After The Crown: Miss Rodeo California 2000 Jennifer Balma-Harrison
Posted on October 22, 2022 by Miss Rodeo America
Coming from a family who was one of the original founders of the Shasta County Sheriff’s Posse and is now known as the Redding Rodeo, is 2000 Miss Rodeo California Jennifer Balma-Harrison. Jennifer calls home in the Northern California town of Montague where her husband, Will, and two daughters Hannah (13) and Hadley (11) live on a ranch and raise cattle that they show across the United States. When not at home, Jennifer works as a controller for Roseburg Forest Product’s Veneer Mill out of Weed, California. Prior to that, she worked in Public Accounting and specialized in the audit of Governmental Entities and Tax. Jennifer also held the titles of 1997 Miss California State Horseman’s Association Region 18 queen and 1998 Miss Redding Rodeo. After her queening years, she graduated in 2002 from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo with her Bachelor’s in Agricultural Business then graduated in 2003 from National University with a Masters in Business Administration with a concentration in accounting.
When asked what made her decide to run for rodeo queen pageants, Jennifer stated that she remembered attending the Redding Rodeo when she was a young girl however doesn’t recall having dreams of being a rodeo queen; but that was about to change. She grew up showing horses and competing in junior and high school rodeos with an interest in pursuing a career in veterinary medicine. Under the guidance of Nadette Raymond, Jennifer ran for her first queen title of Miss CSHA Region 18 which allowed her to grow her knowledge of horses through the testing programs CSHA offered. She doesn’t remember the exact reason that spurred her into running for Miss Redding Rodeo but said “I loved the sport of rodeo and I felt that following my family’s footsteps and the tradition of involvement with the Redding Rodeo Association would be a great honor.” As a small town girl from Northern California, Jennifer was nervous about running for Miss Rodeo California but decided to watch the 1999 Miss Rodeo California pageant as the 1998 Miss Redding Rodeo with her mom and a close friend to see if it was something she wished to pursue. To prepare for competing, she rode any horse she could get access to as well as taking any opportunity to speak at any events she could find, all while attending college. Jennifer won the title of Miss Rodeo California at just 20 years of age against 14 contestants.
One of Jennifer’s favorite memories as Miss Rodeo California was being able to travel the state of California as well as attending the “Daddy of ‘Em All” Cheyenne Frontier Days with her fellow state title holders. To this day, she is still thankful to Brandy DeJongh, 2000 Miss Rodeo America who was a travelling partner as well as all the rodeo committees, communities, and stock contractors/personnel who guided and welcomed her with open arms during her reign. Her absolute favorite memory from competing at Miss Rodeo America was when Siegfried and Roy, German-American magicians and entertainers, brought a tiger on stage during the Fashion Show. “It was an awesome sight,” said Jennifer. A few skills that she learned that she applies to her life today are situational awareness, speaking in front of a crowd, and the ability to think on her feet.
Her daughters laughed at the question about any special memorabilia she has from her year as Miss Rodeo California, as she has a few items that she holds with sentimental value: her scrapbook she made for the Miss Rodeo America Pageant, her trophy saddle and other gifts from winning Miss Rodeo California, as well as a replica of the MRC crown. Jennifer’s pieces of advice she would like to share with young ladies looking to run for rodeo queen titles are ones that she tells her daughters everyday: always remember to be kind, say thank you, be humble, believe in yourself, grow your internal strength, try your hardest, and give 110%.
