SAN ANTONIO – Since its establishment in 1959, Miss Rodeo Texas plays an active role to keep western heritage and the western industry alive today.
Miss Rodeo Texas regularly travels across the Lone Star State to encourage youth to stay involved in agriculture. For the last two weeks, this year’s Miss Rodeo Texas has been working hard in San Antonio.
Boerne-native Jordan Maldonado was named the 2020 Miss Rodeo Texas. In the pageant world, most girls train and work hard for a sash from a very young age, but for 20-year-old Maldonado, the road to Miss Rodeo Texas began in 2018.
"The first pageant, I was first runner up, Miss Rodeo Texas Teen,” Maldonado said. “In the November (2018), I was crowned Miss Rodeo Sandhills.”
Along with the numerous requirements, Maldonado believes it's her extensive knowledge of the rodeo and her horsemanship that helped her win the title.
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“You have to be able to ride a horse because the horses we get thrown on, as I've seen these past two weeks, they're pretty difficult,” Maldonado said. “You get thrown on something new every night and there's no telling what they're going to do. They're pretty unpredictable.”
Maldonado started coming to the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo since she was about five years old. Her memories on the rodeo grounds including showing and judging livestock. It was an experience that benefited her education.
"I got (a scholarship) my senior year with my breed champion steer. They gave me a $10,000 scholarship,” Maldonado said.
Her favorite place, by far, is the cattle barn.
“Cattle are just a species that I'm so amazed by,” Maldonado said.
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Macy Buck is also a Kendall County native and shares the same fascination for cattle as Maldonado. This week, Buck’s steer placed third, winning her a ribbon and the coveted San Antonio Rodeo branding.
One day, she hopes to compete for the same pageant title as Maldonado.
"It’s pretty cool. It makes you feel like a really nice connection with a whole bunch of other people,” Buck said.
Maldonado is thankful she can be an inspiration for youth across Texas interested in agriculture. For her, each interaction and lap around the AT&T Center as Miss Rodeo Texas is a surreal experience.
"It’s not something that’s totally new for me, but getting to be at the AT&T Center and see all the people up in the stands and the bright lights and the loud music, it’s just such a great feeling to be in the arena,” Maldonado said. “I’m so glad to be a part of the San Antonio Rodeo and (feel) so lucky to be able to represent (Texas) and have all the opportunities that they’ve given me.”
Once again, the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo has recognized Maldonado with a scholarship. This year, the monetary contribution is in recognition for her role as Miss Rodeo Texas.
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“This year (as) Miss Rodeo Texas, the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo gave me a $12,000 scholarship,” Maldonado said. “I’ll be attending Texas A&M this year as a junior, and I’ll major in animal science production and minor in agricultural communications.”
Her career goal is to improve the beef industry by supporting youth. Up next for Maldonado is the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo followed by Rodeo Austin in March.
For more information on the Miss Rodeo Texas agency, click here.