Miss Rodeo America is proud of her roots, which are rooted in Colorado

ESTES PARK, Colo. – Before she was Miss Rodeo America …

Before she was Miss Rodeo Colorado …

Hailey Frederiksen was just a girl who grew up on a ranch along the foothills of the Rocky Mountains just on the east side of Interstate 25. She was involved in 4H for nearly a dozen years, showing sheep. She grew up making the cloverleaf pattern in barrel racing like her mother did and watching her father team rope.

Caring for animals and caring for others is in her blood, and she’s passionate about rodeo. She will return to this year’s Rooftop Rodeo, set for 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 6-Monday, July 11, at Granny May Arena in Estes Park inside the Estes Park Fairgrounds.

“Growing up in this Western lifestyle has taught me this work ethic, has taught me this passion,” said Frederiksen, who is originally from Platteville, Colorado, now living in Wellington, Colorado. “I couldn’t imagine living any other way.”

She is the first member of her family to graduate from college, earning a bachelor’s degree in animal science with a minor in agriculture business from Colorado State University. She is in the middle of her reign, then she plans to return to school to get her master’s degree in agricultural communications.

Frederiksen was crowned Miss Rodeo America during the pageant this past December Las Vegas, which took place in conjunction with the National Finals Rodeo. She is spending this year as the sport’s biggest ambassador, and in the process, she will revisit some of her favorite rodeos and locations. Having grown up just 45 miles away, Estes Park is one of those.

“I am a rodeo queen dad, and I am always excited to have rodeo royalty come to the Rooftop,” said Mark Purdy, chairman of Estes Park Western Heritage Inc., a group of volunteers that works with the town of Estes Park to produce the annual rodeo. “Hailey is a delight to be around, and we are excited to welcome her back to Estes Park any time she wants to come.

“For me, it’s always a special event when a Colorado lady wins Miss Rodeo America. We are excited to honor Hailey for her work and her successes.”

Because of the nationwide pandemic, Frederiksen served two terms as Miss Rodeo Colorado. There were no pageants in 2020, so she served a limited role that year; she was a little busier in 2021, making her way to PRCA rodeos across the state and across the country representing her state and the sport.

There is excitement that the country is coming back to more normalcy, and it helps her fulfill her duties with honor as Miss Rodeo America.

“Winning the Miss Rodeo America pageant has been a dream come true and so much more,” she said. “I’ve met Miss Rodeo Americas throughout the years, and I just looked a them and could imagine that being myself. I find myself pinching myself to see if this is real. I still can’t believe it.”

Her honor comes from the way she was raised and the people she’s met along her path in life. It’s what’s enabled her to be at the top of her own mountain and celebrate it in the sport she loves with the people who helped make it happen.

“I believe I’ve put in the work for it,” Frederiksen said. “It’s a lot more than hair, makeup and rhinestones. We’re cowgirls. I tell young girls who want to do this, ‘Don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty.’ ”

Hailey Frederiksen isn’t, and it’s why she wears the tiara.