Getting the opportunity to travel up and down California as Miss Clovis Rodeo is a memory Corissa King will not forget.
But it was a moment that was years in the making.
King’s parents surrounded her with the western lifestyle from the beginning. King grew up in the small town of Hollister, Calif. with horses, property dogs, cats and cattle. For almost every day of her childhood, she would spend time riding her horses as much as the work on the ranch allowed her to.
“My dad always says the horses and all the animals are to be fed before you are fed,” King said.
Her father was a part of the Pro Rodeo Circuit during the 1990s. He ended up meeting King’s mother in Salinas while she was running for a rodeo queen title herself.
After meeting once, her father asked when he’d see her mother again. After finding out King’s father would be in at the Grand National rodeo, her mother made sure she was there running for Miss Grand National. The rest was history.
“The sport of rodeo is a lifestyle to me,” King said. “You don’t just rodeo for fun. You’re rodeoing because you’re making a living.”
Winning the Miss Clovis Rodeo Queen title was an exciting moment. King was smothered with congratulations from friends, family and even her grandparents who still reside in Canada.
King’s mother kept almost all her gear from when she was a rodeo queen and ended up passing it down to Corissa. Corissa can often be found wearing her mother’s gear to this day.
“I remember talking to them after and them being proud of me and saying you did it, you got it,” King said reflecting on the moment she was crowned Clovis’ Rodeo Queen.
Although, King was crowned the Clovis Rodeo Queen during an unprecedented time period. The COVID-19 pandemic left uncertainty amongst her. King was not able to start traveling to different rodeos until the summer of 2021 when COVID-19 restrictions began to ease up.
Being finally able to represent the Clovis community was one of King’s highest moments during her time as Rodeo Queen.
King compares the Clovis community to her community back in Hollister. She saw similarities in the lengths community members would go to support one another.
“I mean you can reach out to anyone here in Clovis and there are no questions asked,” King said. “They’ll be willing to support you. Both the Hollister and Clovis community are phenomenal.
King’s favorite pastime has not only been traveling to rodeos up and down California but connecting with children.
King has often seen herself as a teacher figure amongst her family. She is the oldest child in her family and has always made sure that her younger brother and sister were doing the right thing. But being able to teach children the western lifestyle has been one of her favorite things to do.
“I think it’s super cool for kids to see you say oh yeah, I have three horses and then kids’ faces just light up…” King said. “like they just get so excited and then they ask you what their name is, what their favorite food is and all these different questions.”
King will be making the extra effort leading into rodeo week by going around to elementary schools in Fresno and Clovis to read books to kids. Hoping to get them excited for the rodeo.
Making the Miss Clovis Rodeo Queen her lifestyle was one of King’s big focal points. She would worry about making it to certain events but learned that she needed to take every opportunity presented to her.
She heeds for the next Clovis Rodeo Queen that it’s important to say yes to every opportunity because you never know where they’re going to lead you.
“Being Miss Clovis Rodeo is an honor and it’s something that I am never going to forget. It was an experience of a lifetime,” King said. “Being able to meet the people that I’ve met and make the connections I’ve made and the opportunities that have come because of this is amazing.”
King’s time as the Clovis Rodeo Queen is coming to an end as the next Rodeo Queen is set to be crowned on Wednesday, April 20, the first day of the 108th Clovis Rodeo.
For King’s future, she is gearing up to run for Miss Rodeo California this coming October. She will be doing so as Miss Clovis Rodeo. She also will continue to build toward her dream to become a reporter for the Cowboy Channel.