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Timpanogos junior Aubrie Christensen rides into the arena before the fifth performance of the Utah State High School Rodeo Finals at the Wasatch County Events Complex in Heber on Friday, June 7, 2024. Christensen won the queen competition.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Timpanogos junior Aubrie Christensen poses for a photo holding the state finals program at the Wasatch County Events Complex in Heber on Thursday, June 6, 2024. The cover she drew honors her aunt, Dawn Christensen, who died in an accident after a rodeo in 1995.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Timpanogos senior Aubrie Christensen gets introduced during the National High School Rodeo Queen competition at the 2024 National High School Rodeo Finals in Rock Springs, Wyo.

Courtesy Jennings Rodeo Photography

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Timpanogos senior Aubrie Christensen rides into the arena as part of the National High School Rodeo Queen competition at the 2024 National High School Rodeo Finals in Rock Springs, Wyo.

Courtesy Jennings Rodeo Photography

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Timpanogos senior Aubrie Christensen (left) poses for a photo with Hadley Stokes at the 2024 National High School Rodeo Finals in Rock Springs, Wyo.

Courtesy Jennings Rodeo Photography

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Timpanogos senior Aubrie Christensen does an interview at the 2024 National High School Rodeo Finals in Rock Springs, Wyo.

Courtesy Jennings Rodeo Photography

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Timpanogos senior Aubrie Christensen gets introduced as the National High School Rodeo Queen at the 2024 National High School Rodeo Finals in Rock Springs, Wyo.

Courtesy Jennings Rodeo Photography

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Timpanogos senior Aubrie Christensen (center) poses for a photo after being named the National High School Rodeo Queen at the 2024 National High School Rodeo Finals in Rock Springs, Wyo.

Courtesy Jennings Rodeo Photography

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Timpanogos senior Aubrie Christensen (left) gets a hug from Hadley Stokes after being named National High School Rodeo Queen at the 2024 National High School Rodeo Finals in Rock Springs, Wyo.

Courtesy Jennings Rodeo Photography

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Timpanogos senior Aubrie Christensen rides into the arena at the 2024 National High School Rodeo Finals in Rock Springs, Wyo.

Courtesy Jennings Rodeo Photography

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Timpanogos senior Aubrie Christensen (center) poses for a photo after being named the National High School Rodeo Queen at the 2024 National High School Rodeo Finals in Rock Springs, Wyo.

Courtesy Jennings Rodeo Photography

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Timpanogos junior Aubrie Christensen (left) pats her horse Frosty as part of the opening ceremonies before the fifth performance of the Utah State High School Rodeo Finals at the Wasatch County Events Complex in Heber on Friday, June 7, 2024. Christensen won the queen competition.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Timpanogos junior Aubrie Christensen poses for a photo at the Wasatch County Events Complex in Heber on Thursday, June 6, 2024. Christensen won the queen competition.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Timpanogos junior Aubrie Christensen poses for a photo at the Wasatch County Events Complex in Heber on Thursday, June 6, 2024. Christensen won the queen competition.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Timpanogos’s Aubrie Christensen has a simple superstition that she implemented earlier this year.

Before each rodeo queen competition, she tucks a $2 bill in her hat for good luck — and she has a special reason for doing so.

“I learned that my aunt (Dawn Christensen) put a $2 bill in each of her hats, so I started doing it before the competition at Delta,” Christensen said in an interview on Monday.

Her aunt — who also competed in rodeo queen competitions — died in a tragic accident after a rodeo in the 1990s but has become an inspiration for Aubrie Christensen.

“I really do feel like my aunt has been with me ever since my first high school queen competition win in Delta,” Aubrie Christensen said.

And the lucky charm?

It’s hard to argue with the results.

Aubrie Christensen followed up her victory at Delta by being named the Utah High School Rodeo Queen at the state finals in June, then just last week added another title by winning the 2024-25 National High School Rodeo Queen competition.

“I really do have what people have called a Cinderella story because I haven’t been competing for very long,” she said. “I just wanted to show that hard work, grit, perseverance and kindness does pay off. Throughout the competition, I learned that kindness really is contagious and the world definitely needs more of it.”

She explained that 41 contestants from all across the nation (and three from Canada) went through a week-long process in the competition, which took place in Rock Springs, Wyo.

“I made so many friends along the way,” Aubrie Christensen said. “It was really a neat experience for me, but it was long. There were so many girls that you couldn’t get through the categories (an interview, a speech, modeling, a 50-question test on rodeo rules and horsemanship) in one day.”

Some of the contestants had competed for a long time, while others were less experienced. Aubrie Christensen said she loved seeing the newcomers learn and do their best, particularly since it wasn’t that long ago that she was in their position.

“I tried to be their cheerleader,” she said. “I know the scared look on their faces. I know how hard it is to stand in front of an audience of people and knowing you’re being judged on what you’re doing. I definitely could relate with them because I was in their shoes not too long ago.”

She also tried to not think too much about the added pressure of how much rodeo queen success Utah has had recently, with Harlee Stokes winning the title in 2023 and Addison Redd winning in 2022.

“I honestly didn’t want to get too wrapped up in feeling like I needed to win,” Aubrie Christensen said. “I just wanted to go and have a good experience and do my best and make Utah proud. I really wanted to make the most out of that experience because it really was a once in a lifetime experience for me.”

There were rumblings that she would have a harder time, given Utah’s recent wins in the competition, but the soon-to-be Timpanogos senior just did her best.

When it was time for the results to be announced, the announcer started naming the Top 10, starting at No. 10. As the names were read off, Aubrie Christensen started to get more nervous.

“I was thinking that as long as I made the Top 10, I’d make my state proud and I’d be able to say I did well,” she said. “But then I didn’t hear my name and I started worrying that it would be so embarrassing to not even make the Top 10.”

She recalled them having a very long pause right before announcing the winner of the competition, long enough for her to look around and wonder who it would be.

“And then they said ‘Miss Utah!’ and I honestly just stood there for a second,” Aubrie Christensen said with a laugh. “I was thinking, ‘who is Miss Utah?’ It was a pretty cool shock for me. I was like, ‘did I just win nationals?'”

There was no doubt from her cheering section, however.

“My family and friends were screaming their heads off in the crowd,” she said. “My mom was bawling. It was it was definitely an amazing experience.”

She now faces a very busy schedule over the coming months. Not only will she be completing her final year of high school but she will have both state and national duties as rodeo queen.

“I feel so blessed and honored to be able to represent Utah high school rodeo at nationals, but now I’ll be representing the National High School Rodeo Association as well,” Aubrie Christensen said. “I’ll be visiting places like South Dakota, Texas and Las Vegas for the National Finals Rodeo as well as other places. I hope to visit high school rodeos across the nation and many rodeos in Utah as well.

“I still have all my duties as the Utah High School Rodeo Queen but now I’m on the national board. I get to go to meetings with all the national personnel where they change rules or notice new things that we can improve on as an association. I get to sit in on those meetings and help pitch in my ideas and concerns too.”

Her main goal is to inspire the future rodeo queens and athletes to believe in themselves.

“I want to focus on inspiring young girls like me and to spread kindness everywhere I go,” Aubrie Christensen said. “No matter where I’m at, I want to do something to serve other people. To me, spreading kindness means service.”

But perhaps the best part of her experience is seeing how proud her family is of her achievements.

“Most of my family was in tears,” Aubrie Christensen said. “Many of them competed in high school rodeo, but they never made it past state. For me just to make it to nationals was an amazing opportunity for them because I got to bring the whole I guess you could say Christensen family to Nationals.

“Now for me to become what I guess they’re considering a world champion now is a completely different experience. They were just blown away. My dad keeps talking about how he would’ve have given everything to make it to nationals, let alone become a world champion in his event. It really is an amazing experience and opportunity for my family too.”

In addition to Aubrie Christensen’s success, Utah Valley had one other world champion crowned at nationals as Spanish Fork senior Morgan Beckstrom and her horse Slingshot regained their barrel racing title (she also won in 2021).

For complete results from the National High School Rodeo Finals, go to http://NHSRA.com.