CV Native Named Rowell Ranch Rodeo Queen
When she was 13, Olivia Sherman attended a horse show where she discovered the world of the Rodeo Queen. The sparkly crown-adorned hat, the glittery chaps, and the colorful sash—all while sitting upon a trusted steed—were all the motivation she needed to start her own journey.
This past Saturday, the Castro Valley native was crowned as the 2022 Rowell Ranch Rodeo Queen—an extra special honor this year as it is the rodeo’s 100th anniversary. The 20-year-old will now spend the next year traveling to dozens of other Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PCRA) events and visiting schools as an ambassador of both Rowell Ranch Rodeo as well as Castro Valley. She hopes to inspire other young women to get involved in rodeo and achieve their own goals.
“I am really excited to represent my hometown and share the love that I feel throughout the community,” Sherman told the Forum. “When I was in elementary, rodeo queens would come to our school and give talks. I pinned their autograph cards on my wall. Now that I am queen, I can get younger kids involved in rodeo and I can help talk to these kids to appreciate the benefits of working with horses and livestock.”
Sherman is no stranger to Queen competitions. She was previously named as 2021 Miss CCPRA (California Cowboys Professional Rodeo Association), 2018 Miss Rowell Ranch Rodeo Junior Queen, and 2017 Miss Livermore Rodeo Junior Queen.
She credits the guidance of rodeo queen Morgan Laughlin for taking her under her wing and showing her the ropes and the responsibilities including sharing huge binders of all the points that contestants study to make a good impression on the judges. Laughlin, who comes from a six-generation rodeo family was the 2020 Miss Rodeo California winner and a contender in the 2021 Miss Rodeo America contest. The two became fast friends.
“I was 13 and a nervous shy girl,” Sherman says. “Morgan invited me over to her house and she showed me how to walk properly and speak louder. I have been with 4-H forever and we do a lot of leadership training, but Morgan taught me that I didn’t have to be shy in front of everybody. There is a lot of speaking during the horsemanship interview. The judges will ask you about the pattern you rode, parts of your saddle, and questions about your horsemanship. You sometimes even get veterinary questions, such as how you care for your horse and how would you know if the horse is sick with something.”
Sherman maintains several quarter horses for competition. Her original horse called Peach is now retired from competition because loud noise was becoming an issue. Boone is a chestnut-colored old rope horse that lives the rodeo life and is what Sherman rode this weekend. Remy is a Bay-colored horse that she rode during the rodeo parade earlier this month. She says that while she rides about an hour each day, she does not over-practice her routines.
“Horses have minds of their own,” she says. “You don’t want to practice the routine too much. You want to keep the horse athletic and to obey your commands. One day we will work on rollbacks and other times we work on speed changes, but you never put it all together. It prevents the horse from anticipating the routine.”
And as Sherman was inspired at a young age, she knows as Rodeo Queen she inspires other young people to get involved.
“I was behind the arena a few years back when this 5-year-old girl and her dad were passing by. The girl had a huge autograph book from all the rodeo queens and asked me for my autograph. She said she wanted to be a queen herself one day and wanted to know what we did. It was so inspiring to see her eyes light up while I talked about it. I am happy to talk with anybody who asks me about riding or queening because we are a community.”
As for her next steps, Sherman says she plans on using the $1,000 scholarship award associated with the 2022 crown to learn more about the agricultural business and eventually take over her father’s business, Redwood Crane Services.