Official Website of the Women's Professional Rodeo Association



Official Merchandise Circuit News Notes from the Road About Us How to Join Applications & Approval Forms Rule Book Contestant Bios Committee Corner Board of Directors Links Contact Us	Membership Application Membership FAQ Thank you for your interest in the Women's Professional Rodeo Association or Professional Women's Rodeo Association. The WPRA/PWRA is devoted to the promotion and protection of women in the sport of professional rodeo. Membership is open only to women and applicants mest be a minimum of 18 years of age to join. There are 12 regional circuits across the United States and each circuit is governed by a circuit director. There is a standard set of rules that is published annually, and if you choose to be a member you will agree to read and abide by these rules. Your membership also includes a subscription to the Women's Pro Rodeo News. The WPRA focuses primarily on barrel races held in conjunction with PRCA rodeos. New members must start out with a Permit. The WPRA rules require that you win $1000 in WPRA competition before you are eligible to buy your WPRA card. The primary differences between a permit and a card are; 1. Permits connot accumulate points to qualifyfor Circuit Finals or the National Finals Rodeo, 2. Permits cannot vote or hold office, and 3. There are some rodeos that do not accept Permit entries. The PWRA focuses on the All Women's rodeo events; Bareback, Bull Riding, Calf Breakaway, Calf Tie Down, and Team Roping. There is a seperate PWRA membership and it does not allow you to compete in barrel races held at PRCA rodeos. Divisional Tours are for barrel races held seperately from PRCA rodeos. They may be held independently or in conjunction with PWRA events. The money won at Divisional Tour barrel races counts toward fillng your permit. There is an annual Women's National Finals Rodeo and Divisional Tour Finals held in November. Again, thank you for your interest in the WPRA/PWRA. The competition is tough and the standards are high but you will be part of the finest women's sports organization in the world. Membership FAQ How old do I have to be to join the WPRA? How long after you receive my application can I enter a WPRA rodeo? How long after you receive my application can I enter a WPRA Divisional Tour? What's the difference between a WPRA rodeo and a Divisional Tour? Does the money I win at Divisional Tour Barrel Races count towards filling my permit? What number do I call to enter a WPRA rodeo? What number do I call to enter a Divisional Tour? What's the difference between a Card and a Permit? What's the difference between a National Permit and a Temporary Permit? I can't find my birth certificate. Can I send some other form of ID? How long is my membership good for? What else comes with my membership? What's a circuit? If permits can't go to circuit finals why do I have to designate a circuit? Do I have to designate the circuit I live in as my circuit? Can I change my circuit in the middle of the year? Do I have to fill out all the background information? What's a "buddy"? Can I buddy with anyone I want? What does the term "age of majority" mean? Why does the application ask for my name twice? How old do I have to be to join the WPRA? You must be at least 18 years of age to join. How long after you receive my application can I enter a WPRA rodeo? There is a minimum three business day processing time for all applications. Each rodeo has a specific member dues date and your application must be received with payment by that date in order for you to be eligible to compete there. For a list of all WPRA approved rodeos and their member dues dates click here. How long after you receive my application can I enter a WPRA Divisional Tour? There is no waiting period to enter a Divisional Tour. As long as we have your application in the office before Divisional Tour starts you are OK to compete there. If you don't have your card number when you go to enter the DT just tell whoever is taking the entries that your application is being processed in the office and they will mark you down as a member. For a complete list of Divisional Tours click here. What's the difference between a WPRA rodeo and a Divisional Tour? WPRA rodeos are barrel races held in conjunction with a PRCA rodeo. A Divisional Tour is a barrel race sanctioned by the WPRA held anywhere but at a PRCA rodeo. Does the money I win at Divisional Tour Barrel Races count towards filling my permit? Yes, it will count towards the $1,000 you need to be eligible for card membership. Money won at DTs will not count for qualification to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo but it does count for qualification to the Divisional Tour National Finals held each year in November in Fort Worth, TX. What number do I call to enter a WPRA rodeo? Entries for all WPRA rodeos are taken by the PRCA's Central Entry Office called PROCOM. The entry line number is 1-800-234-PRCA (7722). Be sure to have your card number ready when you call to give to the operator. Also, you should have all your buddy's card numbers ready if you want to enter with other people. What number do I call to enter a Divisional Tour? Each Divisional Tour is in charge of taking its own entries so there isn't one specific number you have to call. Most DT's take post entries at the arena but others will only take entries by phone a few days before the actual event. To find information about how to enter a Divisional Tour click here. What's the difference between a Card and a Permit? Full Card membership is reserved for members you have won $1000 on their National Permit. Card holders can enter any WPRA rodeo while some rodeos will not accept permits or may only except permits from within their circuit. Also, you must have a Card to be eligible for a Circuit Final's rodeo and the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. Permit holders are not eligible to vote in general elections and cannot hold an elected office in the WPRA. What's the difference between a National Permit and a Temporary Permit? A National Permit costs $250 and will allow you to go to as many rodeos as you want and any money you win on your National Permit will count towards the $1000 you must earn to be eligible to buy your Card. A Temporary Permit costs $175 and will only allow you to go to five WPRA rodeos and nothing you earn at those rodeos will count towards the $1000 you need for your Card. I can't find my birth certificate. Can I send some other form of ID? No, we need your birth certificate to verify your sex at the time of birth. Only persons born female are eligible to be members of the WPRA. If you were born in a hospital chances are you can obtain a copy of your birth certificate either from the hospital or from the County Registrar's Office for a nominal fee. If you are not able to obtain a copy of your birth certificate special arrangements can be made by contacting your circuit director. Not sure which circuit you're in? Click here. How long is my membership good for? All memberships for the year expire on December 31 of that year no matter when you join. We begin accepting applications for the next year on October 1. What else comes with my membership? Along with your membership you will receive a subscription to the Women's Pro Rodeo News which is published once a month. You will also receive a WPRA decal and copy of the current WPRA Rule Book. All active members are covered under the Health Special Risk, Inc. insurance plan which provides limited coverage against accidents at the rodeo and while traveling to and from the rodeo. Note: this insurance is for you only and will not protect your horse. What's a circuit? The WPRA and PRCA established the circuit system to showcase the talents of regional cowboys and cowgirls. The nation is divided into 12 geographical regions called circuits. To see a map of the different circuits click here. At the end of the rodeo season each circuit has a circuit finals where top circuit cowboys and cowgirls are invited to compete. Permit holders are not eligible to compete at circuit finals rodeos. If permits can't go to circuit finals why do I have to designate a circuit? Some rodeos will only accept permits who designate the circuit the rodeo is in. Also, some circuits have permit circuit finals at the end of the year for permits to compete at. Do I have to designate the circuit I live in as my circuit? No, you can choose whichever circuit you think you will go to the most rodeos in. Can I change my circuit in the middle of the year? No, once you designate your circuit on your application you cannot change your circuit until you renew next year. Do I have to fill out all the background information? No, but it is helpful for us to have this information on file for you in case a newspaper needs some background information on you for a story. What's a "buddy"? A buddy is someone you enter a rodeo with. When you buddy you are guaranteed to get up in the same performance or slack as the person you buddied with. The buddy system is helpful for people who are traveling together to share expenses. Can I buddy with anyone I want? WPRA members can buddy with other WPRA members as long as there are not more than four people in the buddy group. WPRA members can also buddy with PRCA members but you must either be married to the PRCA with a marriage certificate on file at the office or that person has to be a member of your immediate family i.e. brother, father. Also, when you buddy with a PRCA member you can only buddy with another WPRA member if she is either married or related to another PRCA member in the buddy group or is a member of your immediate family. What does the term "age of majority" mean? The age of majority is the age at which you can legally become emancipated from your parents in your state. At the current time every state's age of majority is 18 years of age or less so you must be at least 18 to become a member of the WPRA. Why does the application ask for my name twice? When the application asks for your name the first time we need your legal name and when it asks for your name as it will appear on PROCOM we need the name you want to have announced at the rodeo.
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