WASHINGTON TWP — The North Washington Rodeo Queen contest is back on the rise, and Natalie Savannah is the next queen to promote the North Washington Rodeo festivities.

This year's Rodeo Queen competition at the North Washington Volunteer Fire Department had six women between ages 16 and 20 try out for the title on Saturday morning. While six competitors may not seem like many, Jackie Carson, a co-coordinator of the event, stressed that the turnout was much better than past years.

According to Carson's daughter, Kristin Olexsak, the other co-coordinator, the past years' competitions only have had about two competitors. More than 50 people showed up to Saturday's event to watch the two-part contest: a horseback riding portion and a question-and-answer session.

After the girls rode a specific pattern on horseback, they were required to answer questions on topics such as role models, rodeo events and animal safety.

Three judges were scoring the girls on three aspects of the competition: horsemanship, personality and appearance. Diane Vogel from Mars judged horsemanship; Denise Kabay of Fenelton, personality; and Dave Campbell from Saxonburg, appearance. The judges were looking for the girl who best represents the concept of a rodeo, Carson said.

As the winner, Savannah will attend more than 15 planned community events, including the Lake Arthur Regatta and the Strawberry Festival in Grove City, according to Carson. Part of Savannah's duties include representing the rodeo and encouraging people to attend the annual rodeo in August, Carson said.

“Our intent is that (the queen) promotes us,” Carson said.

The rodeo that comes to North Washington each year is through the International Professional Rodeo Association. Last year's rodeo at the North Washington Volunteer Fire Department's arena had more than 10,600 attendees and was rated the second best rodeo in the world by the IPRA, according to Dave Hazlet, the chairman of the Rodeo Committee.

Also exciting for this year's competition was that this year was the first time a competitor is deaf.

Emily Reno, 18, is from Grove City, but she is a senior at the Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf in Pittsburgh.

During the question-and-answer portion of the day, Reno said that her role model is Nyle DiMarco, a model, actor and activist who is also deaf. DiMarco won the 22nd season of “America's Next Top Model” and is now dancing on “Dancing with the Stars.”

For Reno, DiMarco shows that deaf people can do anything that a hearing person can, she said. This is especially important for parents who can hear but have children who are deaf since they can need to reassure and teach their children that they are just as capable as anyone else.

“Some deaf children have hearing parents, and they don't know that deaf can do,” she said. “Deaf can do” is a phrase Reno also used during her responses to the contest questions.

For her, the fact that she was able to compete is enough of a win, she said.

“It doesn't matter if I lost or won, at least I was here,” she said, as said by her American Sign Language interpreter, who also relayed the contest questions to Reno and announced her answers.

As for the new queen, Savannah is excited for the opportunity to travel across the county and represent the North Washington Rodeo.

“I'm so excited,” she said, all smiles after the announcement. “I'm looking forward to everything coming up this year.”

Savannah, 17, is a junior at the Butler Senior High School. She has been riding for about 11 years, primarily English and Western Pleasure riding. She plans to attend college and major in equine management after high school.

Savannah was the most nervous about speaking in front of such a crowd.

“I'm more comfortable on the horse (than speaking in front of people),” she said, laughing, after the contest.

As for that crowd larger than previous years making Savannah so nervous? Carson said she is thankful and excited that there is a renewed interest in the North Washington Rodeo Queen contest.

“(This event and the rodeo) solidifies small town America,” she said. “When I was a kid, I came to this rodeo, and it kind of gets in your blood. (For previous queens), this was a whole summer of our lives that we all remember. We do this wholeheartedly. We totally believe in this.”

The contest also included Mikayla Auvil, 16, of Hilliards, a junior at Moniteau High School; Maya Borland, 16, of Butler, a junior at Slippery Rock High School; Megan Campbell, 16, of West Sunbury, a junior at Moniteau High School and Nikki Hostetler, 16, of Stoneboro, a sophomore at Lakeview High School in Mercer County.