It’s hard to believe I am nearing the end of my reign as Miss Rodeo Canada 2014! October is co
ming to a close and it sure went out with a bang!
The month started with the first Grassroots Finals Rodeo in Calgary, Alberta. I had the opportunity of carrying the Canadian flag, chasing out stock and visiting the VIP area.
After the rodeo in Calgary on Saturday my chaperone and I boarded a plane to Australia! Our first destination upon landing was in the beautiful City of Hobart, Tasmania. We toured this fascinating state and took in its gorgeous scenery. We visited the Tasman National Park and the historic Port Arthur (one of Australia’s first prisons established in the 1800’s). In Hobart, we visited the Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary and had the chance to see many of Australia’s wildlife including kangaroos, koala bears and the Tasmanian devil. We even had the opportunity to feed a few of the 87 kangaroos on site!
Three days later, we made our second stop in Melbourne, Victoria. During my stay in Melbourne we drove the Great Ocean Road, viewed the 12 Apostles and took in the gorgeous scenery along the coast. The City of Ballarat was our next stop. Here we visited Sovereign Hill, an old town created like those in the gold mining days. These historic buildings come with people who portray characters from the past. There 
was a baker, a blacksmiths and even a doctor! I even had a chance to practice some team roping and breakaway roping at our host home!
From Melbourne we flew into beautiful Port Douglas, Queensland where we had the chance to visit the beach and scuba dive the Great Barrier Reef thanks to Quicksilver Tours and the Hibiscus Resort and Spa! Scuba diving was amazing – we fed fish and were introduced to many of the reefs aquatic life forms.
Surfers Paradise on the beautiful Gold Coast was our next stop. We spent a day in Surfers Paradise walking the beach, shopping and taking in a breathtaking view from “Q1,” one of the tallest buildings that rises seventy seven stories high! Our final night in Surfers Paradise was spent at the Australian Outback Show! We were sponsored by the Outback Show’s corporate partner, the Calgary Stampede. The show portrays the working Australian Outback as well as the story of the famous Australian racehorse, Phar Lap.
Our final destination was the Warwick Pro Rodeo. In Warwick, I spent four days partaking in grand entries, school visits and sponsor visits. A huge thank you to the Warwick Show and Rodeo committee for treating us like gold! I had the opportunity to try “campdrafting”. This event is a unique Australian equine sport that is a mixture of what we call “cutting” and “working cow horse” events. I even got to team rope during the Friday night performance of the rodeo and barrel race during the Saturday night performance!
On our return to Canada, we had the chance to visit the Sydney Opera House and the Harbour Bridge in Sydney. At a stopover in San Francisco, we visited downtown San Francisco and have lunch on the wharf.
I am now looking forward to the CFR and the 2015 Miss Rodeo Canada pageant in November. As my year comes to a close I have to thank all the sponsors, rodeo committees, host homes, the Miss Rodeo Canada Board of Directors and the CPRA for all of their support and for making my year as Miss Rodeo Canada such a huge success. I will take the memories I’ve made this year and treasure them for a lifetime.
See you down the trail,
Nicole Briggs
Miss Rodeo Canada 2014
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