Rodeo Queen

MISS MICHIGAN RODEO QUEEN 2024/2025 | Krista Cowles

Hi! My name is Krista Cowles, I’m your 2024-2025 Michigan High School Rodeo Queen. I’m a 17 year old senior at Whittemore-Prescott Jr/Sr high school. I have enjoyed my experience so far representing the Great Lakes State at nationals and the start of our season.

I have learned so many amazing things over my 7 years in high school rodeo. I compete in girls cutting, light rifle shooting, trap shooting, pole bending, barrels, goat tying, breakaway roping, and team roping. My favorite two events are team roping and girls cutting. I have roped with my partner, Haley Grzesikowski since 8th grade, and in the summer we practice 1-2 times a week.

I fell in love with cutting when my sister first competed during her freshman year. She borrowed a friend’s horse for the first cutting event, then for state finals she had to use our rope horse Dakota, who qualified her for nationals! I first competed in cutting during my sophomore year and even convinced my dad to buy a cutting flag to practice on my young horses at home. This past year I was able to rent a horse and compete out at nationals, and I learned so much more about the event.

I’ve been around high school rodeo since 4th grade and love the way everyone cheers for each other. Rodeo is already a very mentally draining sport, so it helps to hear many voices in the crowd cheering you on, even if you’re having a hard day. I hope that everyone can be a part of a family like high school rodeo.

My horses are Swiper, Adam, and Maybe. I run poles, barrels, compete in the queen’s contest, sometimes rope and cut off of Swiper who is a very goofy grey gelding. I heel off of Adam who is a sorrel gelding, and I goat tie and breakaway rope off of Maybe who is a dark bay mare. I’m so thankful to have started rodeo on a finished horse but now it’s amazing to be able to teach these three horse too.

I’m a second generation rodeo athlete and I’m so thankful that I’ve had these opportunities to learn and now teach about the amazing sport of rodeo and represent this state! In the summers I help out giving lessons to kids of all ages and teach rodeo basic clinics to promote this sport.

In jr high I was the Princess in 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 with Madilyn Tomasek and Alyssa Vineyard as queen and I never thought I’d be the queen, but I’m so glad I had amazing role models like these ladies to learn from.

Best of luck to all the new and returning competitors this year. Let’s make it another fantastic one!