Growing up in a rodeo-centered family, Melody Gist never imagined she would one day step onto center stage as a rodeo queen.
As a more reserved child, Gist spent her high school years watching her younger, more extroverted sister compete in rodeo queen contests. She never found interest in partaking in them herself, instead setting her sights on college rodeo events like barrel racing and goat tying.
But once she got to Cal Poly, Gist decided to step outside her comfort zone and compete in her very first rodeo queen contest.
Now a biochemistry freshman, Gist holds the title of Miss Cal Poly Rodeo 2025. As the reigning Poly Royal Rodeo Queen, she serves “as a representative of the program in and out of the arena,” Gist said.
Gist debuted at the Poly Royal Rodeo Wednesday in her ‘Miss Cal Poly Rodeo 2025’ sash and a gold embellished hat. She displayed the flags of Cal Poly’s rodeo teams’ sponsors riding around the arena, pushing breakaway calves back into the strip and shoot and working to ensure the event runs efficiently, Gist explained.
Beyond her duties as queen, Gist competed in the barrel racing event in the Poly Royal Rodeo Friday night.
Following the rodeo, Gist is determined to make an impact with rodeo audiences and competitors. For her, acting as queen is not just about being a role model to young girls and other college students; it is helping incoming college students realize they don’t have to choose between school or sports — they can succeed at both.
“I thought I had to pick [between sports or academics] because I thought it would be too much, but you can make it work if you try,” she said. “I call it ‘building your bridge,’ and it’s kind of becoming my platform.”
Gist will serve as Miss Cal Poly Rodeo until a new queen is crowned in April 2026. Until then, she is expected to attend at least three additional rodeos at the pro and collegiate level.
How she was crowned queen
The Miss Cal Poly Rodeo 2025 contest took place on April 5, with results announced on Instagram that evening.
All rodeo team members trying out competed in three categories: written, horsemanship, and a poised, personality and appearance category.
The written test is centered around knowledge on the Cal Poly Rodeo team, rodeo itself, Cal Poly Rodeo boosters and the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association. Personal interviews take place between three judges, all Cal Poly alumni. These events are private and closed to the public, Gist said.
For the poised, personality and appearance category, contestants memorize a speech, answer follow-up questions and walk a set pattern to model. This event and the horsemanship event are both open to the public, according to Gist.
The final horsemanship category consists of an interview and a set pattern to follow twice while on horseback — once on their own horse and again on another contestant’s horse. Riding someone else’s horse during a rodeo queen contest is unique to Cal Poly’s contest, Gist explained.
Miss Cal Poly Rodeo 2024, Sydney Goldwyn, was in attendance, cheering on the potential rodeo queens.
“For horsemanship, I was at the gate, so I was able to help them with stirrups or get in the mental game before they go into the arena,” Goldwyn said. “It was really fun because we were all friends.”
It was never Gist’s plan to compete in rodeo queen pageants, but after winning Cal Poly’s Miss Cal Poly Rodeo contest, her mindset has changed.
“I think I found something that I love,” Gist said.
