Q&A with HoCo King & Queen

By GABRIELLE SHIOZAWA

Moapa Valley Progress

Gabrielle Shiozawa: What was the best part about being king and queen?

Derek Reese: It was cool just being in front of everyone

Ashlyn Western: It was fun to watch the football game up close!

GS: What does it meant to you to be HoCo royalty?

AW (laughing): It means you get a lot of pictures taken! And…you wear a crown!

DR: It feels pretty cool that people respect us.

AW: I just feel so honored and lucky!

GS: Some people acted pretty surprised when you (DR) continued the tradition of kissing Ashlyn on the cheek. What are your thoughts on that?

DR: I thought it was tradition, so I just sent it!

AW: He asked me for permission! I just thought it was pretty funny how Derek was like, “You ready?” and I was like, “M’kay!” And Derek was preparing, he was like, “So…whoever gets king kisses the queen on the cheek, right?”

DR: Well, my mom told me like, 10 times, and all you guys were like, “Uh…I don’t think so!”

AW: Well, way to honor the tradition! Way to carry that on.

DR: Yeah, I didn’t want to break tradition!

AW: And it was funny the way people kept adding to the story! Some people said Derek kissed me on the mouth…some people said we dipped!

GS: What did you do to prepare for the ceremony?

AW (laughing): My sisters and I did practice the Sunday before how to wave [like a queen]! Something I’ve learned from this experience is that I’m pretty crappy at waving with my left hand.

DR: I’m pretty crappy at waving with both hands! Before the ceremony, I was thinking, “Okay, whoever wins, just be happy for them, give them a little hug.” I felt like it would have been weird if we didn’t.

GS: What has it been like since you were crowned?

AW: A lot of people have talked to me about it since then! So many different people, people I don’t normally talk to. It’s made me realize that, oh, a lot of people do watch us. Even when you think no one’s watching, there are people who notice what you do.