MOSES LAKE – After a long wait, the rodeo returned to Moses Lake last week with the Moses Lake Roundup in 2021, and not too early for rodeo fans and contestants.
For people like Moses Lake Roundup Queen Mykiah Hollenbeck and rodeo clown JW Winklepleck, it was worth the wait to get the opportunity to “show off their stuff”. Hollenbeck and Winklepleck recently discussed stepping in front of the crowd after a year that was extremely restricted due to the pandemic.
Mykiah Hollenbeck said her first year as Roundup Queen didn’t really bring anything as the pandemic halted most major events last summer.
As she wrapped up the final night of the Moses Lake Roundup on Saturday night, Hollenbeck said it was great getting back into things.
“I waited two whole years for this rodeo and it didn’t disappoint,” said Hollenbeck. “The grandstands are full. Everyone is excited to come out it’s a great rodeo. We had great candidates this weekend. “
She said the Moses Lake Roundup Association did a great job on shows last week.
Hollenbeck said she spoke to some of the other rodeo queens over the weekend and almost everyone agreed that this year went by quickly after a slow first year. This year, she said, there has been a rodeo almost every weekend since the beginning of May.
“It was great to be outside and to see all these fans and to see these stands crowded, it’s so incredible,” said Hollenbeck. “It’s great to see the rodeo sport rise and everyone is so excited to come out and watch it.”
JW Winklepleck said he has been doing professional rodeos since around 2007 and barebacked for many years before becoming a rodeo clown.
“My father said I was a clown all my life,” said Winklepleck.
Winklepleck, of Strasburg, Colorado, said he will be going to rodeos across the country this summer. He said this year was great after only working maybe five or six shows last summer.
The rodeos he attended this year were all packed, which was great to see. On his first trip to Moses Lake that summer, he said the crowd was loud and enjoying themselves. Winklepleck said working with the Moses Lake Roundup committee has been great.
As a rodeo clown, he said the funniest part of the job is watching the crowd have fun, laugh and scream.
“With what everyone went through so they could come out for two and a half hours and we can entertain them and they can forget everything that is going on, having fun, relaxing, laughing, yelling and screaming, that’s the funniest part for me” said Winklepleck.
More photos from the Moses Lake Roundup can be found here.
Comments are closed.