Sisters senior is roundup queen

Jenna Jacobsen, a high-achieving senior at Sisters High School, is the 2011 Crooked River Roundup Rodeo and Race Meet Queen.

Jacobsen isn't a novice at the job - she wore the queen's tiara for the La Pine Rodeo in 2009 and in 2010 for the Deschutes County Fair and Rodeo, and back in 2007 she was a Rim Rock Riders princess.

The Crooked River Roundup Rodeo (June 22-26) and Race Meet (July 13-16) are held at the Crook County Fairgrounds in Prineville. Jacobsen's family has attended the rodeo and races for many years, and she lists it as one of the summer's highlights.

Her reign as queen will take her to many rodeos around Oregon this summer. She and other royalty of the sport participate in parades, luncheons, speaking engagements as they represent their rodeo associations. One of the most enticing aspects for Jacobsen is being a role model for the next generation of rodeo queens.

Jacobsen graduates with an honors diploma from Sisters High School this year and is currently representing the school on the equestrian (OHSET) team. She has qualified for the state OHSET meet each of her previous three years on the team. Jacobsen is co-captain this year, a role she's held for the past two years.

She'll play on the varsity tennis team in the spring, is active in Key and Sparrow Clubs, and is a member of My Future, My Choice, a volunteer group that visits sixth-grade classrooms once a week for five weeks, teaching an abstinence-based curriculum.

Horse-related activities fill much of her out-of-school time. Apart from OHSET, Jacobsen is a member of the Rim Rock Riders, a family riding club; Cascade Team Penning Association; Cascade Cattle Club; and the La Pine Rodeo Association. Many of these pursuits involve her family as well, and the Jacobsen's enjoy rodeo immensely.

"Rodeo is embedded in my family," she said. "We have been going to the Deschutes County Fair and Rodeo for the past 12 years, the Sisters Rodeo for 15 and St. Paul Rodeo for 20."

A slew of ribbons gets regularly added to as Jacobsen pursues her chosen equestrian activities. She learned the sport of team penning when she was 5 years old and has been involved ever since. As well as team penning and ranch sorting, she's done nearly every gaming event, a little reining and a little cutting.

Along the way, she's won two saddles and many buckles for her team penning efforts.

She may be all sparkle and shine in the parades, but Jacobsen's proven her mettle with sweat and dirt as she cares for and competes on her horses. They are a big part of her life.

"I love to ride my horses any and all the time, from being a queen to competing to just taking a late-night bareback ride," she said.

Jacobsen's future plans include her horses. She'll be attending a four-year college that is part of the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association and she'll continue to compete in her chosen disciplines. Jacobsen intends pursuing a degree in nursing, with a possible double major in athletic training.

In the meantime, she's looking forward to a busy summer representing a venerable rodeo association, meeting, working and playing with other rodeo royalty and being a shining example of all that rodeo stands for.