GREAT FALLS — The Montana ExpoPark hosted the Montana Pro Rodeo Circuit Finals on Friday night. On Saturday afternoon, before the next night of events, the park hosted the Exceptional Rodeo for exceptional kids.
The Exceptional Rodeo lets kids with special needs get in on rodeo action themselves.
With help from rodeo contests and rodeo queens, the kids can practice throwing a rope, running a barrel race pattern, and riding a mechanical bucking bronco.
They also have the opportunity to take photos with and get autographs from the rodeo queens themselves.
“I love it because I love to see their smile at the end of the day and they talk about it for years on,” Clancy Olson, Miss Rodeo Montana 2023 said, “I know other rodeos that I've been to and I've got to do these. I hear about pictures that they've got from Queen's ten years ago, autograph sheets from the Special Olympics rodeo that they went to then. And I think it's really cool and really sweet that they think this is such a cool thing and it's such a cool thing for us to be able to share with them, too.”
The rodeo queens represent the western way of life, which includes things like agriculture as well as rodeo. In December, they will head to Las Vegas to compete to become Miss Rodeo America.
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