Miss Rodeo Arizona, Elizabeth Scott, 21, who was born and raised in Tucson, rides at the Sonoita Labor Day Rodeo at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds in Sonoita.

chris coduto / Arizona Daily Star

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Whirlwind appearances. Traveling to multiple states. Learning to pack wisely.

All that before she even gets on a horse.

Such is the life of a rodeo queen.

Elizabeth Scott, who serves as Miss Rodeo Arizona through 2007, always travels with certain items: two pairs of boots, one or two hats and, when she has to get dressed up, her arena outfit: a Wrangler shirt and leather vest to match her chaps.

Scott, 21, has been showing horses since she was 4 and participating in rodeo-queen pageants the past three years.

She was crowned 2004's Sierra Stampede Rodeo Queen, 2005's Turquoise Circuit Queen, and 2006's Miss Rodeo Arizona May 21 in Payson, winning three of the five categories in the Rodeo Arizona competition: horsemanship, appearance and personality. In horsemanship, contestants must ride their own horse and a horse they have never ridden. All the while, they are judged.

"When I won, I got a crown — which is passed down from queen to queen — a buckle and a saddle," says Scott of her victory in the Rodeo Arizona competition. She also received a $2,000 scholarship when she won the overall title.

As Miss Rodeo Arizona, Scott will represent Arizona in the 2007 Miss Rodeo America competition, which takes place Nov. 24-Dec. 3 this year in Las Vegas.

"These women get involved in rodeo royalty in pageants at a lower level and then work their way up," says Nancy Landino, president of Miss Rodeo Arizona Inc. "These are strong horsewomen who ride for a long time, and they also need to know a lot about the horse, the upkeep, anatomy, and they need to know a lot about the rodeo."

Scott will be competing at the Miss Rodeo America pageant with some very sharp women, Landino says.

To prepare, Scott has participated in a whirlwind of activities, from doing publicity to designing her chaps and dresses, which cost her and her mother, Anne, about $12,000.

Scott, who bought many of her outfits used or has borrowed them, has spent about $10,000 on clothing. She compares that to the $30,000 the outfits could have cost.

Anne, 43, says that everything Scott has done with her career has been her own idea.

"Her Christmas presents consist of bits and bridles and other horse-related things," Anne says, adding that the whole family has helped Scott.

"Getting ready for the pageant is a little overwhelming," Scott says. "You want your jewelry to match — it is very important — and everything I wear is pretty much custom made."

When it comes to how comfortable the clothing is, Scott says the organization has recently leaned toward clothing that everyone can wear, such as Wranglers.

"Arena shirts used to be uncomfortable and itchy and terrible, but now we have cotton shirts, which are breathable, and the organization is going toward letting us wear vests," she says, describing past shirts as being made out of lamé.

Scott doesn't shop at many places in town for her rodeo-queen apparel, but she stops by Corral West Ranchwear, 4525 E. Broadway, to have her hats shaped.

The competition has had an impact not only on its current queen, but also on royalty from the past.

"It was life-changing," Kate Cox says of her experiences as Miss Rodeo Arizona 2001. Cox, who was a pre-veterinary medicine senior at Arizona State University, changed her major to agricultural business, even though she was only a semester away from graduation, because of the influence of the rodeo-queen competition.

Cox, who is working toward an MBA with a marketing emphasis at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, is Scott's "inspirational assistant."

"I have been working with Elizabeth on her speech," says Cox, who also provides Scott with words of wisdom.

"I am the No. 1 packer," she says. "Elizabeth will say, 'I can hardly fit anything in my bag,' and I will tell her, 'Pack your socks and hair spray inside of your boots, get a hard-case suitcase and shove your chaps in there.'

"The biggest rule on being a rodeo queen is to be prepared, wear something dynamic enough on the plane to be able to land somewhere, hop up on a horse and meet people, just in case your luggage is lost," Cox says.

When traveling in Arizona, Scott brings along her mother and her horse, saying that the more events she can do, the better she looks.

When traveling out of state, Scott doesn't take her American Paint horse, Easter — she receives a horse to use wherever she goes.

"Some girls spend more on traveling versus clothes, and I definitely fall into that category," Scott says. "I'll be able to do more traveling when I'm done with the America competition."

If she wins the competition against 27 other state rodeo queens, she will receive a $10,000 educational scholarship, a wardrobe of jeans and shirts from Wrangler, and jewelry from Montana Silversmiths, among other prizes. Scott also will travel about 100,000 miles for appearances and rodeos.

The Tucson native graduated from the Arizona Institute of Equine Massage Therapy and Kinesiology in Scottsdale and currently attends Pima Community College, studying chemistry. She plans to transfer to the University of Arizona to study veterinary sciences.

"I wanted to be in the (Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association) when I was little, but I don't have enough time right now. . . . I do want to try it in the future and see how it goes," Scott says of her rodeo future.

The PRCA is the largest and oldest sanctioning body of professional rodeo. To become eligible for membership, applicants must commit to the association, purchase a permit and win $1,000 on that permit.

Currently, Scott works for the Sprint Store at Park Place and in her own equine-massage business.

Want to show your rodeo pride like Elizabeth Scott? Mark your calendar for these important dates in Arizona and neighboring states:

• Desert Thunder Pro Rodeo, Tucson Rodeo Grounds, Oct. 14-15.

• Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo, Jan. 12-Feb. 4.

• Tucson Rodeo, Tucson Rodeo Grounds, Feb. 17-25.

• Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, Feb. 27-March 1.

• Reno Rodeo, June 15-23.

● Want to help support Elizabeth Scott in her quest for rodeo-queen glory? Join her at the Cactus Moon, 5470 E. Broadway, on Sunday, Oct. 29, for a benefit to raise money for her travels as Miss Rodeo Arizona and her trip to the Miss Rodeo America competition. The fundraiser will include door prizes, a peek at Scott's wardrobe for the pageant, line dancing, food and music. Tickets are $25, and checks can be made out to MRAz Inc. and mailed to:

MRAz Fundraiser Fiesta, P.O. Box 852, Vail, AZ 85641.

Reserve your spot for the event by Oct. 19 by e-mailing cnielsen11@comcast.net.

For more information, go online to www.missrodeoarizona.info.

Citizenship, horsemanship