WCRA (World Champions Rodeo Alliance), WPRA (Women’s Professional Rodeo Association) and The Cowgirl Gathering today announced that they joined forces to coordinate their competition schedules. The unity of the three organizations will allow athletes to compete in the three events with the goal of limited schedule conflict.
[READ MORE: The Cowgirl Gathering’s Big Weekend in Women’s Western Sports]
[READ MORE: WRWC Moves to Texas]
“With these three events being on the same week, we are overjoyed that we could work together to erase all invisible barriers and do our best to reduce schedule conflict,” said WCRA President Bobby Mote. “It’s important for us to work together with organizations that are good for cowgirls which in-turn is good for rodeo.”
The blockbuster week of events (Women’s Rodeo World Championship, WPRA World Finals, and The Cowgirl Gathering) will showcase one of the largest weekends in women’s rodeo history and combined will pay a projected payout of more than $1.2 million.
According to WPRA CEO Doreen Wintermute; once the WPRA learned of the impending conflicts, the organization knew they needed to work together to maximize the opportunities presented to WPRA members.
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American Paint Horse Association CMO Steven Hayes also stated that The Cowgirl Gathering is excited to be working with WCRA and WPRA to ensure all the cowgirls have an opportunity to run at this kind of this money during their inaugural year.
Women’s Professional Rodeo Association
The Women’s Professional Rodeo Association (WPRA) is the oldest women’s sports organization in the country. The Association started in 1948 with a group of Texas ranch women who wanted to add a little color and femininity to the rough-and-tumble sport of rodeo. A major move at the time, 38 women met in a hotel in San Angelo, Texas, on February 28, 1948, to change the way they were being treated in the male-dominated world of rodeo. These women banded together to create the very first professional sports association created solely for women by women – the Girls Rodeo Association (GRA). The GRA began with 74 original members with 60 approved contests with a total payout of $29,000. In 1981, the GRA changed its name to the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association (WPRA). Today, it is a computerized association with more than 3,000 members, over 1,700 events and payouts totaling over $7 million. The WPRA, headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colo., provides opportunities for women across the United States and Canada to compete in the timed events of barrel racing, team roping, breakaway roping, and tie-down roping. For more information on the WPRA and a list of events visit www.wpra.com.
About The Cowgirl Gathering
The Cowgirl Gathering is a celebration in the heart of Fort Worth, designed to showcase spectacular, inspirational women from all walks of life who embody the spirit of the American Cowgirl. Whether you are a competitor or just want to experience the spark of that cowgirl essence, the Cowgirl Gathering is your event. This weekend takeover of the historic Fort Worth Stockyards highlights cowgirls’ skills in breakaway roping, team roping and barrel racing, while also showcasing exhilarating and engaging female speakers, a Western fashion show and much more. It’s her heart and soul that makes a cowgirl who she is—determined and fierce and ready to take on the world—and we’re excited to showcase that spirit in the heart and soul of Cowtown this November.
