Girls compete to represent county

The Roosevelt County Fair has a 4 p.m. Friday awards presentation for Fair Queen, Princess, and Sweetheart at the show arena. Celebrating at the awards presentation is a triumphant culmination for girls who have worked for months to represent Roosevelt County the following year.

Prior to winning a crown, each contestant endures a process that develops both the girl and her horse. Each competitor is graded according to their horsemanship and personality. The skills and personality of the both horse and rider are judged together to demonstrate harmony.

There’s no horsing around in this competition — it’s all about the growth between a girl and her steed.

“Acquiring harmony develops when the rider learns to partner with her horse, rather than being its boss,” said Dela Davis, superintendent of the queen contest. “Each contender that sets the crown as their goal will learn people skills, horse skills, how to focus on their goal and not quit until they have obtained them.

“Once a goal has been set, we help prepare them, through support groups, to meet their expectations,” Davis continued. “When a goal is set, it’s not as easy to get there as some people may think because the horse has to cooperate.”

The competitors in each category are competing to represent Roosevelt County in the 2005 fair in each of the categories. This year’s fair queen is Adrienne Coe, the princess is Aubrey Love and the sweetheart is Rachel Cox.

At the festivals Friday, Desiree Markham will be honored as the 2005 Fair Queen. She explained that her experiences and struggles will be something she carries with her for the rest of her life.

“I couldn’t have done this alone, I had a wonderful support group,” said Markham, the only queen entrant this year. Markham will represent Roosevelt County at the 2005 New Mexico State Fair.

Silver Paiz, Roosevelt County’s first New Mexico State Fair Queen, has reigned for a year at that position. She explained that anyone desiring to stand in a place of responsibility such as a sweetheart, princess or queen usually has a strong support group. Paiz believes her faith, her ability to believe in herself, and the support of her family helped her to acheive the honor of state fair queen.