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So you wanna be a Stampede Queen?

Stampede Queen clinic being hosted by current royalty and alumni
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Miss Williams Lake Stampede Queen Kaylee Billyboy says there is more to being queen than sitting on a horse and smiling. She’s excited to pass on her knowledge to those who may want to be queen in the future on March 10. Monica Lamb-Yorski photo

There’s a lot more to being Williams Lake Stampede Royalty than sitting on a horse and wearing a crown.

That’s what Stampede Queen Kaylee Billyboy is hoping to communicate during a Stampede Queen clinic she’s hosting on March 10.

“I find a lot of the girls who run, myself included when I ran, don’t really know what it takes,” she said. “I’ve had a lot of people come and ask me about what I have to do. I figured if I put on a clinic it would answer a lot of questions and further prepare people who haven’t thought about running.”

Billyboy has also called on the talents of past Stampede alumni to help her with the clinic, preparing slides and information for potential contestants.

“We’ll go over what it takes to do the public speaking and horsemanship and modelling — all the categories you have to do to compete.”

Billyboy hopes to get more girls interested in running for queen, as well as to make sure they know what’s required.

2018 Williams Lake Stampede Royalty applications are now available via williamslakestampede.com.

While the competition itself is for young women aged 17-23, Billyboy’s clinic is open to girls aged 14-2 even if they aren’t running this year.

Being Stampede Queen has been a great experience, said Billyboy.

“I like all the events I get to go to and I get to experience so many different events and see how people put together events and also meeting all the people,” she said. “You almost feel famous for a year.”

Read more: Highlights from six months as stampede royalty

Even the competition is fun, she said.

“It’s a great experience you learn so much from it whether you win or not you gain a lot of confidence.”

Billyboy said there was still a lot to learn about the competition when she first joined.

“Just the amount of work it takes to do it all was a surprise, because you think it looks so easy to jump on a horse and smile and wave but there is a lot of prep that goes into it.”

The clinic will run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on March 10, and costs $25. Lunch is being provided thanks to Panago Pizza and the Denisiqi Services Society, where the event is being held, is offering space for the event. Past royalty, and a past queen mom are also donating their time for the event.

Participants will take part in an info session, as well as an interactive portion where they’ll have a chance to practice some of the Stampede Queen tricks of the trade.

To register for the event, contact Billyboy before Feb. 28 by calling 250-267-4548 or via email at kayleelouise01@gmail.com.

Read more: Kaylee Billyboy crowed 2017 Williams Lake Stampede Queen