WRCA initiates plan for World finals

By LYNN MONTGOMERY | East Texas Edition

Nov. 25, 2004 - Ranch rodeo competitors are riding, branding, milking, doctoring and penning their way across the country. Even though many of these rodeos promote preserving the ranching lifestyle, they may not be a Working Ranch Cowboys Association (WRCA)-sanctioned event - which could lead to bragging rights of being the best ranch at the World Championship Ranch Rodeo (World) finals in Amarillo.

In the past, winners of a WRCA-sanctioned rodeo automatically received an invitation to the World competition, but because of the increased number of sanctioned rodeos, an expansion plan was implemented on Nov. 1.

WRCA President Gary Morton explained the expansion plans to those gathered at a meeting during the 9th Annual World Championship Ranch Rodeo finals competition in Amarillo, Nov. 10-14.

"There are big changes this year," he began.

The changes are, in part, due to the arena where the finals are held. The Amarillo Civic Center can only accommodate 24 teams. (This year, there were 20 teams at the finals, representing Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, New Mexico, Colorado, Nebraska, South Dakota, Wyoming, Idaho, Nevada, and Canada.)

Because of an increased number of RANCH rodeos and the limited space at the Amarillo arena, the end result is every team who wins a sanctioned event cannot come to the finals.

"In the past, every winning team has gotten to come to this rodeo. The big change is some winners will not make it here. This would only be effective if more than 24 rodeos are sanctioned this year," the president said.

Until that time, the WRCA invitational format for qualified teams would continue. Once the 24th rodeo is held, the new point-system format, to determine which teams can compete in the World Finals, would be activated.

"We would like to be able to sanction 100 rodeos a year and believe it is possible," Morton said.

Guidelines for sanctioning a ranch rodeo include a $500 fee for WRCA per year. Sanctioning application (available upon request) is on an annual basis. Previously sanctioned rodeos must apply annually on or before Feb. 15 and no application will be considered after March 30. WRCA reserves the right to sanction ranch rodeos based on geographical locations, facilities, among other things.

Once the rodeo has been sanctioned, all advertising and promotional material must display the official WRCA logo. WRCA banners must be displayed in the arena, booth space for the WRCA display must be provided, and the WRCA flag must be carried during the event's grand entry.

The rodeo committee at a WRCA-sanctioned competition must provide an ambulance and first aid. A veterinarian must also be present or on call. Proof of public liability insurance with a minimum of $300,000 should be obtained.

These sanctioned rodeos must also have five mandatory events: ranch bronc riding, team doctoring, wild cow milking, team branding, and team penning. Only from these five events will points will be calculated for the newly-implemented WRCA point system.

"This doesn't mean you can't have more than these events. One of the five events must be the ranch bronc riding, which can be substituted with the wild horse race. Similar events requiring like skills of the five events may be substituted on approval by WRCA. For example, sorting versus penning.

Other guidelines include the ranch rodeo must have a minimum of 10 teams and only participating teams who qualify under the WRCA criteria will compete in the rodeo. Exhibition teams may be considered but they will not receive points, needed for World qualification, at the rodeo.

Team contestant qualifications are all participants must either be ranch owners, full time employees, or day workers. Day workers will only be allowed if they have drawn over $1,500 cowboying for the qualifying ranch in the year preceding their participation in a sanctioned rodeo. The team must consist of no less than four and no more than six members. No more than half the team may be day workers. Also, each team member must be a member of the WRCA.

A working ranch is defined as any cow/calf ranch with at least 300 head or runs at least 500 yearlings for a minimum of six months of the year.

"What we want is a true World championship. We want the best cowboys from all over the country. Basically this is what we are going with," Morton said. "It might have to be tweaked but this is what we feel like we need at the WRCA, at the sanctioned rodeos.

"We are going to have growing pains and that's where we are at," Morton concluded.

For more information about the WRCA or sanctioning a WRCA rodeo, call 806-374-9722.