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SALT LAKE CITY — An American Fork woman is one of 20 women across the globe in the running to become the 10th ever "Extreme Huntress."
Online voting in the semifinal round began May 1 and Sheena Cook is listed as the lone Utah representative on the ballot. If Cook passes through that round, she will be flown to Texas for another round and, eventually, the winner will be named in January 2019 at the Dallas Safari Club.
“It feels pretty amazing. I guess even if I don’t get it — my smile is just from ear-to-ear,” Cook said. “It’s not all about popularity or what someone looks like ... I’m wanting to be a spokesperson for all the women out there and for generations to come, as far as hunting goes.”
The award is meant to help create female role models in outdoor sporting, according to the competition’s website. Competition organizers state that the award “continues to set the bar for serious outdoorswomen, while at the same time providing positive role models for women who are new to hunting, shooting and other traditional outdoor sports.”
Cook, an avid hunter, said she has thought about entering the competition the past few years but didn’t for one reason or another. While it was in the back of her mind, Cook made sure to enter for the 2019 crown this year with the encouragement of her daughter.
Cool submitted a video and wrote an essay on why she should be picked for the award prior to when the semifinalists were selected. In all, female hunters from 10 different states and four countries are vying for the title.
As Cook puts it, she was born into hunting. Her parents and extended family hunted when she grew up. She recalls fondly on family trips hunting but said she kind of fell away from it during her adolescent years. Cook later returned to hunting after meeting her husband and the family hunts regularly.
“(Growing up), all it was about was providing meat for the family and to just have family time out in the mountains,” she said. “It’s been that way for us, but not only do I get to feed my family and to have that experience, but I get to mount that animal on my wall and just talk to people that don’t know anything about it just about the experiences I had doing it.”
Cook added she’s happy for the support her family has given her as she tries to win the competition. She hopes that not only can she be a female role model in the hunting world, but also use it as an example of hard work for her children.
“To see my kids (see me) going through with this and (them) pushing me to do it, it just shows to them if you put your mind to something, you can’t say you’re never going to win something,” Cook said.
Voting semifinal round concludes on June 1.
