ann Reed
1977 Miss Rodeo Canada
Interview with Pauline Briggs – January 16, 2014
horse from her and they hauled him in for me. Eileen was quite excited that I won riding her horse! I
would run him around the arena for the grand entries. That’s all we used him for. Believe it or not, I
had not ridden the little Arab stud until I did my grand entry!
We also did some public speaking, but not too much of it. An interesting thing about the Miss Rodeo
Canada competition was the CFR rodeo programs! Did you know the audience actually voted on who
they thought should be the Miss Rodeo Canada? All the audience had to go on was our presentation
rides in the arena. It didn’t bother me, as I knew I could ride. We were also judged on how you
presented yourself during the presentation ride.
I believe we also did some impromptus. We definitely helped at the CFCW booth. Again, the pageant
was so new and it was not as difficult as I thought it might be. The Williams Lake pageant seemed more
elaborate to me.
We did participate in a fashion show. We modeled at the CFR headquarters at the Edmonton Inn, by the
old airport. We were introduced and did a runway walk. I believe that’s where we probably did our
impromptu speeches. I did not know a soul. My family (mom and dad) came out to watch. My
boyfriend (now husband) also came into town and took in the last
part of it.
Question: What can you tell me about the clothing you wore?
I did own a lot of clothes because I had won the Williams Lake title,
but we were told not to bring our own clothes! We were actually
given these one piece jumpsuits to wear. We actually competed in
them and that’s what we had to wear! [photo: Merry Ann wearing
the jumpsuit]. It was “lovely” and it was quite entertaining! They
were this coral/pinkish color. We wore the jumpsuit for six days. I
can’t remember what else we wore.
Of course when I won Miss Rodeo Canada I added onto my
wardrobe in a big way. We had to wear gloves, always! We had
matching gloves for ever suit and matching colored hats and boots
too!
Question: Were you sponsored any clothing?
I was very blessed with my sponsorships. Pacific Western Airlines
(as they then were known – now they are called West Jet)
sponsored me so I was able to fly out of Williams Lake anytime of
the year. It was great! BC Tourism and the Minister of Tourism
(who I happened to have sold a horse to his daughter) also sponsored me. They gave me a lump sum
payment of between two and three thousand dollars.
I also learned from a teacher within the school board (where I worked) that curlers representing B.C. in a
big Canadian bonspiel had money available to them when they represented Canada, so I looked into
that and did receive some money from them too.
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Merry Ann Reed
1977 Miss Rodeo Canada
Interview with Pauline Briggs – January 16, 2014
I also got very lucky in taking time off because the union, or the school district, in B.C. had a rule that if
you represented Canada in a national event, you could have as much time off from work as needed to
complete your event. So taking off time from work was no longer a problem for me. Guess who abused
that rule! My employer, the Williams Lake School Division, was wonderful to me. I worked in the
district office (in the accounting department) and they let me take all the time off I needed to travel. I
was very well looked after.
I remember the Canadian Professional Rodeo Association (CPRA) paid for my trip down to the National
Finals Rodeo (NFR). I think the CPRA paid half and Mary Jo
Burrell (with Canada Rides magazine) paid the other half
of the NFR costs.
Question: Where and when did the MRC competition
take place?
The competition took place on the Saturday night before
the last performance. We were crowned in the arena
before the rodeo.
Question: Can you tell me about your pageant
experience?
The Miss Rodeo Canada pageant was not the same kind of
pageant as the one I had when I ran for the Williams Lake
queen title. It wasn’t as big of a production. The Williams
Lake pageant had more events to prepare for. In 1976
the Miss Rodeo Canada pageant consisted of only
horsemanship, a walk through for modeling and some
impromptu questions. There wasn’t as much pageant
events as I thought there would be. However, it was so
much fun. “I didn’t think I would make the top five – never mind win! It was pretty special!”
Question: Were there any contracts to sign as Miss Rodeo Canada? Any rules?
No, there were no rules.
Question: What crown did you wear?
In November of 1976 Miss Rodeo Canada never really had a crown. Sis Thacker (MRC 1976) wore her
Calgary Stampede Princess crown the year before me because she did not have one either.
However, I believe a crown was eventually purchased part way through my year, so I guess you can say I
eventually wore one of the Miss Rodeo Canada crowns. It wasn’t very elaborate. The Williams Lake’s
crown was a much nicer crown so I wore this one most of the time. I could do this because I was still the
Williams Lake Stampede Queen for the year, as well as holding the Miss Rodeo Canada 1977 queen title,
so I could wear either crown.
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Merry Ann Reed
1977 Miss Rodeo Canada
Interview with Pauline Briggs – January 16, 2014
I eventually joined the Miss Rodeo Canada Board after my reign. I was the one who coordinated getting
a proper crown designed and built for the upcoming Miss Rodeo Canada queens. Simon’s Jewelry in
Edmonton designed it and made it. I would have to look on the Miss Rodeo Canada website to see who
first wore the maple leaf crown. It cost $5,500 dollar back then. That was what it was insured for. It
was also through Simon’s Jewelry that the alumni rings came to be. We were talking back and forth
with Simon’s Jewelry (after they designed the MRC crown) and they were the ones who suggested we
make an alumni ring and present it to the past queen every year. So, Simon’s Jewelry designed an
alumni ring. It was modeled after the MRC maple leaf crown. This was about two years after they made
the maple leaf crown. Eventually, all of us past queens had rings made for us, usually by Simon’s
Jewelry. I think I have mine on! The ring cost about five hundred dollars.
Question: As you know, we have had several MRC crowns.
What happened to the maple leaf designed crown?
I think I finished with the Miss Rodeo Canada organization
after 1989 when Stacey Soffel was Miss Rodeo Canada.
That’s when the crown changed again. Cheryl Robson was
the last one to wear the maple leaf design. We never did
own the maple leaf crown, Simon’s Jewelry owned it. I
would assume the crown eventually got returned to Simon’s
Jewelry and they probably melted it down.
When Stacey Soffel won the title of Miss Rodeo Canada
1989, she wore a new crown made by Montana
Silversmiths. The Miss Rodeo Canada organization designed
it with them. We could not design a crown similar to the
maple leaf crown previously worn because Simon’s Jewelry
owned the copyright on that crown. That’s why the crowns are so different. [You can view the Miss
Rodeo Canada crown’s on Miss Rodeo Canada’s “History” page.]
Question: Why did the crowns keep changing?
As you know, these crowns go through some tough times! The crowns changed because they eventually
got old and worn out. Stacey Soffel and Aleaha More were a couple of the Miss Rodeo Canada ladies to
wear some new crowns.
Question: What can you tell me about the contestants who ran? Are you still in touch with them?
We started out with about fifty girls, but only five were selected to run at the CFR. Marianne Cole
competed against me and ran again the next year. She won the Miss Rodeo Canada title the next year. I
crowned her! We are still in touch. I get a Christmas card from her every year. I see Wanda Elliott at
the ABRA finals now and then. I am friends with her brother. Barbara Jo Penner – she moved out here
from Saskatchewan and she shows horses and lives in Cochrane. Debra Johnston – I think she lives in
Innisfail. I ran into her a few years ago. She is showing Arabians. Debra and I both showed up with
Arabs to compete for Miss Rodeo Canada!
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Merry Ann Reed
1977 Miss Rodeo Canada
Interview with Pauline Briggs – January 16, 2014
Question: What did you wear to compete?
For horsemanship, as I mentioned earlier, we all wore our rose/coral colored jumpsuits and I believe we
wore that same outfit every night! In my year, they wanted all the girls to dress similar, so you weren’t
judged on what you wore. I do remember they were adamant that we dress alike! They might have
given us some shirts, as that rings a bell, but all in all, we dressed pretty much the same. It was not to
be a clothes contest. That I do remember!
Question: Did you ride every night?
I can’t remember if we did a presentation ride every
night, but we did do presentation rides and we were
judged on them.
Question: How did you feel when you won the
pageant?
I felt like any young girl does, overwhelmed! It did
not sink in until after I completed my MRC year. I
never realized the impact this title would have on
my life. You really don’t understand how it affects
you until a year goes by and you realize how many
friends you’ve made and how it changed your life.
You are in a whirl wind! I have a picture of me at
crowning. I was crowned in my lovely pink
jumpsuit. Sis Thacker and my Arab are in the photo
too [photo: Sis Thacker (left) and I at crowning].
I received numerous congratulatory letters. One
was from the BC Minister of Travel, congratulating
me on my win.
Question: What was your first duty once you won the title?
My first duty as Miss Rodeo Canada was to attend the National Finals Rodeo (NFR) in Oklahoma City. I
flew from home to Calgary (on Pacific Western Airlines), where I met up with my sponsors before
heading to the NFR. I remember I caught a cab and I had a lot of gear.
In my day we had matching everything. I had a hat can I could actually put six colored hats in! My
sponsors had booked a room at the Sheraton Inn (the round hotel) for us. Can you believe they actually
gave me the honey room suite! I wonder if it was because I had so many clothes! I found it weird, but I
was ok with that! After I met up with my sponsors (they owned the magazine called Canada Rides, we
flew out to Oklahoma.
Question: What did you do at the NFR?
We (Miss Rodeo Canada’s) were still breaking ground at the NFR. Sis Thacker (Miss Rodeo Canada 1976)
was at the NFR the year before me. I was with a tour group, so I mostly helped host with them. I went
to a few of the NFR functions as Miss Rodeo Canada and they introduced me, but not a whole bunch. I
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Merry Ann Reed
1977 Miss Rodeo Canada
Interview with Pauline Briggs – January 16, 2014
did not do any presentation laps – that didn’t happen in my day. I might have got to do one, but that
was it. It’s come a long way since then! They were still trying to decide if we (Miss Rodeo Canada
queens) were a national queen. It took them a while to accept us.
Question: Did you watch the Miss Rodeo America pageant?
I did watch the Miss Rodeo America Pageant, but I did not compete in it. However, I ran for the Miss
Rodeo America pageant while representing British Columbia (BC). After my Miss Rodeo Canada reign, I
headed down for the Miss Rodeo America pageant representing BC. Normally in BC, it’s usually Miss
Rodeo Cloverdale that would attend the Miss Rodeo America pageant. I was asked by British Columbia
if I would represent them and I did.
Question: Why Cloverdale over Miss Rodeo Canada
or Williams Lake?
It was what they (BC) did. You see, Cloverdale was
(and is) quite a big rodeo and had quite the queen
pageant, so they sent their queen down. Alberta sent
someone too. When I ran for BC, it seemed to me
there was a girl from Alberta and I knew her - Tracy
Ronnie. I represented BC in the Miss Rodeo America
pageant. There were 52 of us. Every state was
represented and two of us from Canada and my
roommate won! Her name was Almabeth Carroll
Kaess (MRA 1978). She was Miss Rodeo Colorado. I
heard I was runner up for Miss Congeniality. I had a
blast and I got to see her again this year! We
recognized each other the moment we saw one
another!
Question: Did you go yourself, or with others?
The Williams Lake Committee chaperoned and my
mother came down with me. However, when you enter a Miss Rodeo America pageant, you are totally
on your own!
Question: Who did you meet that was famous?
I never really met famous people – not really. Mary Kay Cosmetics was a huge sponsor during this time
period. They were just starting to move her cosmetics into Canada and she saw us two Canadian girls
and she was all over us! I did land up selling some of the Mary Kay cosmetics after my reign, but at 21, I
wasn’t that much into it. We did a Mary Kay makeover at one point.
I met Red Steagall. He was popular back then. I think Reba McEntire was discovered the year I watched
the Miss Rodeo America pageant. I did meet Johnny Cash when I won the Williams Lake Stampede
Queen pageant. He was doing a concert in Kamloops at the time and they were promoting him being in
concert. We all met at the TV station where we were doing interviews. He was a big guy! I didn’t
realize how big until we sat beside him.
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Merry Ann Reed
1977 Miss Rodeo Canada
Interview with Pauline Briggs – January 16, 2014
Pat Boone was another famous person I met. We had lunch in Red Deer at the Silver Buckle at their
summer rodeo. Red Deer had two pro-rodeos - one in the spring and one in the summer.
Question: What other events did you participate in? Where else did you travel?
I also did a lot of local things around Williams Lake during my tenure with Miss Rodeo Canada. You see, I
still held the Williams Lake Stampede Queen at the same time I held the Miss Rodeo Canada title. So, I
still had a lot of events to attend on
behalf of the Williams Lake Stampede.
There was really nothing for me to do as
Miss Rodeo Canada until March when I
came to Alberta for Rodeo Royal (which is
the indoor spring rodeo put on by the
Calgary stampede). So, I carried on
Williams Lake Stampede queen duties
until then.
Another event I attended was the “Super
Rodeo” in Edmonton. Edmonton put this
rodeo on at Northlands. It was an
amazing spring rodeo. I was back and
forth flying between Williams Lake and
my Alberta events.
1 Merry Ann Reed and Rob Stoney
I was pretty blessed to take time off and
travel. Travel was covered for the year
thanks to Pacific Western Airlines. I travelled a lot being from BC and it made things more difficult
because I travelled back and forth between the provinces a lot.
I attended all of the Canadian rodeos, of course. I also went to the Omak, Washington rodeo which was
so much fun! The United States has a very large abundance of rodeo queens, so they used their own
queens at their rodeo. I didn’t ride or anything, I just represented Canada.
I have a very funny story about one of my travels. Well my hat can – it became a big joke – because it
could hold six colored hats and it was big. One day when I was travelling from BC to Calgary, I will never
forget, I was getting off the plane in Calgary and as I was waiting for my bags to come off the conveyor
belt, my hat can and its lid became separated. Now, as a rodeo queen, we all know we have to pack as
much items as we can into very little space and I had done just that. All my queen items were nicely
tucked into my hat including my gloves, banners, and even my underwear was nicely tucked into that
hat can. As I waited for my luggage I noticed it coming onto the conveyor belt, but not together! My
items came spilling onto the conveyor belt a bit at a time and I mean everything! One by one, my hats,
my bras, my banners and my underwear! I was horrified! Of course you could see the crowds looking to
see what poor soul owned these items – who is she – and where is she? Well my sashes proudly
displayed who that pour soul was, me – Miss Rodeo Canada 1977! I scrambled around the conveyor
belt picking up my garments as fast as I could. I will never forget that. I could have walked away, but
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Merry Ann Reed
1977 Miss Rodeo Canada
Interview with Pauline Briggs – January 16, 2014
those darn sashes gave it away! The farther that hat can travelled, the more of my items fell out! That
was a golden moment!
Question: Who did you do pass on your crown
to?
Marianne Cole
Question: Tell me about the fashions of Miss
Rodeo Canada in 1977?
As I mentioned earlier, we competed in the pink
jumpsuits. My sashes were made in Williams
Lake. I had people make them for me. As far as
clothes, when I went to Omak, Washington they
had an outstanding selection of clothes, so I
bought a lot of clothes there. I also had some
made from a gal in Williams Lake. The style my
year were fitted polyester jackets and she made
quite a bit of them for me.
The shirts were body suits and there were lovely
polyester pants to match. We spent a lot of time
dying gloves to match. The hat, jackets, pants,
and boots all were pretty much color coordinated.
Trying to find gloves to match was hard. I bought
quite a bit of them in Oklahoma City.
Colored hats were in style my year. You could find
then everywhere at the time. Fashion at that time was whatever Miss Rodeo America wore. She was
the trend setter of what you wore and we went down the same path as far as clothes were concerned.
Question: How much clothes did you have? Did you keep any? Were you sponsored any?
Winning the Miss Rodeo Canada pageant in 1977 was so new to everyone. People thought that if you
won the title, you “had it made” and that you would be outfitted with all your gear. However, that was
not the case. We may have received a hat, or a pair of boots, but the majority of the clothing expenses
fell on you and your family. I was very grateful to have the support of the Williams Lake rodeo
committee. They sponsored me when I won Miss Williams Lake and they also helped me out when I
won Miss Rodeo Canada too. No matter how many sponsors you have, the costs to run and win a
pageant are enormous for all contestants.
Question: Any special hair/makeup?
Well, I loved makeup! The year I went to the NFR as Miss Rodeo Canada, Mary Kay gave me cosmetics. I
loved it all, so makeup was no problem for me. I wore it and knew how to use it.
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Merry Ann Reed
1977 Miss Rodeo Canada
Interview with Pauline Briggs – January 16, 2014
I wore my hair long and down, or pulled back in a ponytail. A side pony tail was in style and you “poofed
up” the ponytail. And the yarn ribbons on the ponytails were in style. Christine Williams, Miss Rodeo
America (1970) wore the yarn on her ponytails, but I preferred the ribbons and not the yarn.
Question: Were curls in style or big hair?
I might have started out with curls. There were no hair rules at the time. People were just happy we
came to their event so no one ever mentioned anything about how we wore our queen hair, it was left
up to us.
Question: What can you tell me
about sponsors?
Don Dillabough was a sponsor for
MRC. He lived between Red Deer
and Ponoka. When I did come to
Alberta, it was Don who took care of
me. Don looked after our hotel
costs, or we would stay at his place.
He was in oilfield or construction.
Don left a scholarship for Miss
Rodeo Canada and the interest from
that every year was to pay for an
MRC trophy. Don did start the
scholarship. It was actually a
disability fund, so if anything
happened to MRC, she would
receive it. I believe it was around
$2,000 and the interest was then
used for an MRC trophy. I don’t
know what happened with it ‒ the scholarship. The CPRA had it in their bank account at one time.
Question: Did you receive any scholarships?
No, not during my year. I had scholarship money donated when I was coordinating the Miss Rodeo
Canada pageant. It came from Molson’s. There were also some scholarship grants from the Alberta
government during this same time period as well.
Question: Have you ever won any awards?
Yes, Cowgirl of the Year.
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Merry Ann Reed
1977 Miss Rodeo Canada
Interview with Pauline Briggs – January 16, 2014
Question: Did you attend any special parades? Was there a favorite parade?
We attended the Calgary
Stampede and I was in the
Calgary Stampede parade. I
also participated in the
Klondike Days parade in
Edmonton. In Calgary, I rode a
horse. In Edmonton, I rode on
a float, which was the City of
Red Deer float. As Red Deer
was almost my second home
during my reign as Miss Rodeo
Canada (Don Dillabough lived
there), the City of Red Deer
invited me to ride on their
float. Sis Thacker did too, the
year before.
Question: Tell me about your
hats, buckle, and boots?
Miss Rodeo Canada did not receive a sponsored buckle in 1977. However, the Silver Buckle Rodeo
Committee presented me with a beautiful buckle. I remember being sponsored a hat by Stetson at the
Miss Rodeo America pageant. It was a rolled up brim hat. In 1977, Miss Rodeo Canada was expected to
coordinate her outfits. Our boots were dyed to match our outfits, gloves and hats.
Question: Did you belong to the Miss Rodeo Canada Board, or volunteer in any organizations after
your reign?
Yes, I have belonged to a number of associations. I was the founding director for the Alberta Barrel
Racing Association. Then I coordinated the BC pageant for a few years. I had coordinated the Williams
Lake Stampede. I coordinated the Miss Rodeo Canada pageant for 8-9 years. I was also the barrel racing
director for the CPRA for four years.
Question: Did you ever consider running for the Calgary Stampede Queen? What difference is there
between the two roles – Miss Rodeo Canada and Calgary Stampede Queen?
No, I wasn’t aware of the Calgary Stampede pageant before I ran for Miss Rodeo Canada. I can only say
that more people are aware of the Calgary Stampede than of the Canadian Finals Rodeo. And many
people thought I had actually barrel raced there. In actuality, I had not.
I judged the Calgary Stampede queen pageant a few times. I was quite adamant when I judged that
these girls be judged on horsemanship skills. The Calgary Stampede Committee seemed to move away
from this event as their royalty did not do much riding. I now see that they are putting more emphasis
on horsemanship and I’m happy about that.
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Merry Ann Reed
1977 Miss Rodeo Canada
Interview with Pauline Briggs – January 16, 2014
Miss Rodeo Canada and the MRC Alumni have a tough time to become a strong organization because
our ladies are from all over Canada. Calgary has always had local girls, so naturally their pageant is more
easily supported by local businesses. It’s hard for the MRC to get support when we focus on an entire
country and all our sponsors are coming from all over. When people try to compare us (MRC) to
Calgary’s pageant you can’t. They are so totally different. Calgary can also stretch out their pageant
forever because the girls are always close
by. Our pageant is condensed to 4-5
days because everyone is travelling in
from all over to attend the pageant.
In summary, we can’t compare a national
pageant to a local pageant. You can
compare a national pageant to a state
pageant. Calgary’s pageant is big, but it’s
a different deal. For example, Miss
Rodeo Canada travels on her own most
of the time. Calgary’s stampede queen
and princesses are always chaperoned
and are on a very tight regime. Our Miss
Rodeo Canada also has to be able to
think on her feet and make decisions on
her own, always. Now that I’ve raised
daughters and a family, I see we ask an
awful lot of our Miss Rodeo Canada!
Question: What would people be surprised to know about you?
I guess people would be surprised to know that I taught Sunday school at the Ranchman’s (in Calgary). I
will explain that. Phil Doan, who was the President of the CPRA, years later in his life - he held Cowboy
Church at the Ranchmans. I volunteered to teach Sunday school there. I did that for about 6-7 years.
I guess another thing people would not know about me was that I worked with special needs children
after I was Miss Rodeo Canada. I was involved in a program with the kids, where I brought my horses
down to the Stampede grounds. The children got to interact with the horses and it was so rewarding to
see the kids react in such a special manner with them. My horses would behave so differently with
these children. Some horses you thought were good, became terrified and some I thought might not be
good turned out to be fabulous with the kids. And some we just could not use.
Question: What do you see different from the role of Miss Rodeo Canada then and now?
I think it is more of an honor to be Miss Rodeo Canada now than it was back then. We were so busy
trying to pave the way in 1977. It’s like anything new, you have to get it going.
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Merry Ann Reed
1977 Miss Rodeo Canada
Interview with Pauline Briggs – January 16, 2014
When I started coordinating the MRC pageant it was on the way down. No one wanted to do it
anymore. I knew the MRC wasn’t doing well so I stepped forward and got it going and kept it going.
That’s when I changed it to an actual pageant, so there was no crowd voting. We had actual judges. I
came home with a lot of ideas after seeing the Miss Rodeo America pageant.
Question: Who helped you with the pageant?
I ran it with Joan Pardell the first official year she was Miss Rodeo Canada. I charged admittance fees to
get the pageant going. The first year I was kind of on my own. The beauty of it was that I worked at the
rodeo office (CPRA), so it made it quite easy. I worked at the CPRA office for 8-9 years. We got an MRC
committee going the next year.
Question: What was your most memorable event of your year?
Attending the Calgary Stampede was a highlight. Riding in the parade was exciting. I also enjoyed going
down to the United States for their rodeos, like Omak’s.
There were so many wonderful times. The whole year was memorable, one event after another. My life
was a whirlwind because I was actually working full time during my reign. I went from employee to Miss
Rodeo Canada to employee on a weekly basis!
Question: Which pro-rodeo was your fondest and why?
Red Deer Silver Buckle and their summer rodeo was probably my fondest because that’s where my
home was in the summer. They were my family and a lot of the people I knew were from Red Deer.
Question: Did you have a favorite horse and why?
I had a horse when I ran for the Williams Lake queen title
that I liked a lot. I had a Palomino. He did all the grand
entries and was one of my favorite horses the year I won
Miss Rodeo Canada. His name was Banner (Hyline
Banner). He was kind of special.
Another favorite horse of mine was one my daughter
used. This horse’s name was CJ. She was probably my
most favorite. She made CFR 4 times and was top 20 in
the world. I bought and trained that horse myself.
Question: Who was your role model and why?
I would have to say Dee Butterfield. She was a Williams
Lake rodeo queen and she did great at barrel racing. I
would have to say she was my role model. It was pretty special when her daughter, Brook Robertson,
won Miss Rodeo Canada in 1988 [Miss Rodeo Canada 1988].
Question: What was the hardest part of being Miss Rodeo Canada?
The hardest part was not really knowing anyone. You were pretty much on your own and that made it
difficult. I was shy at the time too. It was also difficult travelling and keeping up with my job at the
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Merry Ann Reed
1977 Miss Rodeo Canada
Interview with Pauline Briggs – January 16, 2014
same time. However, it taught me good work ethics and I learned if I wanted to do it, I could do it! It
gave me a lot of “try!”
The experience goes with you the rest of your life. My life never quit after winning Miss Rodeo Canada.
It was fast paced. I coordinated queen pageants, I barrel-raced, and I trained horses.
Question: Where would you like to see the Miss Rodeo Canada organization go in the future?
I like what I have seen and where it is going. I would like to see us attract more girls. We have had some
wonderful dedicated girls because they have had good support. It’s also nice to see Miss Rodeo Canada
have a Board backing her.
I would like see a scholarship fund set up. Scholarships which are available to everyone. The
scholarships would benefit MRC. If she had a loan or wants to go to university, she can improve her
education. It’s interesting how scholarships are set up in the U.S. At the Miss Rodeo America pageant,
there is a foundation set up specifically for getting the sponsorships. I would dearly love to see one
grow here. We need donors! Then we would attract girls who want to better themselves and want to
grow as a person after they are finished their reign. Our MRC’s would have a wonderful opportunity in
public relations. So, very simply, a scholarship fund is needed. It was always my goal when I was part of
the MRC organization.
I think Pauline Briggs is doing a wonderful
job and has a great committee. It’s nice
to see not just rodeo people involved in
the organization. They don’t all need to
be from the western world – it broadens
the spectrum.
Money will always be an issue for the
MRC. It’s unfortunate that parents go
into such debt. Some are so upset by
this. However, as an example, it’s no
different than people “going down the
road” to rodeo. No one is supporting
them either. Yes, it costs a lot of money
(as you know) and there are bitter girls,
but what you get out of it far surpasses
the money you spend. It pays off and it’s
huge, even just the friends you meet. I
still have friends that are still friends, and
2 MRC Board and Alumni and Merry Ann Stoney (center)
will remain friends forever. You also
meet people on so many levels. You
meet them at rodeos, at sponsorship events, you meet people putting on the rodeos, and you especially
meet the kids. Being Miss Rodeo Canada, you meet people from all walks of life. It’s interesting how
social media (Facebook and Twitter) allows everyone to stay in touch now. The connections made
evolved in such a different way with social media now. It’s been very positive.
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Merry Ann Reed
1977 Miss Rodeo Canada
Interview with Pauline Briggs – January 16, 2014
I don’t think people understand what Miss Rodeo Canada and Miss Rodeo America really do and what
they can do, but it’s come a long way. Everyone is always saying “this girl is doing a good job and that
girl is doing a good job,” I feel they ALL have done a wonderful job. They have given up their year to
promote the western way of life. They all do it in their own special way. They all have a different way of
presenting the western way of life. It has made it unique and it’s exciting for the next year’s winner.
Katy Lucas is right into the rodeo world. Nicole and Gillian were too. It’s interesting to see how they
work it each year and how each girl presented herself. To see Nicole and Katy rope in Ponoka was
fantastic.
When I coordinated the Miss Rodeo Canada pageant, I could easily pick out the girls who had been in
4-H. I found 4-H’ers knew how to be organized, how to be punctual and they were very good in their
public speaking. It was interesting. They didn’t necessarily win, but I could pick out a 4-H member
because they knew how to present themselves. When I went through the Williams Lake queen pageant,
we had the “Toastmistress” club available to us. It was
a group of ladies that had a club and you could join and
learn about public speaking. It was something I did
when I was running and I actually went back for a few
more sessions before I ran for Miss Rodeo Canada. I
learned how to address a group properly. It was for
ladies only, no men. I was very thankful to be able to
do that. I would recommend looking up this club for
upcoming contestants who don’t have 4-H as a
background.
Question: What are your goals this year?
I just turned sixty years of age. So I am trying to slow
down a little bit. I am realizing I should slow down and
smell the roses a bit more. I need to do more for
myself and ride my horses more. I have a young
futurity horse. We will be heading down to Arizona to
put some time on her. I also have a client’s horse I am
working with as well. I have about 5 horses and I wish
to do the best I can with them. I may go to a few senior
pro rodeos. I want to senior pro rodeo.
Question: What barrel racing titles do you have?
In the Canadian Senior Pro Rodeo, I won the 40’s in Medicine Hat about 15 years ago. I never did make
the CFR. I was in the top 15 a couple times. When they took the top 10, I was sitting in the 11th spot, or
when they took the top 12 contestants, I was 14th or 15ththat year – so close! I enjoyed this time of my
life.
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Merry Ann Reed
1977 Miss Rodeo Canada
Interview with Pauline Briggs – January 16, 2014
There are so many places for us to ride now and get horses started. In the past, we had to rodeo to
work the horses. Now there is a lot of action going on in many arenas, so you can work with them daily.
It was exciting to move from BC to Alberta. I knew I wanted to move. When my husband got set up with
the police in Calgary, there was no problem for me to move here. It was exciting times.
My daughter Sierra did make it to the CFR. I was excited for my daughter who was using the horse I
trained and started. Sierra has qualified for the CFR four times.
Question: What did you do after your reign?
In 2006 I was re-elected to the Canadian Professional Rodeo Association's board of directors as the
Ladies Barrel Racing Representative. I was a representative for four years.
I took a hiatus from doing queen work after being involved with Miss Rodeo Canada. I judged a couple
times and sat on the advisory committee a couple times.
I was asked to chaperone at the 2015 Miss Rodeo America pageant this year. It was exciting! Lauren
Heaton was crowned Miss Rodeo America 2015. She was from Oklahoma and was the first girl from
Oklahoma to win the title.
I enjoyed the girls. I feel we live in a kind
of negative world with our youth. So,
being around the ladies makes me realize
we have some wonderful youth in our
country. Spending time with them was
really enjoyable and to see they have so
many goals and aspirations was
wonderful. Kathy (Cornelson) Rumford
was also a chaperone! [Kate Cornelson
was crowned Miss Rodeo Canada 1983].
When I coordinated the Miss Rodeo
Canada pageant we worked together.
We hadn’t seen each other for years. It
was a wonderful time! She chaperoned
3 Merry Ann Stoney (Left), Kate Cornelson (Right)]
because I wanted to see Almabeth
Carroll. I didn’t know anyone other than
Kate. We had a fabulous time in Las Vegas at the pageant. They also invited me back! I forgot it was so
much work though. When your 21, you have a lot of get up and go, but at my age, it’s a lot of work and
walking, but it was great!
Question: How did you get asked to chaperone?
One of the people at our alumni luncheon this year had been speaking to Kate Cornelson. This person
found out that Kate needed another chaperone for Miss Rodeo America pageant. I said “that would be
fun – I need to do something different,” so one thing lead to another and I was invited to chaperone.
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Merry Ann Reed
1977 Miss Rodeo Canada
Interview with Pauline Briggs – January 16, 2014
Question: What are you doing now?
What I do now is train barrel racers.
I eventually retired from the Calgary Flying Club. I was their accountant. I enjoyed working with them. I
knew what it was like to have a passion. My passion was horses and theirs were planes. “I was flying on
horses and they were flying in planes!” I retired a couple years ago and I now train horses for other
people. I really am enjoying my family and grandchildren. For quite a few years I travelled a lot. Sierra
and her husband bought Frontier Western Shop. She hasn’t raced for a while, but has a few colts and if
she gets a special one, I’m sure she will rodeo with it.
Miss Rodeo Canada Website
Interviews | History | Alumni
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