Recent San Benito High School graduate Grace Tobias was named
Miss San Benito Rodeo 2011 and will now represent the 78th annual
Saddle Horse Show and Rodeo along with flag bearers Allison
Agostini and Kellie Mancino.
Contestants were judged on horsemanship, communication skills,
appearance and poise, presentation and scholarship.
Recent San Benito High School graduate Grace Tobias was named Miss San Benito Rodeo 2011 and will now represent the 78th annual Saddle Horse Show and Rodeo along with flag bearers Allison Agostini and Kellie Mancino.
Contestants were judged on horsemanship, communication skills, appearance and poise, presentation and scholarship.
“She did well in all areas,” event chairwoman Jamie Fowles said of Tobias, who got a perfect score in scholarship and won the horsemanship and interview portions as well. “During the interview portion she was extremely happy, calm, confident and relaxed. In the horsemanship portion, she was asked a question and didn’t know the full answer. She told the judges she’d find the answer and when she went back out again, she answered their question. I thought that showed good perseverance in the fact that she wanted to know the answer and answer it correctly for the judges.”
Miss San Benito Rodeo winners help promote the Saddle Horse Show and Rodeo by attending various community events, dinners and meetings. They also represent the county at the California Rodeo Salinas, though they are not eligible to run for queen of that event until after their year as Miss San Benito is over.
Tobias has participated in the Saddle Horse Show since she was 4 and has helped with brandings and cattle operations at her family’s ranch. She has been involved with 4-H for nine years and was a four-year member of the San Benito High School cross country and track teams.
Agostini, one of the two flag bearers, has shown at the Saddle Horse Show for the past decade and in addition to helping on her family’s ranch has helped run horse camps and is employed by a cutting horse trainer. Her interests include hunting, fishing, hiking, photography and writing, and she plans to pursue a career as a nurse.
Mancino said she has been riding horses for as long as she can remember. She is a member of numerous clubs at San Benito High School, including Future Farmers of America, for which she has served as a chapter, section and regional officer. Mancino is also a member of the Young California Cattlemen’s Association and the San Benito County Cattlewomen, which she helps with community fundraisers and events.
The Miss San Benito Rodeo competition had its first crowning in 1939 and is open to women between the ages of 17 to 20 who live in the county.
“Everything we test for in the contest is what we’d like them to do as a representative of the Saddle Horse Show and Rodeo,” said Fowles, who was crowned Miss San Benito Rodeo in 2000. “We expect that when people walk up to them at the rodeo or representing us somewhere else that they know answers to questions and answer them pleasantly.”
Over the next two weeks, in advance of the 78th annual rodeo on June 24-26, Tobias will attend various meetings, the annual downtown parade, a membership barbecue and memorial roping. The flag bearers will represent the event along with her.
