SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — You’ve probably heard of Miss America, Miss South Dakota, and even your local Snow Queen pageant. However, one pageant title comes with a cowgirl hat.
While Callie Mueller grew up surrounded by rodeos, she didn’t participate in rodeo events. She also didn’t see herself as a pageant girl.
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“I’m a cowgirl. I go ride horses. And that’s the vision that I always saw myself as. And I was in a time that I had lost my best friend from cancer and I was at a very low spot and rodeo really picked me up,” Miss Rodeo SD 2024, Callie Mueller said.
After losing her best friend in high school, Mueller decided to compete for the Jackrabbit Stampede Ambassador title in 2019.
And that was just the start.
She continued competing in competitions, all the way up to her winning Miss Rodeo South Dakota 2024. She has traveled over 30,000 miles this year alone, and while South Dakota is in the title, the role has taken her out of state.
Now, the position is bringing her to Las Vegas, for Miss Rodeo America. While the 9 day competition is filled with glitz and glam, there’s a whole lot more to winning the national title.
“They do personal interviews, horsemanship interviews, they answer impromptu speeches, and then there’s a coronation that is just unbelievable,” South Dakota national director, Cindy Wilk said.
“We also have some fun modeling time that we get to model, sponsor clothes, and then our personal fashion-forward outfit,” Mueller said.
While the competition may be demanding, it is also a rewarding experience.
“They’re being judged the entire week and they have so much fun. And they get to be with the other state queens that they’ve known and traveled with all year. It’s just– it’s so much fun for them,” Wilk said.
For other women who aspire to one day be a rodeo queen, Mueller has one piece of advice that has been a large part of her platform: putting faith over fear.
“This is so important to me. I take it on a religious standpoint, and I believe that if you let God show you the plan that he has for you and let him help you show the talents that he’s given you, then you can accomplish anything,” Mueller said.
The Miss Rodeo America competition will start November 30th, and go until December 8th.
Click here if you would like to send Mueller roses or an email while she is at the competition.
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