Alison Leonard
Hi, my name is Alison Leonard. I am a senior at Northland Lutheran High School. I currently work as a Certified Nursing Assistant at Marshfield Medical Center and I will begin the path to a bachelor’s degree in nursing through UW-Stevens Point and Northcentral Technical College this fall. I show dairy cattle and horses through 4H. In the past I have also shown dogs and market lambs. I have been riding horses for five years and began by showing at the WI Valley Fair and fun shows. Now in addition to showing at small pleasure shows, I barrel race and dabble in training. I enjoy sports, the outdoors, and pretty much anything with animals. In my life, I aspire to be the kind of person my younger self would look up to. Competing as a contestant in the Wisconsin River Pro Rodeo Queen Competition, I am constantly reminded of the little girl sitting in the stands–watching the beautiful girls & horses run by with the flags and thinking “Wow! I want to be just like her!”–the little girl I used to be.
Cassidy Christensen
Hello, I am Cassidy Christensen. I am currently a senior at Wausau West High School. After graduation I plan to continue my education and major in Ag/Business as well as minor in Equine Science. Since I could remember, I have always loved animals. My passion for animals has motivated me to pursue a future with them. Horses are one of the animals that have piqued my interest the most. I have been riding since I can remember and have started competing at a high caliber as well as continuing to attend clinics to continue expanding my knowledge to be the best horseman I can be. I am currently in Wausau FFA and a part of the Wausau West Swim Team. In my free time other than working with horses, I enjoy teaching kids, snowmobiling, swimming, lifting and spending time with friends and family. I am looking forward to running for Wisconsin River Pro Rodeo Queen
Danielle Schug
Hi! My name is Danielle Schug. I am 17 years old and the guardian daughter of Robert and Sherri Beyer. I am a senior at Merrill High School. After I graduate I plan to go to school at UWRF and major in Animal Nutrition. In school, I am involved in FFA. This year I was also involved in the CDE horse judging competition and made it to the qualifying round down in Appleton at Fox Valley Technical College. I have 3 siblings, 2 older sisters and 1 younger brother. I have grown up on a farm my whole life and worked on a couple different farms too. I also barrel race. When I was about 8 or 9 I developed a love for horses, at about 14 I got into barrel racing at the Merrill gymkhanas. I ride an 8 year old bay quarter horse. The 2 horses that I have barrel raced on I have trained by myself from the ground up. Other than my horse life I also enjoy farming, snowmobiling, 4 wheeling, working on vehicles (mechanics), and spending time with my dog. I am currently employed at Juedes Dairy and Vandergeest Gold Medal Trailers. I love working with animals and on a variety of different machines. However, working with animals is my true passion. The reason that I want to be rodeo queen is because I want to show my love for horses and the agriculture industry and to show younger girls that may want to be queen someday that they can do anything they put their mind to if they truly want it. I have looked up to a lot of the previous queens for help deciding what I want to do after high school. I have helped at previous rodeos and it just looks like so much fun. It would be an honor to be a part of the WRPR committee.
Katy Glaze
My name is Katy Glaze and I am a junior at Merrill High School. I have been involved in agriculture for as long as I can remember. I started showing pigs in 3rd grade at the Wisconsin Valley Fair. After a few years of showing pigs I decided to change it up and start showing steers. I am now going on my 5th year of showing steers and love every minute of it. I’ve grown up riding horses but up until these last two years I haven’t been competitive. I recently bought a new barrel horse and am excited for the possibilities of the future. Being involved in agriculture my entire life has led me to planning on going to UW River Falls for Animal Science with an equine emphasis, and hopefully joining the UWRF Rodeo Team after I graduate high school. Along with horses and steers, I’ve been dancing at Brooke’s School of Dance for 12 years. I am also on the Merrill High School cheer team. In my spare time I enjoy reading, traveling, and being outside. I am excited about running for the Wisconsin River Pro Rodeo Queen.
Madilynn Skic
Hi! My name is Madilynn Skic (Madi). I am sixteen years old and currently a sophomore at Merrill High School. My parents are Luke and Michelle Skic and I have an older sister Mckenna. I like to stay active and involved in school and community activities; which include: FFA, Market Animal Show and Sale at the Lincoln County Fair, club volleyball in Marathon, school volleyball, 13 years of dancing at Brooke’s School of Dance, and competing
with my horse in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Currently, I am employed at Trinity Merrill Day Care and I assist in the training of horses at Painted Sunset Ranch. In my spare time I enjoy working in the field with my dad, snowmobiling with my Uncle Calvin, riding and working with my horse Chase, and spending time with my friends and family. I feel blessed to be raised in a family that is rooted in faith and I enjoy going to church. After I graduate high school, I plan to become a professional horse trainer or help train the rapy horses for mentally disabled children and adults. I have always looked up to previous rodeo queens and princesses and am inspired to be someone that little girls can look up to as a role model. The past couple years I have volunteered at the Wisconsin River Pro Rodeo, which has deepened my aspiration to be rodeo queen. I’ve enjoyed getting to work with and help the committee and appreciate that they have been willing to help me and strengthen my rodeo knowledge. I am excited to see what the future holds and would be honored to represent the WRPR as its next rodeo queen.
Shyana Zettler-Finck
Hi, my name is Shyana Zettler-Finck and I’m twenty years old. My parents are Shelly Zettler and Eugene Finck, and I grew up in small town Athens on a dairy farm. I went to Athens High School but finished my senior year at Northcentral Technical College Alternative, and currently work at Menzner Hardwoods as a forklift driver. I’m also a brand ambassador for a small business called Heaven Sent Khalida, and a brand rep for Webb Western. Besides all of that, I do a lot of barrel racing and training horses. I have five horses of my own – Dorcas, Atlas, Phoenix, Kichi and Ace the Joker. Aside from my horses I enjoy going to tractor pulls, hunting, fishing, hanging out with friends and going to bonfires. My favorite hobby would have to be racing cars, both on ice tracks and blacktop. I’m a part of Merrill Ice Draggers and have been racing since I was fifteen. My future goal is to own my own business of photography and training horses.