WPRA News May 2023

PRESIDENT CORNER T his month, we get to celebrate all our mothers in a special way on Mother’s Day whether they are still with us here on earth or watching from above. We have many mothers and daughters that have been

more deserving individuals into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame this summer – Fay Ann Horton Leach and Sherry Combs Johnson. Mark your calendars for July 15 and join us in Colorado Springs to honor these two ladies as well as the inductees of the PRCA. In April, we also launched a WPRA Official Merchandise store. Visit our website – www.wpra.com and click on Official Store to see what all we have to offer. We will be adding additional 75th exclusive items in the months to come. I thank those who worked on getting this store up and running. We just wrapped up the second Cowboy Channel’s Resistol Rookie Roundup at Cowtown Coliseum in Fort Worth. The action was top notch, and I am inspired by all the young up-and- coming talent we have in the WPRA. Congrats to Kalli McCall on winning the barrel racing title, while two-event cowgirl Quincy Sullivan captured the breakaway roping title. Thanks to the Cowboy Channel and Resistol for featuring the future of rodeo on a grand stage like the Rookie Roundup. Enjoy this last month before the busy and hectic summer run is upon us and cherish the time with family and friends. Travel safe and Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there!

and are currently members of the WPRA. In this issue, we highlight the Youree family who have impacted multiple generations of the WPRA. Starting with the matriarch Florence Youree who did so much to advance the Association with one of her biggest impacts being getting the barrel race as a staple event in the National Finals Rodeo when it was in Oklahoma City. Her daughter, Renee Ward, followed in her mother’s footsteps and qualified for the NFR in 1985, the first year the NFR was held in Las Vegas. Renee’s two daughters Janae Ward Massey and Kylie Ward Weast have since competed under the bright lights of Las Vegas with Janae winning the world title in 2003. In celebration of our 75th Anniversary and Mother’s Day we think you will enjoy the special story on a very special WPRA family. Speaking of our 75th Anniversary if you are in the Colorado Springs area, I encourage you to stop by the ProRodeo Hall of Fame and check out the WPRA’s special exhibit in the 101 Gallery. This exhibit officially opened on May 1 and will remain a featured exhibit through the middle of September. Take a walk down memory lane with the history and images of the Top 15 barrel racers from the 1960s through 2022. As mentioned last month we will be inducting two

6 WPRA NEWS MAY 2023

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