Page 7 - 2017 December Voices

Jessi Cornforth—2018 Miss Rodeo Oregon

Turning Dreams into Reality

by Phyllis Harmon, DTM

Jessi Cornforth, Oregon City Toastmasters member, began dreaming about becoming Miss Rodeo Oregon
in 2013 as a princess on the Clackamas County Fair and Canby Rodeo Court. She turned her dreams into
reality on August 19, 2017. Her Coronation Ceremony occurs on January 20, 2018.

Please tell us about your early life She also found us my first horse. Jazz was
I was born in Portland, Oregon, and spent a 14 year old Arabian mare, white with brown
the first part of my childhood in Tigard. Before freckled spots all over her.
I started kindergarten, we moved to Redland, Learning with Jazz was a long process, with
which is a rural part of Oregon City. We still a lot of blood, sweat, and tears shed along the
live there today. way. Slowly we learned together, and became
When I started school, I tried just about every a dynamic duo. We tried almost every riding
sport but I never really fell in love with any of discipline, but we especially enjoyed the speed
them. I would do one for a season or two, but events. We completed all nine years of 4-H
then get bored with it and want to try something and four years of high school equestrian team
else. Luckily though, my parents never let me together, going to the state championships
quit part way through a season, and today I am almost every year.
grateful for that discipline. My involvement with rodeo didn’t begin until
2013, when I tried out for the Clackamas County
How did you get involved with horses? Fair and Canby Rodeo Court. One of my close
Did you grow up with the dream of friends had been on the court and encouraged
becoming a rodeo celebrity? me to try out. Many times girls don’t get on a
My parents never owned horses or any sort court the first time. But I surprised everyone,
of livestock. However, my mom grew up in including myself by earning a spot on the 2014
Idaho and always liked them. I had always loved Canby Rodeo Court as a princess.
horses; my friends and I would run around the I loved every second representing the sport
playground pretending to be horses during of rodeo. Jackie Gibson, my court director and
recess. Miss Rodeo Oregon in 2009, encouraged me to
How we came to own a horse is actually a consider running for Miss Rodeo Oregon. I knew
funny story. It all started with a delivery truck. I would try out for it some day. First I decided to
My parents owned a vending machine company, reign for another year on the Canby Court. I tried
and had an old truck for sale. One night at dinner out for the 2015 Queen court position and won.
with my aunt and uncle, their family friend I knew preparing for the Miss Rodeo Oregon
inquired about the truck, but instead of straight Pageant would take a large chunk of time and
buying it he wanted to do a partial trade. money. I made the decision to finish my degree
To my surprise, my parents actually at Oregon State University before preparations
considered it! When my nine year-old-self began. (Jessi graduated in 2016 with a Bachelor’s
found out that she might get her very own real in Exercise and Sports Science and a minor in
live horse, she jumped at the idea. I checked out Psychology—Editor)
every book in the school library on horses and
read them over and over. While the horse in What drew you to Toastmasters? What
the trade didn’t work out because he wasn’t for did you learn and how has it changed
a beginner rider, I still held on to that dream. your life?
My parents enrolled me in a local 4-H club, and My mom introduced me to Toastmasters. She
the leader helped me learn to ride. joined the Oregon City Chamber to promote

Left to Right: Kayla Vincent crowns Jessi Cornforth as Miss Rodeo Oregon 2018

VOLUME 4 ISSUE 6 DECEMBER, 2017 7