A Year as The Princess
MEQUON, Wis. – It has been a fairytale journey for Concordia Wisconsin sophomore Ava Booth. A guard on the CUW women's basketball team, Booth has also served as the Wisconsin Holstein Association (WHA) Princess for the past year.
The Wisconsin Holstein Association (WHA) is a membership organization with the purpose of promoting the Registered Holstein breed and its breeders and owners. WHA provides its members with the opportunity for statewide recognition and education through an adult and junior convention, district shows, a statewide championship show, top performer recognition, and young and distinguished breeder recognition. Membership also saves you money on animal registrations with Holstein Association USA
Last December, Booth was crowned as the WHA Princess and has enjoyed a whirlwind of adventures ever since.
The Wisconsin Holstein Royalty serve as the ambassadors for the Wisconsin Holstein Association. The Princess and Princess Attendant attend WHA, community and dairy industry events where they represent the Registered Holstein breed and dairy industry as a whole.
"Being the Wisconsin Holstein Princess was an amazing opportunity for me to serve and promote the Wisconsin Dairy Industry," said Booth. "As Princess, I traveled to all areas of the state promoting the Holstein cow along with the entire dairy industry at shows, fairs and through media interviews."
As Booth has traveled the state, she had the opportunity to learn many things and meet many new faces.
"Over the past year, I have learned many valuable lessons personally and professionally. Today, I'm more confident public speaking, educating and interacting with all generations of people," Booth stated.
For Booth, the WHA runs in her blood and she started to get involved in the dairy industry at a young age. Her mother, Courtney was the 50th Alice in Dairyland and her father, Chris, was named the WHA Holstein Boy as a junior and is now a large animal veterinarian.
"I have been involved with the dairy industry and WHA for as long as I can remember," said Booth. "I started showing my cows at the age of four and have been showing ever since. When I got to the age of eight, I was able to start competing in competitions to test my dairy knowledge through the association. As I grew older, I was able to participate in Dairy Jeopardy, Dairy Judging, Dairy Quiz Bowl and the speaking contest at the yearly convention."
Being a student-athlete is already a difficult challenge. Having to balance getting schoolwork finished, attending classes, working on projects, getting to practicing, scouting for opponents and competing in contests can be difficult to manage. Now to add the responsibilities of being the Princess on top of that, Booth gave herself a challenging task. But Booth showed the drive of a Falcon and the dignity of a Princess.
"This was definitely a challenge but good communication was a huge part of my success! Working with my mentors and using their advice on how to succeed through balancing many things in life is what helped me through," said Booth. "One of the little things I implemented was writing myself a to-do list for each area of responsibility. This would help me stay on track. Learning how to prioritize, setting reminders and allowing others to support me where they could helped me to balance basketball, Princess and school."
While being a princess is challenging, coaching a Princess can be a challenge too. Coach Stacey Brunner-Jones not only allows her student-athletes to thrive on the basketball, court but to also soar in their studies and interests.
"We are so proud of Ava," said head coach Stacey Brunner-Jones. "Being the WHA Princess is a huge responsibility and it was stressful for her and for us during the season. But Ava has great time management and loves both of her roles as a college basketball player and as a princess. Our team has learned so much from Ava about Wisconsin dairy farms."
Being a CUW student-athlete and a Princess has allowed Booth to have a positive impact on many people's lives around the state of Wisconsin. Throughout the year, she realized that her responsibilities were greater than just wearing the tiara and sash.
"Being a princess means so much more than just the tiara and sash. I was a role model and light for so many youth. This role is a perfect opportunity to teach them about our strong dairy industry and all the things that they are able to accomplish by working hard and seizing all the opportunities available through the Wisconsin Holstein Association. I was so honored to be chosen to lead and inspire others to learn more about the Holstein cow," Booth stated.
As her time as the Princess comes to an end, Booth's reign will be remembered by the amazing memories and journeys that filled this past year.
"There are so many positive reasons this role is so special. One of the most rewarding parts was the friendships that I was able to make during my travels this summer. I have gained mentors who are some of the most genuine and caring people in the world. Another positive is traveling and seeing the unique ways we promote agriculture through our dedicated farmers and enthusiastic youth. Being the Wisconsin Holstein Association Princess has been an incredible opportunity where I have learned and grown in so many ways"
So next time you are watching Ava Booth and the Falcons compete on the Falcon Athletic Network, we recommend tuning in with a cold glass of milk with a warm buttery cookie in celebration of the Wisconsin Holstein cow and our amazing dairy farmers in our state.
