Mateer finishes Strong at Miss Teen Rodeo Iowa.

           Mateer Strong of Delta competed in the Miss Teen Rodeo Iowa competition at Fort Madison on September 9-10, winning the Congeniality and Horsemanship awards, along with placing second runner up overall.

            Strong, who has been riding horses since childhood and started competing in rodeos five years ago, decided she wished to compete at the state level after she won Miss Teen Wapello in 2015. The recent Sigourney graduate prepared for the Miss Teen Rodeo Iowa, held at the Tri-State Rodeo in Fort Madison, immediately studying for the competition, working on her speaking skills and improving on her horsemanship skills.

“I love the competitiveness that a rodeo brings and it has taught me a lot about myself,” Strong said. “Along the way, I’ve made friendships and gained more confidence. Being a member of FFA really improved my presentation skills, and helped me compete.”

     During the rodeo’s first day on Friday, Sept. 9, Strong had lunch with the judges, took part in an interview, gave several speeches, was asked improptu questions on the spot, competed in a fashion show, and showed off her talents at the horse show. Overall, Strong said she felt comfortable and confident, though she wished she had more knowledge of tours, circuits and contestants involved.

“I’m very pleased about how I did,” Strong said. “Even without having a big rodeo background, I felt I fit in well. One of my goals was to win the Horsemanship title, which is an important part of the competition, and I did. I learned what I need to study more and how the process works from being part of it.”

In addition to winning the Horsemanship title, Strong’s fellow contestants and other title holders voted her for the Congeniality award. Both factored in Strong placing second runner up in her first state competition. Currently, Strong is attending Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids for Ag. Business, and is considering attending either Iowa State University or Oklahoma State University in the future. She also plans to continue competing in rodeos in the future, and hopes to compete collegiately one day. Strong is the daughter of Roger and Kim Strong of Delta.