Meet the Queen: Nevada
By Wrangler Network contributor Miss Rodeo America
She has many names, Sin City, City of Lights, Glitter Gulch; but to me she is known as home. Viva Las Vegas! I am Kaity McBride, Miss Rodeo Nevada 2017. Although Logandale is where I reside, Las Vegas is where I was born.
I am a fourth-generation cowgirl. If there is something to do with a horse, my family has done it. Within my family, I have a; champion goat tyin’ aunt, a chariot racing grandpa, a jockeying uncle, an accomplished team ropin’ dad, a cattle company owning uncle, a cutting horse champion cousin, an NFR qualifying cousin, and a rodeo queen mom. My life has been surrounded with all things western and a love for the lifestyle and heritage has been instilled in me.
Even though rodeo runs through my veins, it became a passion of mine later in life. Instead I played softball and tennis, even taking home a State championship in tennis. It gave me an excellent foundation to be a rodeo queen by teaching me lessons of good sportsmanship, the importance of practice and helped build confidence within me.
My mom was so surprised when I told her I wanted to compete for our local rodeo princess title. I did not win that year, or the next but I kept trying. Eventually I was crowned the St. George Lions Dixie Round-Up Queen, a title my mom held 24 years before me.
I’ve competed and won several other titles, each time learning valuable lessons and making new friends. All along I had my sights set on the title I had to have, Miss Rodeo Nevada.
My year as Miss Rodeo Nevada began in May during the West Coast Regional Finals held at The Southpoint Hotel, Casino & Spa and I hit the ground running. So far in my short two months as Miss Rodeo Nevada, I have been given the chance to travel over 6,000 miles.
I have visited every corner of The Silver State, starting in Las Vegas for Helldorado Days held on the Las Vegas Strip to Winnemucca for the Nevada High School Rodeo Finals, to Reno, for the Wildest and Richest Rodeo in the West. I have been to Elko for the Oldest Rodeo in Nevada, the Silver State Stampede.
I have visited a preschool to talk about following your dreams, a Boys and Girls Club to teach the importance of perseverance, and been able to give back to service members and their families by serving a breakfast on the Fourth of July.
I have loved my opportunities to represent Nevada outside of her borders at the Daddy of ‘em All in Cheyenne, WY and at the Prorodeo Hall of Fame Inductions held in Colorado Springs, CO. It is so exciting to share all of the great things my state has to offer such as her being home to the Biggest Little City in the World, the Live Entertainment Capitol of the World, and the Hoover Dam. In my home state, you can hit the slopes at Lake Tahoe, look for aliens on the Extraterrestrial Highway and mine for Gold, Silver, Copper and even Opal. Contrary to popular belief, we are more than just a toasty desert. Agriculture is one of our most important industries, and though our ranches are few in number, they rank third in the nation in size. But, in my experience, our greatest resource is our people.
Nevada hosts six professional rodeos, three of them being some of the largest in the nation. We have a Silver Tour Million Dollar Rodeo, Clark County Fair & Rodeo, a Gold Million Dollar Rodeo Reno Rodeo. We are also home to The Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. Nevada is the Silver State but it is ranked second in the world for Gold Production. It couldn’t be any more fitting that the top cowboys in the world compete for the coveted gold buckle here.
For ten days, every December, Las Vegas turns into a Cowboy Town. I can’t wait to welcome you with open arms in my home town!
