Hollister
– Fortunately for recently crowned Miss California Rodeo Salinas
Amanda Jacobsen, mecates are still used at the county rodeo.
Hollister – Fortunately for recently crowned Miss California Rodeo Salinas Amanda Jacobsen, mecates are still used at the county rodeo.
When given the braided horsehair rope at the Salinas Rodeo last week and asked to explain to a panel of judges what it was, the 20-year-old Jacobsen immediately knew the answer.
“I’m from San Benito County, so we all know mecates,” Jacobsen said. “Most places don’t use them anymore.”
Jacobsen bested four rivals and became only the third San Benito County resident to be crowned Miss California Rodeo Salinas in its 97-year history. She was also the first to be crowned in Salinas within a month of winning the distinction of Miss San Benito County Rodeo.
The mecate question helped Jacobsen to a high score in the scholarship category, which, along with winning the horsemanship portion of the competition, assured her victory.
“It just came down to a couple of points between us all,” Jacobsen said.
Jacobsen loves rodeos. She began showing horses at age 7, and remembers tromping around the house in her older sister’s Miss San Benito Rodeo sash as a 6-year-old. Margie Jacobsen, one of her two older sisters, won Miss San Benito Rodeo in 1995 and Miss Grand National Rodeo in 1997.
Vanessa Jacobsen, the 23-year-old middle sister, opted to compete in beauty pageants instead of rodeos.
“Maybe it’s because I’m a vegetarian and most of those things have barbecues,” Vanessa Jacobsen said.
The younger Jacobsen will cheer on Kari Ann Moreno, Miss California Salinas Rodeo 2006, at the state competition this fall in San Dimas. In 2008, Jacobsen plans to compete in the state competition and eventually the national competition, she said.
“I love the tradition that rodeos have,” Jacobsen said. “It makes America unique. It makes California unique.”
But preparing for a rodeo queen contest takes time and hard work. Contestants are expected to be knowledgeable in all areas of rodeo, including veterinary medicine.
Lisa Tobias, who sits on the committee for Miss San Benito Rodeo, said Jacobsen grilled her husband, veterinarian Charlie Tobias, for hours in their dining room in preparation for the Salinas event.
“We couldn’t be happier,” Tobias said. “She’s going to make a wonderful representative for their organization.”
Mandy Roth, spokeswoman for Miss California Rodeo Salinas, said Jacobsen will spend the next year representing Salinas at other rodeos, parades and events. Jacobsen will most likely attend the organization’s annual stockholders meeting in Las Vegas.
“Our contest is the most prestigious in the state, and she should be very proud of herself,” Roth said.
Aside from rodeo and queen competitions, Jacobsen – a junior at California State University, San Jose – wants to use her degree in child development to become an elementary school teacher.
