Solid, dependable, dedicated, detail-oriented and smart are just a few appropriate terms to describe Miss Rodeo Nebraska 1984 Johna Klug Niedfelt.
What could be more solid than a young woman who has served as a bank examiner for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation for 36 years?
Such is the case with Niedfelt, who began her journey in the 1985 Miss Rodeo America Pageant, the last year it was held in Oklahoma City, OK, at the Myriad, in December 1984.
Her accomplishments at the MRA Pageant include earning the Horsemanship Award that year, and later, was one of four state titleholders selected to model Miss Rodeo America Western Shirts, made by Miss Rodeo America Manufacturing, at the January 1985 WESA market in Denver.
Photos of the queens were later utilized in advertising for the company’s 1985 sales season.
She was the second Klug cowgirl to carry the Miss Rodeo Nebraska title to the national pageant. Her mother Lolly Cameron Klug served as the 1957 Miss Rodeo Nebraska and competed at the Miss Rodeo America Pageant later that year.
And both Niedfelt and her mom have remained very active in the Miss Rodeo America Pageant and the Miss Rodeo Nebraska Pageant ever since their competition days.
For many years, mom Lolly and mom’s bestie Dallas Hunt George, Miss Rodeo Nebraska 1955/1956 and MRA 1956, could be found managing the MRA store and pageant program sales during the national pageant. They can still be found lending a hand every year in Las Vegas.
And Niedfelt recently completed a seven-year service on the MRA Executive Board, during which time she was instrumental in advancing the bookkeeping and investment operation for MRA Inc.
In 1992, Niedfelt spearheaded the launch of the Miss Rodeo Nebraska Association and served as its first president. She has since served a second term as President of MRN Association.
Originally from Maxwell, NE, Niedfelt now resides in Grand Island, NE, and has one 24-year-old son, Grant, who is a college graduate currently working as a large animal veterinary technician.
She holds a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture, with an emphasis in Agriculture Economics, which she earned from the University of Nebraska Lincoln.
She is a Senior Risk Management Examiner with designation as a Certified Fraud Examiner.
With her job, Niedfelt has had the opportunity to travel across the country working on bank examinations and banking-related projects.
“I typically work in locally owned, community banks,” says Niedfelt.
“Most of the people I get to work with are hard-working, congenial folks, which makes my job enjoyable.”
When asked how serving as Miss Rodeo Nebraska and competing in the MRA Pageant helped prepare her for a successful career, the answer was simple.
“I have found the skills I developed and improved while Miss Rodeo have served me well professionally,” says Niedfelt.
“Because I learned how to comfortably speak in public and express myself in group settings, I have been able to work on some high-profile projects for FDIC, including teaching entry-level courses to examiner staff, recruiting personnel for nationwide placement and making presentations to large groups of bank directors and managers.”
Niedfelt has some fun recollections of her experience at the MRA Pageant, including meeting a very young Reba McEntire in the locker room backstage at the Myriad prior to a performance of “Beauty and the Beast,” which was an event incorporating the Nestea High School Rodeo challenge and the MRA Pageant. Reba McEntire sang the national anthem at the Beauty and the Beast event.
“The pageant shuttled the contestants to event venues using a European-style double-decker bus,” remembers Niedfelt.
“Like little country kids, most of us hustled on so we could ride in the upper deck.”
Niedfelt’s next goal is retirement, followed by lots of fun. Her bucket list is long and varied, but no doubt she will continue to serve the Miss Rodeo Nebraska Association and the Miss Rodeo America Pageant as long as she is able.
With perspective in the rear view, her advice to young cowgirls considering serving as a rodeo queen is to go for it.
“Take yourself seriously, give the competition every effort you have, and enjoy the experience, “says Niedfelt.
“You cannot see everything you get to take away from a state-level competition – things like confidence, self-awareness, interview and speaking skills that will stay with you the rest of your life.”
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