AUSTIN, Tex. – Ahead of the 2022 $750,000 Women’s Rodeo World Championship (WRWC), the richest women’s event in the history of rodeo has announced a new World Championship race for both Pro and Challenger athletes at the May 16-18 event. The 2022 event will also introduce new changes including quarterly challenger classifications, a point scale for the world championship race, and new exemptions.
The Triple Crown of Rodeo event will be held in Fort Worth, Texas May 16-18 and will award a $750,000 guaranteed payout with equal money in all four disciplines.
The organization announced that World Championship titles will be crowned in all disciplines (heading, heeling, breakaway roping, barrel racing) from both the Pro Leaderboard and the Challenger Leaderboard. Athletes will still be competing for the $60,000 Event Champion title, and the All-Around World Championship will be awarded based on total points earned from the combined pro and challenger leaderboards.
“With the introduction of both the Pro and Challenger World Champions awarded at this event, we are taking significant step in tiering the sport,” said WCRA President Bobby Mote. “Athletes can earn a championship against peers at multiple skill levels. This is an element we will continue to focus on for the future of the sport.”
According to Mote, the competition format update allows them to crown World Champions in both the Pro and Challenger ranks based on total regular season points earned as well as the bonus points which are available at the WRWC. They will also offers a high stakes payout in a “sudden death” format, in the Triple Crown of Rodeo round of competition and create a sports media product that is simple and presents well to fans on television.
In 2021, the WRWC CBS Network broadcast drew in over 2.3 million viewers.
Throughout the 2022 WRWC segment (Oct. 4, 2021 – Apr. 17), Pro and Challenger athletes will accumulate points from their efforts in the Virtual Rodeo Qualifier (VRQ) and those points earned will then be combined with the new 2022 World Points breakdown that will be awarded onsite for the WRWC Qualifying Rounds, Semi-Final Round and Aggregate.
The new 2022 World Points breakdown can be viewed HERE.
The Showdown and Triple Crown rounds occur after the World Championships have been awarded. These rounds will not be included in the cumulative points for the 2022 World Championships.
Each event Champion will walk away with $60,000 while the All-Around Champion will earn a $20,000 cash bonus. WRWC will also award each World Champion a $5,000 bonus per discipline per leaderboard along with a Jessie Jaymes Silversmith world champion buckle.
The WRWC also announced that Challenger Classifications will be updated quarterly. Athlete earnings in barrel racing and breakaway roping will be reviewed at the end of each yearly quarter to verify classification status. If an athlete is promoted out of the Challenger Leaderboard, the athlete’s total points and any Qualifier Series generic qualifications in that discipline will be moved to the PRO Leaderboard.
All team ropers will be required to show proof of their classification. Any roper classified as a #4.5 or less is eligible to compete as a Challenger.
WRWC is a culmination of a leaderboard race of rodeo events worldwide for female rodeo athletes at both the Pro and Challenger levels. Athletes can qualify by nominating their rodeo efforts and earning points for the 2022 WRWC leaderboard positions using the VRQ (Virtual Rodeo Qualifier). Athletes have until April 17, 2022 at 11:59 p.m. to nominate and earn points.
Athletes ranked in the top 20 of their respective leaderboard and any athlete with a Qualifier Series generic qualification and the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo Outside Qualifiers are eligible to enter the event.
Up to six Qualifier Series events will be held for Segment W22 per leaderboard while The Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo series will also receive an invite in Barrel Racing and Breakaway Roping (one per discipline).
Athletes can learn how to nominate and earn points HERE.
More information about the event including payout, and format can be found on the WRWC Fast Sheet Here. Athletes can also visit wrwc.rodeo or contact support@wrwc.rodeo.
About WRWC:
WCRA and PBR announced a revolutionary event in women’s rodeo- the Women’s Rodeo World Championship. A first-of-its-kind, the event is open to any female athlete in the world competing in breakaway roping, barrel racing, and team roping. The 2022 Women’s Rodeo World Championship, scheduled May 16-18 is the largest annual payout for a Women’s Rodeo event and will payout over $750,000 while crowning World Champions in the Women’s Rodeo disciplines; Team Roping, Breakaway Roping and Barrel Racing.
