Larissa Bjornsen says she wants to be the 2007 Rodeo Queen “because I have always looked up to all of the other queens in the past, and I hope that I will be looked up to like I used to look up to them.”
Bjornsen is one of five candidates for the three-member court that will preside over the 2007 Rodeo next July 6-8. The queen will be selected on Jan. 20.
She is the daughter of Billie Bjornsen and Kenneth Streeter. She has one sister, Amanda Hilburn; a stepbrother, Travis Streeter; and stepsister, Bailey Streeter.
She is a junior at Sweet Home High School and plans to graduate in June 2008.
She enjoys riding horses, playing soccer, participating in 4-H, horse bowl, hipology and horse judging and participating in OHSET.
She works at the Sweet Home High School concession stand.
“I also believe that being the Sweet Home Rodeo Queen will open my horizons to many more horse-related opportunities and to more fun and exciting experiences,” she said.
She has been riding horses since before she was born, she said.
“I also have participated in stick pony races, mutton bustin’ and the calf scramble since I was little. Four-H has been a great big part in my life ever since I was in the fourth grade, and once I started high school, I joined the Sweet Home equestrian team. I have done every event possible, from English riding to team penning and barrel racing.”
She was one of the candidates for Rodeo Queen last year, she said.
“I ran and experienced so much. That’s why I am back,” Bjornsen said. “I have volunteered for the Sweet Home Rodeo for many years now.
“My 4-H group (the Top Spot Riders) volunteers by passing out flyers at the gate and running around doing small errands last year and the year before with the rodeo courts. I volunteered with the calf scramble and holding sheep for mutton bustin’.
“I love that rodeos are a great way to bring the family and friends together for a fun, thrilling and very intriguing event. All the rodeos that I have experienced have never had a dull moment and always kept me and all my family and friends focused on all the fascinating events.
“I enjoy rodeos and have great passion for them, but the thing that I always look forward to is the barrel racing. The way a cowgirl and her horse can fly around three red, white and blue barrels with a 16 flat run takes my breath away every time. One day I hope I will be out there doing my favorite event to show what I can do.
“Rodeo events that are like this are breathtaking and adrenaline raisers. That is my favorite thing about rodeos and why I love them so much.”
As queen, she said, she can represent and promote the rodeo with a good attitude and great sportsmanship.
“Representing the Sweet Home Rodeo would be a pride and honor. If I were to receive the queen title, I would represent my title with the pride and honor it deserves. I would represent the Sweet Home Rodeo with good horsemanship and all the knowledge I know about rodeo with a professional touch. I would promote our rodeo with enthusiasm and am excited to round up more rodeo fans than there already are.
“I love that Sweet Home is a small town that can throw a great event and bring so many people together to have an amazing time. Sweet Home is small, with not too many people and is pretty quiet.
“I would like to promote Sweet Home because there are so many small towns out there, but none of them are like Sweet Home. Sweet Home’s community is very close and takes a lot of pride in our town.
“Promoting Sweet Home’s events that are off-the-wall events will bring more money to benefit our schools and the community that everyone loves to come visit during all our fun events.
“The better we promote our events that take so much planning, we can bring more fans of them to Sweet Home to show them what we really are all about.”