Bend woman excited to become Miss Rodeo Oregon for 2022

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Avalon Irwin was crowned Miss Rodeo Oregon for 2022 and though she's incredibly excited, she said the news hasn't fully registered with her yet.

"I think kind of like 'Woah, this is happening!' I still have moments where I see my saddle that says Miss Rodeo Oregon on it and think 'Oh my god, that's me!" Irwin said enthusiastically on Thursday.

The 26-year-old, who grew up in Sunriver, was also this year's Deschutes County Fair & Rodeo queen.

Irwin said the the longest part of the training process to compete for Miss Rodeo Oregon was the 6-8 months of studying rules and regulations. The horseback riding, she does all the time.

"To see that hard work really pay off has been really exciting," Irwin said.

Irwin has been riding ever since she was about 10 years old, starting with pony rides. She continued riding through her years attending Bend High School.

Although it has always been a strong passion of hers, she thought college and the teaching jobs following would end her riding career. 

"You know, a friend said, 'Hey, you should try rodeo queening,' and I said, 'Okay.' I really like horses, I love teaching about horses, and so that's what rodeo queens do," Irwin said.

She has a 21-year-old quarter horse named Mr. T, short for 'Tease, Cause, and Comments.' Irwin got him in 2018 and says he's very social and loves attention, with a funny habit of checking people's pockets for treats. Given that Mr. T doesn't have any physical or medical challenges, Irwin said she got very lucky.

She noted that the horse community is very supportive and she's created somewhat of a sisterhood with her peers.

"We call ourselves Sash-Sisters," Irwin said.

For the most part, Irwin said she and her mom are the leaders of the sport in the family. Right now, she teaches horseback-riding lessons to a wide range of age groups and uses Mr. T to train with.

"We talk about how rodeo is one of the only sports you're actually helping your competitor beat you, because you do want to see the sport do better -- it's not necessarily about you," Irwin said.

Irwin said for the next step, she's heading to Las Vegas for the National Finals Rodeo to watch the current Miss Rodeo Oregon, Samantha Henricks, compete for Miss Rodeo America.

She's looking forward to her own competition there, in December of next year..

But even at this point, Irwin said, "This journey has been really awesome!"