Sundre-area resident Codi Wilson aspires to follow her family’s path and to promote the rodeo lifestyle.
She is one of three contestants running for the 2018-19 Miss Rodeo Sundre title. Click here and here for features on the other two contestants.
“Being a hometown cowgirl, I’ve always wanted to run for Miss Rodeo Sundre,” she said.
Wilson, who lives near Bergen, said she is excited for the opportunity to be a contestant this year.
The former title-holder of the 2016 Alberta High School Rodeo Queen, she said her family has a history of being involved as members of rodeo royalty. Mary Ellen Wilson, her grandmother, was once the Ponoka Stampede Queen as well as the 1955 Calgary Stampede Queen. And her mother, Tracy Wilson, was the Innisfail Rodeo Princess in the early 1990s.
Additionally, her uncle Harlee Wilson is a past-president of the Sundre Rodeo and Race Association, the organization that every June puts on the annual pro rodeo, and her father Randy Wilson was once a steer wrestler. The eldest of three children, Wilson said her siblings Shanay and Rees are also involved in rodeo.
“I’ve grown up with rodeo — I was born right into it,” she said, adding she most enjoys the atmosphere and lifestyle associated with the western tradition.
Barely after learning to walk, she was already being introduced to riding horseback and she started competing at the age of about six in junior rodeos and gymkhana events.
Having experienced life on the rodeo trail, Wilson — who recently spoke during a phone interview while travelling to a high school rodeo competition in St. Paul — said she cannot get enough of it.
Also a 13-year veteran and senior member with the Sundre 4-H Multi Club, which she joined at the age of nine, Wilson said she completed horse, beef and photography projects. Additionally, she served terms as the club’s president, vice-president as well as treasurer along the way.
“It’s an amazing program,” said Wilson, adding she has over the years learned a lot and is grateful for the opportunities the program has provided.
Throughout the province and country, 4-H clubs help young people to develop important life skills such as public speaking, which in turn builds their confidence and helps them become more engaged members of their communities.
“I strongly believe in 4-H,” she said, adding there are a variety of different programs that do not require owning livestock and actually cater to youth who live in town.
“It rounds you as a person.”
If crowned Miss Rodeo Sundre, she said, “I would be excited to represent my community and share my passion of rodeo with other people.”
Wilson, whose bid for the title is sponsored by the Mountain View High School Rodeo Club, also expressed a desire to play a role in preserving western heritage as well as promoting the community that has supported her throughout her formative years.
