19-year-old Gina Jespersen of Hemingford is the 2009 Crawford Old West Trails Rodeo Queen with 17-year old Olivia Hunsperger of Crawford the Rodeo Princess.
Both were crowned last night to conclude competitions that began Thursday morning and served as the lead-in to the first of three nights of PRCA rodeo action.
Jespersen, the 2006 Box Butte County Fair Quen and a sophomore at South Dakota State University, dominated the rodeo queen competition. She claimed every event and honor except most photogenic.
That went to the runner-up, 18-year old Jesse Yankton of Chadron, a freshman at Chadron State College. Yankton was the runner-up for the Old West Trail Rodeo Princess a year ago and was first-runner-up in the 1995 Little Miss Chadron contest.
Rodeo Princess Olivia Hunsperger, a senior at Crawford High School, says she hopes to become Miss Rodeo America some day.
Like Queen Gina, she dominated the competition over her runner-up 13-year old Chadron Middle School 8th grader Megan Guest.
