FELICIA HARRISON, 18, of Washougal, is the 2015 Vancouver Rodeo Queen. Harrison will celebrate her coronation at 6:30 p.m., Sat., March 28, at a dinner and auction sponsored by the Clark County Saddle Club.
THE 2015 VANCOUVER RODEO Queen, Felicia Harrison (right), signs autographs at the Washington State Horse Expo on Feb. 21.
FELICIA HARRISON and her horse Bingo at the duo’s first run-in after Harrison was crowned 2015 Vancouver Rodeo Queen.
Just one year out of high school, 18-year-old Felicia Harrison already has more poise and composure than many women twice her age. Of course, those qualities are expected in a queen. And Harrison, the 2015 Vancouver Rodeo Queen, is used to meeting high expectations.
Harrison, a 2014 Washougal High graduate and current Clark College freshman, is no stranger to competition. A horse rider since the age of 3 months – when she rode strapped to her mother, Tammy, herself a former rodeo queen – Harrison has competed in riding events since middle school. As a seventh-grader, she competed at the state level for the first time and says the experience changed her views on horse riding.
“It really opened my eyes to what state really was,” Harrison, the only daughter of Tammy and Scott Harrison, of Washougal, says. “I became more competitive and knew I needed to improve my riding skills.”
During her sophomore year of high school, Harrison found Hollie Mae, a lovely red dun quarter horse with a long mane, luxurious tail and adventurous spirit. Harrison bonded with Hollie Mae and says she has experienced some of her life’s highlights atop her sweet-tempered red mare: taking the silver in pole bending her junior year of high school and winning her barrel-racing event at the state level during her senior year.
Although she loves competing with Hollie Mae, when it came time to choose a “queen’s horse” to accompany her to all of her Vancouver Rodeo duties, Harrison wanted her lifelong equine companion, Bingo, a 19-year-old mare, to accompany her.
“I’ve grown up with Bingo,” Harrison says. “There are pictures of the two of us, growing up together. We’ve always been together. And Bingo has always been reliable. Whenever I’ve needed her, she’s been there for me.”
Last year, however, the Harrisons had a scare with Bingo.
“She had pneumonia from October through May. We thought we were going to lose her,” Harrison says. “She finally made it through and is fine now.”
Because Bingo had been so ill, Harrison says she didn’t plan to ride her for the Vancouver Rodeo Queen competition. However, three days before the event, she called the family’s vet and asked what he thought.
“She didn’t have full lung capacity, but he said she’d be OK if we took it easy,” Harrison says. “So I only had three days to prepare her, but she did an amazing job.”
Not wanting to push her horse, Harrison warned the rodeo judges that Bingo might not be running at full speed during the competition.
“They understood and said they’d judge me based on my performance and horsemanship,” Harrison says.
Although Bingo performed beautifully, Harrison says she didn’t expect to be crowned rodeo queen. The competition was, after all, the first time the teenager had ever had to master any sort of public speaking or learn to model the flashy rodeo outfits that transform a horse-loving girl into a poised queen of the rodeo.
“I prepared myself for not winning,” Harrison says. “So when they announced my name, I thought, ‘Wait a second! That’s me!’ It was so exciting.”
Before she knew what was happening, a crowd had engulfed the newly named queen. Someone was putting a sash around her shoulder. Another couple of people were helping her into a pair of rodeo chaps. And her mother was there, too, congratulating her only child and helping her figure out how to mount Bingo with the unfamiliar chaps around her legs.
“There’s a good photo of that moment,” Harrison says, laughing. “I just didn’t know how I was going to mount my mare with those chaps on! So I just did it quickly.”
Harrison had a few months’ lull after being named the 2015 Vancouver Rodeo Queen last summer. She was, technically, a “lady in waiting” until January. Now, the season is starting to heat up for Harrison.
On March 28, at 6:30 p.m., the Clark County Saddle Club will host a coronation dinner for Harrison, with a silent auction and dessert auction to raise money for the new queen’s busy rodeo season.
“January through September is nonstop,” Harrison says. “I have a break in April, which is when I need to go out and look for sponsors.”
The rodeo queen must find corporate and individual sponsors to help pay the costs of her travel to various rodeos, parades and events throughout the Pacific Northwest, where she’ll promote the July 2-5, 2015 Vancouver Rodeo and, hopefully, attract a huge crowd for the rodeo’s 45th birthday.
Local individuals as well as small businesses and corporations can sponsor Harrison and the rodeo queen says every penny helps.
“Even a $20 donation will help me put gas in my truck and get to the events that are farther away,” Harrison says. “This summer I’ll be going as far south as the Oregon, California border and north to the Canada border.”
Harrison’s calendar is covered with events and parades and speaking engagements. During several weekends in June and July, the young rodeo queen must travel to three or more events in a three-day period. The queen will ride in Portland’s famous Rose Parade, as well as parades throughout Washington State, including a June 20 parade in Woodland, a July 11 parade in Amboy and the July 18 Harvest Day Parade in Battle Ground.
Despite her busy schedule, Harrison also manages to keep up on her college studies. She plans to transfer to Tacoma Community College next year to become an ultrasound technician, but says she may put school off for a year or two if the rodeo queen bug bites her.
After her reign of Vancouver Rodeo Queen is over, Harrison may decide to compete for other titles at the regional or state level. If she were to someday become Washington State’s Rodeo Queen, she could then compete for the prestigious Miss Rodeo America title, which comes with hefty scholarship awards.
For now, however, Harrison is concentrating on the duties in front of her.
“It’s a lot,” Harrison says. “But I love being an ambassador for the Vancouver Rodeo … I hope to be a good representative and to help attract a new audience to the rodeo.”
For more information about the Sat., March 28 coronation dinner and auction, visit www.clarkcountysaddleclub.com or check the group’s Facebook page for the most current updates. Tickets to the coronation dinner cost $15 and include dinner. A silent auction and dessert auction will benefit Harrison’s season as the 2015 Vancouver Rodeo Queen.
For more information about the 45th Annual Vancouver Rodeo, which takes place July 2-5 at the Clark County Saddle Club, visit www.vancouverrodeo.com.
