As part of Barrel Racing Magazine’s salute to Women In Rodeo all month long in September, we’ve pulled together noteworthy numerals that help illustrate the history of ladies working hard to advance the sport of professional rodeo. Since the 38 Girls Rodeo Association founders put their heads together more than seven decades ago, the women of rodeo have indeed come a long way.
74
That’s the number of years that the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association has been in existence—the very first and most long-lived professional sports association created specifically for women athletes. 74 is also the number of members in the GRA in 1948.
1948
The year that a group of Texas ranch women founded WPRA’s precursor, the Girls Rodeo Association.
$29,000
The total payout during the 1948 GRA season. Margaret Owens won the first barrel racing world championship that year.
1959
The first GRA barrel racing finals was held this year in Clayton, New Mexico, along with the team roping and steer roping. The finals would move from Scottsdale, Arizona, to Santa Maria, California, and then Fort Worth, Texas. In 1968, barrel racing joined all the standard rodeo events to be part of the National Finals Rodeo in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, a move orchestrated by icon Florence Youree.
32
The most world titles won in the WPRA, an honor that belongs to the late Wanda Harper Bush.
$10.257 Million
2021 Wrangler NFR prize money total.
1998
The year barrel racers were awarded equal money at the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas, Nevada.
11
The number of WPRA World Championships earned by Charmayne James — 10 of them consecutively from 1984 to 1993 riding the stalwart gelding Gills Bay Boy, affectionately known as “Scamper.” James earned her 11th with Cruisin On Six, “Cruiser,” in 2002. James made 19 straight NFR’s from 1984-2002.
33,110
Number of WPRA barrel racing entries from the start of the 2022 rodeo season through August 30, 2022.
36,177
Total number of WPRA breakaway and barrel racing times recorded from 2022 rodeos beginning September 30, 2021 through July 18, 2022.
$3,360,306
The WPRA career earnings of multiple world champion Sherry Cervi through the 2021 regular season.
$7,873,619.70
The amount of money paid out at WPRA events in 2021.
13.11
Hailey Kinsel and DM Sissy Hayday’s 2017 NFR arena record.
$194,842.17
The NFR earnings record set by 2021 WPRA World Champion Jordon Briggs in 2021.
136.83/10
The total number of seconds on 10 runs by Jordon Briggs and Rollo in 2021 when they set the Thomas & Mack arena average record.
16.56
Kinsel’s arena-record time on a standard pattern set at the 2020 NFR, which was held in Arlington, Texas, at Globe Life Field. Kinsel became the first WPRA member to win the world title, average title and RAM Top Gun Award all in the same year.
68 years and 4 months
Mary Burger’s age when she captured her second WPRA world title in 2016 and became the oldest male or female at the Wrangler NFR to win a world title.
All statistics courtesy of the WPRA
