There's something in the water in Edam, Saskatchewan.
That's because Shylah Sitter was crowned Miss Rodeo Agribition Wednesday night during the intermission of the Maple Leaf Finals Rodeo. Grace Pain and Sunny Schutte were the other competitors.
"My reaction was not what I thought it was going to be. I was not expecting it," Sitter said. "When they announced my name, I was like, oh my goodness. And then I instantly dropped, and I felt my legs start to shake, and I was shaking."
Sitter is the second woman from Edam to win the crown after Abbey Harty, the current Miss Rodeo Canada. She said Harty gave her some advice on how to carry herself as Miss Rodeo Agribition.
"(Harty) prepared me lots for the social media aspect of this, if I'm being honest. And her main thing was just be you. Be you, because they want you for you." Sitter added.
Sitter knew Harty while growing up in Edam, though they hung out in different social circles.
"We don't live very far from each other. She's a couple years older than me, so we never really hung out in the same crowd. And from a small town, there's about three young girls that ride regularly at the arena that we have in the summer." said Sitter.
There were three aspects of the competition: horsemanship, public speaking, and a test of rodeo competition knowledge.
"The horsemanship was definitely the hardest," Sitter recalled. "The horses were absolutely phenomenal, thanks to Dallas Valley (Ranch Camp), they were amazing. And then we did a flag lap with a horse that taught all of us very good horsemanship."
The theme of her speech was her journey to this competition.
"I had a couple setbacks with some of my horses that had passed away on me or had gotten sick. And then basically the premises of it was just don't give up, because you never know what life holds for you. And that is my biggest advice to anyone, is don't give up. Keep doing what you want to do, follow your dreams, because you only live once, do it." she explained.
Sitter is currently a lady-in-waiting, meaning she will take over the Miss Rodeo Agribition crown once Harty's reign concludes. Sitter's reign starts January 1, 2026.
