breakaway ropers are now going through that process as well. While rodeos like Fort Worth and a handful of others offer equal money, the vast majority do not and as the WPRA embarks on their 75th year there are still others that have yet to add breakaway roping as a featured event during their rodeo. The Future – Not Content Yet While the WPRA has come a long way since 1948, there are still new challenges that face the Association in 2023. “I’m proud of where rodeo has gone and the success of the WPRA,” Dusek said. “I always wanted to see more ropings, and I sure see a lot of them that pay darn good for the girls. I think it just keeps getting better. If you looked back to what we made when we were doing it, you would wonder what we were thinking. I’m amazed at all the advancements, and I don’t think any of the founding members ever dreamed it would be this good.”
minded women achieve their common goals. As approved in 1980 by the 1985 rodeo season, the WPRA Board of Directors refused to approve any PRCA rodeo not offering equal money (as compared to the lowest paying men’s event) to the barrel racing. In the end, 98 percent of the 601 PRCA-approved rodeos met that requirement.
In 1987, Charmayne James became the first barrel racer to wear the No. 1 back number at the NFR, honoring the contestant that had won the most money in any event during the regular season. Of the 620 rodeos approved by the PRCA, only 18 didn’t have barrel racing. It took until 1995 until another barrel racer joined James in wearing the prestigious No. 1 back number, Sherry Potter Cervi. In 2016, Mary Burger wore the No. 1 back number; she also became the oldest world champion – male or female – at the age of 68 years and 4 months. Second Featured Event While barrel racing has taken the lead over the last 75 years as being WPRA’s primary event contested at PRCA-sanctioned rodeos, women’s breakaway roping was introduced in this new context in 2017. While the first WPRA World Champion Breakaway Roper was crowned in 1974, it wasn’t until 2017 that the WPRA made a concentrated effort to expand the opportunities for roping members by introducing the event at PRCA-sanctioned events. The ropers made their first mark in the Columbia River Circuit (which includes the states of Oregon and Washington) with the hope this small spark would light a bigger fire within the industry. They introduced breakaway into iconic rodeos like Ellensburg, Washington, and Pendleton, Oregon, and by 2019, the WPRA was sanctioning up to 30 breakaway roping events at PRCA rodeos. In 2020 in partnership with the PRCA, the WPRA agreed to open it up to any sanctioned rodeo wanting to add breakaway roping to its list of events bringing a new spotlight to the event as never before. The WPRA started keeping standings for breakaway events held at PRCA-sanctioned rodeos versus those events co-approved by the WPRA. As a result, in 2020 the WPRA World Champion Breakaway Roper was determined by the ProRodeo standings instead of the traditional WPRA co-approved standings. As a result of the WPRA and PRCA partnership, breakaway ropers now have more opportunities, and the two Associations are working to make the event more “rodeo mainstream.” Much like the barrel racers had to work toward equal money, the
2020 Top 15 Breakaway Ropers at Wrangler National Finals Breakaway Roping (NFBR).
From the very beginning, women have stuck their necks out for equality with varying degrees of success. In the early days of rodeo, some cowtowns recognized the ability women possessed and ditched the beauty pageants typically held for cowgirls. Instead, they held contests like bronc riding, cutting or barrel racing, but those events were few and far between. From the early days of competing for a cigarette case to competing for thousands of dollars of added money and incentive programs provided by the sponsorships secured by the WPRA over the last several decades the face of women in rodeo has certainly changed. Today’s contestants are breaking records, influencing history, and paving a bright future for the future cowgirls. The benefits the contestants receive today would not have been imaginable had it not been for a courageous band of women who roughed it out in the early days of rodeo. In addition, that courage would have been fruitless if it weren’t for the leaders who have stepped forward to accept the WPRA’s baton year after year. Their refusal to take “no” for an answer serves to inspire future generations to recognize and then work to harness the potential of women in rodeo and uphold the iconic legacy of the West. When it comes to the cowgirls of the WPRA, some barriers are simply meant to be broken.
24 WPRA NEWS MARCH 2023
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