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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (June 3, 2020)
12 Wednesday, June 3, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon Mary Olney is Sisters Rodeo Queen Sisters Rodeo Queen Mary Olney won9t miss out on her year represent- ing the venerable institution 4 she9ll just have to wait a year. The Warm Springs rider will reign again in 2021. Olney was chosen at Sisters Rodeo grounds from a group of highly quali- fied cowgirl competitors on September 22, 2019. John Leavitt, who heads up the queen selection commit- tee, told The Nugget that the Rodeo has already deter- mined that she9ll be back in the saddle for the 2021 events. Mary is the niece of Warm Springs Chief Delvis Olney, Sr. She was raised in a rodeo family. Her father was a rough-stock rider and her three brothers are all bronc and bull riders. Even her grandmother, Catherine Watah, was a bareback rider. <I was raised by some of the toughest cowgirls in the Northwest,= Olney explained, <They instilled in me a love for animals, rodeo and the Western way of life.= Sonia Heath, Mary9s mother, dreamed that Mary was chosen as Sisters Rodeo queen. <I couldn9t have had a better daughter than the one I have,= Sonia said. <She herself is a dream for any mother of daughters.= The queen, a graduate of Madras High School, has served on student coun- cil and was a member of National Honor Society and FFA. She played soccer and softball, and participated in cheer. The petite 18-year-old rides Dixie, her 5-year-old bay mare, who performed nearly flawlessly in the rid- ing drill. In her speech, Olney said, <Now, I9m not sure if there9s something in the lemonade, or it9s just the surrounding atmosphere, but there is a closeness that you can feel right when you step through the front gate. When you attend Sisters Rodeo, you feel you9re part of a family.= Her youngest brother, Josh, said that his sister is <always able to smile. Even when she doesn9t feel like it, she smiles. She is so friendly and wants to make other people happy.= Grandmother Catherine repeated such perception of her granddaughter. <Mary is so friendly, happy, and fun-loving,= she said. <Other people feel good just being around her.= Friends in attendance supported these statements. Ronnie, a family friend, said, <She is dedicated, strong- willed and has a wonderful personality.= Delia, an older friend, said, <She9s an awe- some cowgirl, sweet, and anything she wants to do she does well.= Olney plans to attend Tulsa Welding School to become a certified welder, PHOTO BY JERRY BALDOCK Sisters Rodeo Queen Mary Olney will reign again in 2021. but her long-term goal is to be a pediatrician. <I want to save some DOES YOUR CAR HANDLE LIKE A BUCKIN’ BRONCO? Sisters Rodeo supports students Two big things happen in Sisters in June: The Sisters Rodeo 4 and the celebration of the Sisters High School graduating class. The Sisters Rodeo supports stu- dents in Sisters through the Sisters Rodeo Association Scholarship. The Association offers schol- arships that may be used at an accredited trade technical or voca- tional school; two- or four-year college or university. The scholarships are to be awarded to Sisters High School graduates with financial need, but who may not be eligible for tuition assistance programs, who have exhibited a commitment to the Sisters community through their volunteer involvement, have shown a good work ethic in their school and community, and have demonstrated an attitude and apti- tude to be successful in post-high school educational choices. This year 9s recipient of the Sisters Rodeo Association Scholarship was Gracen Sundstrom. Gracen is a multi-sport athlete and honor roll student. money for school so I9m not starting my chosen career in huge debt,= she explained. SCHEDULE YOUR ALIGNMENT TODAY! DAVIS TIRE 541-549-1026 Serving Sisters Since 1962 188 W. Sisters Park Dr. In Sisters Industrial Park Bald Eagle Music Congratulations on 80 Years of Sisters Rodeo... A WORTH Y ACHIEVEMENT! e 101 E. Main, Ste B (The Place), Sisters • 541-410-9064 We’v ed! Mov Celebrate With The Magic of Music PHOTO PROVIDED Gracen Sundstrom is the 2020 recipient of the Sisters Rodeo Association Scholarship. Congratulations SISTERS RODEO on reaching this huge milestone. We look forward to the return of the Sisters Rodeo in 2021!
