Arts & Culture
Round-Up Rodeo royalty announced
The Lehi Round-Up Rodeo and week-long celebration are only four weeks away and the rodeo royalty will be ready to represent Lehi.
“The Lehi Round-Up Rodeo Royalty participates in the Herriman, Eagle Mountain, Pleasant Grove and Lehi rodeos. They are involved in dozens of activities until December as well,” explained Mark Coddington. Mark is on the board of directors for the rodeo and he and his wife Shanalyn direct the queen contest.
“The queens are really an ambassador for the Lehi rodeo. They ride in the grand entry and promote our rodeo by carrying flags between each of the rodeos,” Coddington continued.
Rylee Warnick, from West Jordan, is the 2022 Miss Lehi Round-Up. She has been riding horses since before she could walk. Warnick was a member of Salt Lake County 4H where she competed at state for eight consecutive years. She was also a member of the Lehi Longhorn high school rodeo team where she competed in barrel racing, pole bending, goat tying, breakaway and team roping.
Rylee Warnick is a 2020 graduate of Copper Hills High School and is currently attending Utah Valley University where she is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in education, with hopes of becoming an elementary school teacher. When she is not riding her horses, Warnick is outdoors with her family.
First Attendant Jenessa Sullivan was born and raised in Lehi. When she’s not in dirt-filled arenas, Sullivan is on the dance floor western swing dancing or in the mountains on horseback. She has represented multiple rodeos throughout the state, including Pony Express Days, the Utah State Fair, Strawberry Days, Fiesta Days, Hooper Tomato Days, and The Wilderness Circuit Finals. She was selected as the second runner-up to Miss Rodeo Utah 2022.
Annie Roper is Miss Lehi Round-Up Second Attendant in her first rodeo royalty. She began her lifelong love of horses at the age of 18 months on the back of her “bouncy” horse. Roperprogressed to her grandmother’s buddy saddle, 4H, and riding and reining lessons, and is now teaching horsemanship skills to beginning students. Annie graduated from Riverton High School and the Veterinary Assistant program at Jordan Applied Technology Center in 2019. She is currently attending Salt Lake Community College with plans to transfer to Utah State University to pursue a degree in Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Science with an equine emphasis.
Candidates for Lehi Round-Up royalty need to be between 17 and 26 years old. They compete in private interviews, modeling, and horsemanship. They answer an impromptu question in front of the competition audience. The rodeo queen contest has been a favorite tradition in Lehi for the last 85 years.
“Lehi’s queen contest is renowned – about three-quarters of our queens have gone on to win Miss Rodeo Utah,” said Coddington. “This year is no exception; we’ve got sharp girls. They all have bright futures ahead of them.”
“You would think the rodeo queens were movie stars at the rodeo. Little girls line up to get their autographs. They’re fantastic ambassadors for Lehi,” added Coddington.
