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Harless passes
Annie Oakley sash to her best friend
By Bob Robinson
GREENVILLE – “Courtney was my first runner up last year,” Elisabeth
said. “We’ve been good friends since the second grade… it started with
a little argument. We worked it out and we’ve been friends ever since.”
The argument?
“Well, I tried to talk to her but she wasn’t listening. So I
pulled her hair.”
That’s how the friendship started 10 years ago between 2012 Miss Annie
Oakley Elisabeth Harless and 2013 Miss Annie Oakley Courtney Osborne.
Both are Tri-Village High School juniors and they’ve been good friends
ever since.
They laughed a lot, enjoyed being around their friends, well-wishers…
even strangers. There were plenty – in addition to family and friends –
at the shooting competition.
Whenever something went wrong – like trying to push the pin into the
winners’ costumes – they dealt with it by laughing. When Elisabeth
missed her exhibition shot at 65 feet, she laughed. “Shrug it off,” she
said. She broke the balloon with her second shot.
The idea of pulling someone’s hair to get her attention does not seem
strange for someone who will stand behind cameras and make faces at
those posing. “I’m just trying to get them to smile!”
She was emotional about her good friend and former first runner-up
winning the shoot-off.
“When Courtney won, we hugged each other and cried,” Elisabeth said.
“We cried? I don’t remember. I’ll have to ask her,” Courtney responded,
grinning.
Courtney was all business during the competition.
“Are you going to win?”
“I hope so.”
“That’s no way to show your confidence.”
“Yes! I’m going to win!”
Then she won. Afterwards, Courtney couldn’t keep a straight face.
Comments by competition announcer Rick Brewer cracked her up more than
once. And she was always grinning throughout the weekend of the
festival.
“This weekend has been a blast,” she said.
“It feels pretty good. I practiced a lot. My dad set out the target for
me, and I practiced.” Elisabeth concurred, saying “she worked hard.”
Elisabeth was relieved to be able to wear jeans and a T-shirt.
“Courtney is going to be facing a lot of parades on very hot days,” she
said.
She remembered the previous year in the final round. “It was amazing.”
“It was just her and me. We looked at each other, both wondering who
would end up winning.” It would be 105 feet before the contest was
decided, a distance not seen in years.
Last year Elisabeth wore the sash. This year she put the sash on her
friend Courtney.
“I think I’m going to cry,” she said at one point, adding that she was
going to miss it.
“I’m going the miss the vendors, the parades… going to the library and
reading to little kids.”
She rode in 23 parades during her year.
“I’d search the Internet. Every time I saw a parade I sent a request.”
She noted there was nothing in the rules against someone serving twice
as Miss Annie Oakley, but they won’t let her compete the year after she
wins.
Next year?
“Maybe. I’m thinking about it.”
See a complete photo gallery of the competition and pilgrimage here
Story published
courtesy of The Early Bird
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