THE CIRCUIT SYSTEM
While many of us dream of making a living as a full-time rodeo cowgirl, the truth of the matter is that the majority of us have to work a 9-to-5 job and only get to compete on the weekend at those rodeos that are closer to home. In 1975, the PRCA created the circuit system as a way to organize these part-time rodeo competitors. Based on geographic boundaries, the country is divided into twelve specific regions known as “circuits.” At the beginning of the member- ship year, each WPRA member designates her circuit, usually the area that she lives in or prefers to compete in. Some circuits are made up of several states put together, such as the Great Lakes circuit, while other circuits, like Texas, consist of just one state. The WPRA office maintains point standings for each of the individual circuits and at the end of the regular rodeo season, each circuit produces a circuit final rodeo. The top contestants in each circuit compete against one another and at the end of the circuit finals, a year-end champion is crowned.
The Circuit System went one step further in 1987 when the Dodge National Circuit Finals Rodeo (DNCFR) was created. The DNCFR, held annually in Pocatello, Idaho, until the PRCA moved the event to Oklahoma City in 2011, at which time the name also changed to the Ram National Circuit Finals Rodeo (RNCFR), brings together all the top circuit competitors for a unique head-to-head rodeo event. In 2015, the event moved to Kissimmee, Fla. In 2022, the event changed names and locations. The event is now called the NFR Open and is held in July in conjunction with the Pikes Peak or Bust Rodeo in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The year-end circuit champion and the average winner from each circuit’s final rodeo are invited to compete at the NFR Open including women’s breakaway roping that was added in 2022. This event is one of the few times you will see contestants from all across the national competing in the same arena.
Columbia River Circuit
Montana Circuit
Badlands Circuit
First Frontier Circuit
Wilderness Circuit
Mountain States Circuit
Great Lakes Circuit
Prairie Circuit
California Circuit
Turquoise Circuit
Southeastern Circuit
Texas Circuit
40 WPRA NEWS MARCH 2023
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