WPRA, WCRA and Cowgirl Gathering Collaborate to Ensure November Competition Schedule Benefits all Athletes
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado – WPRA (Women’s Professional Rodeo Association), WCRA (World Champions Rodeo Alliance) and The Cowgirl Gathering today announced that they collaborated together to coordinate their competition schedules. The unity of the three organizations will allow athletes to compete in the three events with the goal of limited schedule conflict.
“If we have learned anything this year it is to be flexible,” said Doreen Wintermute, CEO of the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association. “Although the WPRA dates were set in advance, once we learned of the impending conflicts, we knew we needed to work together to maximize the opportunities presented to our members. We are thankful for everyone’s hard work and patience to get to this point.”
The blockbuster week of events (Women’s Rodeo World Championship, WPRA World Finals, and The Cowgirl Gathering) will showcase one of the largest weekends in women’s rodeo history and combined will pay a projected payout of more than $1.2 million.
According to WCRA President Bobby Mote the WCRA is overjoyed to work together to erase all invisible barriers and try their best to reduce schedule conflict. Mote also stated that it’s important to work together with organizations like the WPRA and The Cowgirl Gathering who are good for cowgirls which in-turn is good for rodeo.
Payout and entry dates for each event is as follows:
| Event | Projected Payout | Entry Dates | Where to Enter |
| Women’s Rodeo World Championship | $750,000 | 7/27 – 10/25 | HERE |
| WPRA World Finals | $250,000* | 10/1 – 11/3 | HERE |
| The Cowgirl Gathering | $205,000 | 10/27 – 11/3 | HERE |
*Estimated based on 2019 entries and added money
Please visit the links below for the schedules of each event:
| Event | Schedule |
| Women’s Rodeo World Championship | HERE |
| WPRA World Finals | HERE |
| The Cowgirl Gathering | HERE |
Women’s Professional Rodeo Association
The Women’s Professional Rodeo Association (WPRA) is the oldest women’s sports organization in the country. The Association started in 1948 with a group of Texas ranch women who wanted to add a little color and femininity to the rough-and-tumble sport of rodeo. A major move at the time, 38 women met in a hotel in San Angelo, Texas, on February 28, 1948, to change the way they were being treated in the male-dominated world of rodeo. These women banded together to create the very first professional sports association created solely for women by women – the Girls Rodeo Association (GRA). The GRA began with 74 original members with 60 approved contests with a total payout of $29,000. In 1981, the GRA changed its name to the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association (WPRA). Today, it is a computerized association with more than 3,000 members, over 1,700 events and payouts totaling over $7 million. The WPRA, headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colo., provides opportunities for women across the United States and Canada to compete in the timed events of barrel racing, team roping, breakaway roping, and tie-down roping. For more information on the WPRA and a list of events visit www.wpra.com.
About WCRA
WCRA is a professional sport and entertainment entity, created to develop and advance the sport of rodeo by aligning all levels of competition. In association with the PBR, WCRA produces major rodeo events, developing additional opportunities for rodeo-industry competitors, stakeholders, and fans. To learn more, visit wcrarodeo.com. For athletes interested in learning more about the WCRA Virtual Rodeo Qualifier (VRQ) system, visit app.wcrarodeo.com.
About Cowgirl Gathering
The Cowgirl Gathering is a celebration in the heart of Fort Worth, designed to showcase spectacular, inspirational women from all walks of life who embody the spirit of the American Cowgirl. Whether you are a competitor or just want to experience the spark of that cowgirl essence, the Cowgirl Gathering is your event. This weekend takeover of the historic Fort Worth Stockyards highlights cowgirls’ skills in breakaway roping, team roping and barrel racing, while also showcasing exhilarating and engaging female speakers, a Western fashion show and much more. It’s her heart and soul that makes a cowgirl who she is—determined and fierce and ready to take on the world—and we’re excited to showcase that spirit in the heart and soul of Cowtown this November.
Courtesy of WPRA