For a 16-year-old girl, Lilly Masopust doesn’t have a typical teenage lifestyle. Being on the ranch, herding cattle with her grandfather and watching western movies are just a few of her favorite activities.
Each day she is up before the sun, tending to her animals or preparing for rodeos or the Santa Barbara County Fair, where she shows her steer.
Now, she is even busier, because she has been chosen as the 2019 Santa Ynez Valley Youth Recreation Queen.
“I have been going to Youth Rec events since I can remember, and some of my favorite memories are going to the kickoff event with my family,” she said.
She is the daughter of Ian and Robin (Roberts) Masopust of Los Olivos. She is following the path of her mother, who was the Elks Rodeo Queen in 1995 before Youth Rec split off from the larger Santa Maria Elks campaign to raise money on its own.
“I never pushed her to want to be queen like I did, but we always support the campaign every year and volunteer,” he mother said. “When Lilly said she wanted to be queen, I have to admit I was really excited.”
“I grew up playing softball and soccer on a lot of the fields Youth Rec has helped build, and I don’t think a lot of kids know the organization that made it happen,” Masopust said. “I am so happy to be queen to help give back to my community.”
SYV Youth Rec has raised more than $3 million in the past 62 years for local youth programs and facilities and has funded many projects at Santa Ynez Valley Union High School, fields at local elementary and middle schools, and the volleyball, baseball and soccer fields at Sunny Fields Park.
When Ballard School was remodeled, for example, the group put in the basketball courts, ball fields and playground equipment. Youth Rec also contributed to the construction of the new barn at the high school’s farm, supported the auto shop program, and completed renovations of the baseball fields and softball fields.
Other projects include helping with the skate park at Hans Christian Andersen Park in Solvang, and playground equipment at Solvang Elementary School and Los Olivos Elementary School, among many others.
Masopust said she is proud of her roots as a sixth-generation resident of Los Olivos. Her great-great-great-grandfather lived there, and her great-great-grandparents farmed and raised cattle. The property they live on has been in their family for several generations, and at one time before Highway 154 cut in front of their property, the Roberts family also owned a restaurant.
“I love that I live in the same house my grandfather and great-grandmother grew up in. Being out on the ranch with my family, raising cattle and riding my horses are just a part of me,” Lilly said.
She also has grown up participating in 4-H and now is the president of her club, Valley 4-H. She shows her steers and heifers every year at the Santa Barbara County Fair and takes her steer to jackpot shows to earn money for her cattle herd and rodeo horses.
“I bought my first horse from money I earned in 4-H. It teaches you responsibility and so many great life skills, like money management and such,” Masopust said.
In rodeo, she competes in California High School Rodeo Association District 7 and the Central Coast Classic Association. She rides in barrel racing, pole bending, goat tying, break-away roping and more.
She is a sophomore at Dunn School, where she is on the basketball team and the student council.
Youth Rec continues to sponsor youth basketball and summer swim programs, support Arts Outreach youth programs, and maintain the support of local youth teams and tournaments in the Santa Ynez Valley and Los Alamos.
The kickoff event for this year’s fundraising campaign will start at 5 p.m. Saturday with a cocktail hour followed by a tri-tip dinner and auction at 6 p.m. at the Santa Ynez Valley Equestrian Center.
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