Ms. Tournoi Queen Shawn Guidry

By: HEATHER
BOGARD
Associate Editor

“Tournoi is the only title I have ever held, but it definitely has exceeded my expectations,” shares outgoing 2022 Ms. Tournoi Queen Shawn Borel Guidry. She adds, “My favorite event with my queen sisters was our (own) Le Tournoi, as this was the first title for all of us and we were able to experience this together.” Through her reign, she adds, “I have learned that it’s okay to step outside of my comfort zone and that Tournoi is not only about the championship it’s about family, culture, heritage, and history.”
As Ms. Tournoi Queen, Guidry had the opportunity to travel the the state and telling others about the history of Le Tournoi. She shares, “I have traveled just under 3,000 miles attending many events this past year, including the Natchitoches Meat Pie festival, Ragley Heritage and Timber, Cutoff Hurricane Festival, New Iberia Spanish Festival Ball and pageants, Atchafalaya Festival, Cotton Festival pageant, Basile Swine Festival and pageant, Chackbay Gumbo Festival, Cracklin pageant, Gheens Bon Mange Festival Queens events, Festival of Bonfires in Lutcher, Zwolle Loggers pageant, Breaux Bridge Crawfish Festival, Scott Boudin Festival, Lake Charles Armed Forces pageant and the Pirate Festival pageant.”
Her favorite thing, Guidry recalls, was being able to attend some of the meetings with the Louisiana Tournoi Association to prepare for the 2022 Championship. She shares, “I love seeing people’s faces light up when I get to explain what Le Tournoi is about and how the Knights ride on horseback with lances capturing the seven rings that represents the evils of cotton.”
The wife of Marty Guidry of St. Martinvllle, Guidry is employed as an advance tech support specialist with AT&T. She enjoys spending time with her family, camping and traveling. In the future, she hopes to retire and spend more time with her husband and family. Guidry thanks her sister queens for making this year so special, director Ms. Rachael Vidrine for always being a call or text away, her family for always traveling and supporting her and the Tournoi knights for keeping this tradition alive.
“To be a good queen,” Guidry shares with her successor, “I think one has to show it’s not about the crown, it’s about what you are representing and who you represent. Take in as much knowledge as you can and spread that to others. Traveling and promoting Tournoi to others will help teach others about the heritage and culture and bring more people so they can experience it, and that is what keeps it going for the generations to come.” She also encourages her successor to “Get to know your knights, go to as many events you can and continue to promote La Tournoi.”