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on horseback would propel me to the top of the "pack", but I was not so confident about my "people skills". It didn't help that no one wanted to see a "city girl" from Southern California riding a purebred Arabian horse beat out all the "home grown" locals and their Quarter Horses in such an important town competition. I wanted to quit a week in to the running...

After numerous "crank calls" on our home telephone, countless laughs and jokes at school, and even one very volatile confrontation with a fellow "Queen candidate", I realized that no matter how much I disliked the people around me or how much they disliked me, winning the title of "Rodeo Queen" would give me the edge I needed to make the last two years of high school at least semi-bearable. I wanted to show the people who thought that only a real "cowgirl" could win such a title, that there was more to a person than the type of clothes that they wore and the people they sat with at lunch-time.

I can still remember how I felt while sitting on the back of my horse before it was my turn to compete; I can still feel the rush of adrenaline and the pang of delight in my gut as I went out and performed the pre-designed "pattern", executing all of my moves flawlessly. Even though the "pattern" had been changed just an hour before the class (so that it would better suit the new horse that one of the other "home grown" competitors borrowed for that day) and I had little time to memorize it or teach it to my horse, when I exited that arena, there was a hush from the crowd...even those who had been against me from the beginning were hard pressed to find anything to fault.

Despite how well I did, I was still a little surprised when they called my name; I was still in disbelief when they put the crown on my head and gave me the belt buckle, solidifying my title. My mother and father both beamed from their seats on the side of the arena, despite the fact that no one had sat next to them. I had done it, something that no one had wanted me to do; I had made myself an undeniable member of that town!

I would like to say that from that day on all my "enemies" became my friends, but that would be a lie. I would like to say that from that moment on everyone recognized my ability and made me feel welcome both at school and in town, but that wouldn't necessarily be true either. Change is not something that comes easily in a small town. Still, I learned something from my time as the "Rodeo Queen"...I learned that strength comes from within, and that no matter how different you feel, there is a place in this world for us all.

Learn more about this author, Sarah Williams.
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