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July 19-28, 2024
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COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO – The WPRA is pleased to announce their contract award winners that work tirelessly behind the scenes to make it all happen and keeps the Association alive and well. Each winner will be officially recognized during the WPRA Star Celebration at the South Point Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas on December 2.
Honored this year with the WPRA Outstanding Rodeo Committee Partner is the Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo. The Daddy of ’em All celebrated 125 years in 2021 and in doing so they also added ladies breakaway roping offering equal money to the rest of the events. This was a huge step in keeping the ball rolling for WPRA Breakaway Roping to not only add the event but allow the ropers to run at equal money as the barrel racers and all the men’s events. In 2020, breakaway roping was added to 54 PRCA rodeos and in 2021 that number grew to an astonishing 214. The ladies of the WPRA thank Cheyenne for being a leader and to all the other committees who have included this second women’s event to their line-up.
Another leader in the rodeo industry this past year was stock contractor Pete Carr, who has been an advocate for improving the ground conditions for the barrel racers at his rodeos with a drag or hand rake. Carr will be honored for the second time with the WPRA Stock Contractor of the Year Award. He last earned the honor in 2014.
This year’s Corporate Partner of the Year award goes to Resistol. Each year they have honored the barrel racing rookie of the year and beginning this year they are now also recognizing the breakaway roping rookie of the year. Both ladies (Kylee Scribner and Madison Outhier) will be officially recognized at the Resistol Rookie luncheon in Las Vegas and during the seventh performance of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo.
The National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame will be receiving the Distinguished Partnership award. The award is given in recognition for the years in keeping the history of women in the western industry alive and well and for being gracious hosts for the WPRA luncheons last year when the NFR was moved to Arlington due to the pandemic.
Rodeo committees have long been the backbone of the rodeo industry and that has never been more apparent given all the challenges the pandemic has inflicted over the last two years. Without the hardworking rodeo committees, the industry would have a hard time existing. Winning the WPRA Large Rodeo of the Year award in 2021 is the San Angelo (Texas) Stock Show and Rodeo. The Golden Spike Rodeo in Tremonton, Utah, will be honored as the Medium Rodeo of the Year and the Will Rogers Stampede in Claremore, Oklahoma, will take home the Small Rodeo of the Year.
The WPRA would like to congratulate each of the award recipients as well as those that were nominated for these prestigious awards.
Below is a full list of those that will be recognized by the WPRA in 2021:
Announcer of the Year Will Rasmussen
Stock Contractor of the Year Carr Pro Rodeo – Pete Carr
Judge of the Year Wade Woolstenhulme
Mildred Farris Secretary of the Year Dottie Hayes
Small Rodeo of the Year (added money of $5,000 or less) Will Rogers Stampede (Claremore, OK)
Medium Rodeo of the Year (added money of $5,001 – $9,999) Golden Spike Rodeo (Tremonton, UT)
Large Rodeo of the Year (added money over $10,000) San Angelo (Texas) Stock Show and Rodeo
Corporate Partner of the Year Resistol
Media Award Julie Mankin
Lenora Reimers’ Heritage Award Doreen Wintermute
Outstanding Individual of the Year Jason Jenson
Outstanding Service & Dedication Award Jimmie Munroe
Distinguished Partnership National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame
Lifetime Family Heritage Award Lori Todd Family
NFR Achievement Award Heidi Schmidt
Outstanding Rodeo Committee Partner Cheyenne (WY) Frontier Days
Innovative Media Partner The Cowboy Channel
Innovative Rodeo of the Year Mesilla Valley Stampede (2020 standalone Turquoise Circuit Barrel Racing Finals) – Mesquite, NM