Coronation 2013 PRESENTATIONS
will be held on June 22nd, 7:00 pm at Williams Lake Junior Secondary.

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2013 Contestants

Karina's Bio:

Hey Rodeo fans! My name is Karina Sukert, Miss Rotary Club of Williams Lake.  I am 17 years old and graduating this year from Williams Lake Secondary School.  I was born in Williams Lake and raised in the Black Creek Valley in Horsefly, moving into town in 2010.  I have been going to the Williams Lake Stampede since I was a little girl. I was so excited to see the Stampede Queen run into the arena. Now it’s my chance to run and maybe I will be running into the arena.

I have been a member of the Horsefly 4-H Club since I was a Cloverbud at age 6. I’ve raised everything from rabbit to beef, finishing my final year with photography. 4-H has been a huge part of my life and has taught me many life skills.  ‘Learn to do by doing’ is the 4H motto. I have been the President of my club and achieved many awards throughout the years. In 2012, I won Top Senior Record Book, Top Senior Photography Showman, Top Senior Speaker, Top Aggregate, and 100% attendance. I also achieved second in the District for my Record Book.

I have volunteered for the Stampede Committee and Indoor Rodeo Committee.  I worked as an usher at the Indoor Rodeo and wherever the committee needed me. I helped at the Coronation at the door, accepting tickets and selling belt buckles.  I helped at the Williams Lake Stampede as security at the gate and an usher.  On the final day, I worked with the Royalty in the Grand Stand selling raffle tickets for the Carey Price jersey, programs in the V.I.P section, and belt buckles.

Throughout my high school years, I have been a part of many school sports teams and clubs at my school. I participated in Student Counsel and attended the British Columbia Student Leadership Conference in Prince George.  It was a conference about wellness and leadership. I coached grade 8 volleyball this season and my girls brought home a championship. I have been playing volleyball for several years and the WLSS Thunder volleyball team has gone to zones both my senior years. I am currently a member of the Stags Rugby team, and cannot wait to play this season!

For the past 2 years, I have been barrel racing for fun. Thank you Charlotte Morrow for teaching me!  Last year, I started attending gymkhanas with my horse Charlie. I finally lived the dream of racing around the track at the Williams Lake Stampede Grounds.  My adrenaline has never been so high!  Last year for the Williams Lake Stampede Parade, I rode Charlie carrying the 4-H Canada flag while the members of my Horsefly 4-H Club danced away on the float to Elvis Presley’s “I’m All Shook Up.”  It was hauled by an antique tractor and the man driving it dressed up in his 50’s attire. We won best Community Float.

Thank you to my sponsor, the Rotary Club of Williams Lake for this amazing journey!  I would like to thank Mitton Creek Ranch for allowing me to use Charlie. A huge thank you to my mom and dad for supporting me through everything I set my sights on.  Thanks also to the 4H, the WL Stampede Queen Committee for all your hard work with the contestants,  and my Baba (grandma) for outfitting me in all my western attire. I would like to wish my fellow contestants Kyra and Rachel good luck!   I look forward to meeting everyone at the 87^th Annual World Famous Williams Lake Stampede!

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Kyra's Bio

Greetings Williams Lake and surrounding areas!

My name is Kyra Stuart, Miss M.H King Excavating Ltd.  I am thrilled and excited to be taking part in the 2013 Williams Lake Stampede Queen competition.

I am 17 years old, and born and raised in Williams Lake. My family settled in the Chilcotin almost 100 years ago, it’s safe to say I’ll always call the Cariboo home.  I graduated from Columneetza Secondary last year and I am now upgrading and looking forward to starting my nursing degree next year at Thompson Rivers University. After spending sometime volunteering in the Save-On pharmacy and at the hospital, I am even more excited to begin my University education as I have found my niche in helping others.

My family is a close knit family and my parents, brother, sister and I enjoy camping and rodeos. We live in the Cariboo so why not take advantage of the local destinations and events?  It’s here, why not explore it?  It’s something we all enjoy and it gives us that little bit of time together to just breathe. No phones, no computers, just us. With so many different lakes, rivers or rodeos to take in, who knows where you’ll find us throughout the summer.  Since camping is difficult in the Cariboo springtime, we also enjoy family vacations abroad.  We’ve visited Jamaica and Cuba and have plans to continue this family tradition.

As a little girl I had the opportunity to compete in the local gymkhanas, but as we grew and got busier with school and my parents with work, we had to make the hard decision to let go of our horse and wait until the time was right.  This last few months have been very exciting for me, everything has fallen into place and we are now the proud owners of Ace, a 5 year old Appaloosa gelding. He’s giving me quite the refresher course in horse maintenance, and riding!  There’s nothing more relaxing than shovelling out a stall at -15.

I look forward to new learning experiences and exploring my potential in all aspects of life.  I believe that participating as a Stampede Queen contestant will be a mark in my life that I will always be able to look back on and remember fondly as a learning and growing experience.  I love having the opportunity to share in the legacy and tradition of the Williams lake Stampede.  To represent, and promote our unique culture, community and vast history with people would be an honour for me.

I have been to the Stampede nearly every year of my life.  In the early years, I was there with my Mom and family anxiously awaiting the bull riding so we could cheer on my Dad from the stands.  As the years went by, I took notice of the royalty each year and told myself that one day that’s going to be me. And here we are.

A huge HUG and thank you to my sponsor Mike and Myles King of M.H. King Excavating Ltd. and to my family for all of their love and support.

I wish my fellow contestants, Rachel and Karina the best of luck in the upcoming months, and I look forward to sharing all of these experiences with you!

I hope to see everyone on June 28, 29, 30 and July 1^st as we celebrate the 87^th year of our fabulous Williams Lake Stampede!

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Rachel's bio

Hi everyone,

My name is Rachel Abrahamse, Miss Daybreak Rotary.  I am really excited to be a contestant for the 2013 Williams Lake Stampede Queen.  I am 17 years old and currently a grade 12 student at Maranatha Christian School.  I was born and raised in Williams Lake.  I have participated in 4-H for the last 9 years doing projects in beef, sheep, poultry and photography.  4-H has taught me confidence, leadership, and how to stand up in front of a group of people and deliver a speech. I have volunteered at a number of community events and clubs such as the Williams Lake Stampede Association and Awana. I have also worked on a few ranches in the area including The Gang Ranch and the Princeton Stock Ranch doing tasks like yard work, haying, and riding.  Growing up on a farm with horses and cattle has made me love being outdoors and getting my hands dirty. Most of my free time has been spent with my dad on the farm.

Family has always come first and is very important to me. Even though my 3 older siblings have left home, we have stayed really close. My older brother resides in Williams Lake with his wife and my older sisters live in Kelowna and Prince George..  My mom is a great cook and my entire family loves cooking. We are constantly having people over for meals and a good visit. My family has deep roots in the Williams Lake area. Felker Lake is named after my great great grandparents and we've been residents of the area ever since.

I am a very outgoing person, I love meeting new people and I have never been described as shy. I also love to try new things. Once I graduate from high school and take some pre-level university courses, I plan on going into a Bachelor of Science in hydrogeology.

Thank you to my family for helping and encouraging me, my sponsors for getting me here and supporting me and my friends for your support.  I look forward to the rest of the competition and hope to represent you, the people of Williams Lake, the Stampede Association, and the City of Williams Lake as the 2013 Williams Lake Stampede Queen.

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