Women’s Rodeo World Championship Week Kicks off at Cowtown Coliseum With Unprecedented Opportunities for Women in Rodeo

By: Darci Miller

FORT WORTH, Texas – Just a few steps away from the iconic Cowtown Coliseum in Fort Worth, Texas, there’s a star on the Trail of Fame for Rebecca Tyler Lockhart, who founded the American Paint Horse Association (APHA) in 1961.

APHA Executive Director Billy Smith spoke about Lockhart on the steps of Cowtown Coliseum on Monday morning at the press conference kicking off the WCRA’s Women’s Rodeo World Championship.

“She’s not with us anymore,” Smith said, “but you’ve got to be thinking her mind has got to be blown at where we are today and what we’ve been able to do.”

Women’s rodeo has come a long way since the 1960s, even in the last few years.

“Four years ago, we sat down with the WCRA and we started to talk about opportunities to create earning potential and true championships for the ladies in rodeo,” said PBR Commissioner and CEO Sean Gleason. “They were fairly underserved at the time, and we’re trying to go fix that. And I couldn’t think of a better place to celebrate it than right here in front of this building. This is the site of the very first PBR event. It’s also the site of the first indoor rodeo, and it’s the home where we choose to celebrate now the women’s championships as we create more history and more opportunities for ladies in rodeo.”

For a long time, women’s rodeo contestants were largely left out of major events and competitions. Now, Fort Worth has declared May 15-20 to be Women’s Rodeo World Championship Week, featuring the Women’s Rodeo World Championship, the Cowgirl Gathering, and more, held in conjunction with the PBR World Finals at Dickies Arena.

“This week, we will pay out over $1.1 million to cowgirls,” said Linsey Rosser Sumpter, Commissioner of the Women’s Rodeo World Championship. “Four years ago, they envisioned the largest female rodeo finals in the world, and they have accomplished that with our amazing partners here in Fort Worth and the sponsors that have contributed to women in the industry. After this year, we will pay out over $3 million to female athletes alone.

“Last week in Corpus Christi, Martha Angelone and Sissy Winn won the championships at Rodeo Corpus, the first leg of the Triple Crown of Rodeo. This will be their second invite for a million-dollar bonus.”

The rise of women’s rodeo was a long, long time in the making, and Gleason is steadfast in his support and adamant that this is only the beginning.

“Somebody’s got to do it. Actually, all of us have to do it,” Gleason said. “I take a lot of arrows sometimes for making changes in the business of rodeo or the business of bull riding. I take a few arrows. But pioneers take the arrows, and I’m not afraid to stand up here and say that the ladies deserve every opportunity that a man gets in the sport of rodeo.

“Especially my daughter, who I still have to support and would love for her to earn more money as a rodeo contestant,” he joked.

The Women’s Rodeo World Championship isn’t the only event paying out huge sums to female athletes this week. The APHA’s Cowgirl Gathering also offers its contestants a huge purse.

“We’ve been able to put the Cowgirl Gathering in here, which puts another $300,000 in purse money for team ropers, breakaway ropers, barrel racers, and that’s an incredible opportunity,” Smith said. “There’s a lot of girls who are taking away a lot of money this week, and it probably should’ve happened a long time ago, but we’re glad it’s happening here.”

In another nod to the history of women’s rodeo, Sumpter introduced the Pam Minick Lifetime Achievement Award. In the future, it will be given to women who are leaders in the Western sports industry. The first one was given to its namesake, a World Champion calf roper, 11-time Women’s National Finals Rodeo qualifier, and National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame inductee who served as the president of the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association.

Minick was on hand at Cowtown Coliseum and shocked by the announcement.

“This is a total surprise,” she said. “This was supposed to be about you guys, so we’ll get on with the show, but I’m overwhelmed and I’m honored.”

“We call Pam the real mayor of Fort Worth, just so y’all know,” joked Fort Worth mayor Mattie Parker. “Fort Worth is very proud to be home to numerous world-class Western sporting events, and we could not be more thrilled to also be home for this historic Women’s Rodeo World Championship Week, providing newfound competition opportunities for the top female athletes in their sport. This weeklong event, bringing together the Women’s Rodeo World Championship, Cowgirl Gathering, and more, will feature more than 800 women’s rodeo athletes competing for more than $1.45 million in prize money. It’s an honor to be the host city for such an event that is expanding competitive opportunities for professional female athletes.

“Our hometown bull riding team, the Texas Rattlers, share our city’s excitement as well. They are sponsoring a Team Texas bonus, which will not only shine a light on some of our state’s top women’s rodeo athletes but also add another level of prominence to this event. The city of Fort Worth looks forward to our continued partnership with you all as we continue to break the mold and charter new paths in women’s rodeo.”

As the event concluded, a current athlete was on hand to offer her perspective on the growth of women’s rodeo. Jada Trosper will compete this week in barrel racing, and she says she’s here to work hard and represent the women of her sport.

“This is such an incredible opportunity to be here and compete here for this amount of money,” Trosper said. “I think, right now more than ever, the women are starting to shine in our sport, and I’m so grateful to have these amazing associations like the WCRA to help us become known in this sport and recognized. This is going to be an incredible week. We always have fun in the historic Cowtown Coliseum, and we’re just grateful to be here.”

Photo courtesy of Andy Watson/Bull Stock Media

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