It’s a rich environment for women in rodeo these days. More women right now are entering—and winning—jackpots and rodeos than ever in history. Team ropers Beverly Robbins heads better and Whitney DeSalvo heels better than a lot of men. They can hold their own, anywhere.
But there’s just something about an even playing field. Something about backing into a box knowing that a big win means you’re the best of your gender, a true GOAT. For 75 years now, the greatest female team ropers in the world have been able to come tight on those big-time bragging rights.
This is the milestone anniversary of the Girls’ Rodeo Association— now the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association (WPRA)—because a few dozen trailblazers (including eventual team roping world champion Betty Dusek) came together in 1948 to change the scope of women’s competition in professional rodeo.
“We were tired of not getting our due and didn’t have formal rules,” Dusek said. “We were ready for some organization, honestly, just to make everything better.”
The group’s mission was to give women legitimate opportunities to compete, as well as establish an alliance with the PRCA (then RCA) to host women’s events in conjunction with its rodeos. They
