Contestant for a day, Queen for a year

MOSES LAKE — It’s said that the harder someone works, the more luck they have. If that’s the case, the recently crowned 2024 Miss Moses Lake Roundup, Alexis Shoults, has luck in spades. 

A determined young woman of 20 years old from East Wenatchee, Shoults claimed this year’s crown after narrowly missing the title in 2022 in a field of four candidates, including Annebelle Booth who is nearing the end of her reign as 2023 Miss Moses Lake Roundup. 

Alexis’s mother, Gabrielle Shoults, said Alexis’s experience in 2022 only strengthened her resolve. 

“I’m doing it this year, and I’m going to work hard this entire year to make sure I win,” Gabrielle said Alexis told the family.

Alexis prepared throughout 2023 for another chance at the crown and successfully navigated her way through this year’s judging process. Criteria included horsemanship, public speaking, personality, appearance, rodeo knowledge and presence. Much to her surprise, she competed unopposed this year, determined to represent the Moses Lake Roundup and Columbia Basin Rodeo Association. Roundup volunteers could only remember three or four times when a queen candidate ran unopposed. 

Any rodeo competition, however, is more difficult when you’re on your own.

“It’s unique in that no matter what, it comes back down to family. It's not very often in sports where the person that may beat you is the person you’ve set rigging for or that set rigging for you … they’re out to win and want to win just as bad,” competition judge Casey Hollenbeck said.

Newly-crowned Miss Moses Lake Roundup for 2024 Alexis Shoults, left, poses for a photo with Miss Moses Lake Roundup 2023 Annabelle Booth, right, and another happy young cowgirl.

Hollenbeck, Stan Cafferty and Kris DeTrolio volunteered their time this year to serve as judges for the MMLR competition. Hollenbeck is a former MMLR queen with family involvement in rodeo and pageant competitions. Cafferty is a long-standing executive with the Columbia Basin Rodeo Association. His committee’s most notable contribution was ushering in the two nights of Demo Derby versus the historical solo night. DeTrolio is an agriculture teacher and Future Farmers of America advisor at Warden High School. She has history and expertise with ranching and working horses. 

The judges were specifically looking for candidates that are well-rounded, well-spoken, able to think on their feet and have horsemanship skills, they said. 

    Miss Moses Lake Roundup judges make notes as Alexis Shoults shows her skills in horsemanship and other areas during this year’s pageant.
  

As the most visible representative of the Moses Lake Roundup, it was important to the judges that the queen educate the local and neighboring communities about what is a relatively larger rodeo in the Pacific Northwest region of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association circuit. A member of the PRCA since 1944 and having celebrated its 80th anniversary this year, the Moses Lake Roundup boasts one of the larger competitor payouts in the region and an attendance of around 20,000 during its week-long event. Competitors come from near and far, punching their cards as a step toward qualifying for the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The Columbia Basin Rodeo Association coordinates MMLR Queen functions throughout the year including parades, supporting other rodeos throughout the region, visiting local events or fundraisers, and endorsing sponsor relationships. Just as the Moses Lake Roundup and Demo Derby take a year’s worth of preparation to put on what most experience in only five days, the MMLR Queen program is a never-ending operation. The behind-the-scenes coordination and funding of riding gear, horse trailers, travel and representation of the Moses Lake Roundup often goes unnoticed. 

Jill Tonne, Amanda Miller, and KL “Buck” Naff work with their team to keep each year’s Queen funded, supported and in the spotlight to showcase Grant County’s greatest show on dirt. Tonne is the director of the program and is a former MMLR queen. Miller is a Director on the rodeo board with a background as a horsewoman. Naff has been a Director on the board since 1984 and has been directly involved with the Queen Committee with his wife, Tovi, for around 25 years. 

What’s next for the 2024 Roundup Queen? 

Shoults is currently enrolled at Wenatchee Valley College and will finish her Associate of Arts degree in Spring 2024. Her goal is to study animal science at Montana State University’s Colt Starting Program and try out for their rodeo team. A long road lies ahead of her in representing the 2024 Moses Lake Roundup and the 80-plus years of hard work, tradition and love of the sport of rodeo. She learned very quickly, as other Roundup Queens in attendance echoed, that she also just inherited 40-50 supportive uncles and aunts that comprise the Moses Lake Roundup Committee.

“Being Roundup Queen was a life-changing experience. My favorite part was learning more about the sport of rodeo behind the scenes. Past, current, and future queens carry on the tradition of showcasing the very best that the sport and their communities have to offer.” Beth Yonko, a former Moses Lake Roundup Queen said.

Correction: Annabelle Booth's last name was entered incorrectly in photos associated with this story. That has been corrected above.