The NFR's 1999 champion was Mickey Gee from Wichita Falls, Texas with his first NFR finish, earning $133,527 that year. Mike Smith won the most money in this event in 1998 at $161,862. In 1948, Homer Pettigrew of Grady, N.M. won his sixth world steer wrestling title, becoming rodeo's most winning bulldogger. His record still stands.
BARREL RACING:
Barrel racing is the only all-woman event in professional rodeo. Though women are not "officially" barred from any PRCA event, the have not competed in large numbers, except in barrel racing. The Colorado based Women's Professional Rodeo Association (WPRA) oversees this event and is a popular event at over 700 PRCA rodeos nationwide including the National Finals Rodeo. In Canadian rodeo and in the International Professional Rodeo Association, women's barrel racing is treated as a "standard" event, while the PRCA rodeos consider this event optional.
The cowgirl's objective is to guide her horse through a three-barrel cloverleaf pattern faster than her competitors. A five-second penalty is assessed for each tipped barrel. Every run is timed with an electronic eye for accuracy and consistency.
The horse and rider enter the arena at a run, dashing around either the left or right barrel. She then crosses over to the opposite barrel, makes her second turn and then runs to the barrel furthest from the starting line. Depending on the area, winning runs range from sixteen to eighteen seconds. Speed is measured to the one-hundredth of a second and this event is the ultimate race against the clock.
Charmayne James and her horse Scamper were unstoppable for a full decade. They won 10 consecutive world titles from 1984 to 1993 and more than $1 million before the horse was retired in the mid 1990s. Scamper was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in 1996. Kristie Peterson (from my home state of Colorado) took the championship in 1994, followed by Sherry Cervi in 1995. Kristie came back and won again in 1996-1998. NFR's 1999 champion Sherry Cervi snatched the title back, finishing the year with $245,369, a record for a single-event contestant in a season.
Though the winnings sound appealing, the expenses for barrel racing make many would-be cowgirls think twice. Because the event depends so heavily upon the consistency and speed of a horse, upkeep of the horse counterparts are often expensive. Proven and potentially successful barrel racing horses can cost $50,00 and trucks and trailers aren't cheap either.
But many cowgirls still find a way to make it work. The WPRA celebrated its 50th anniversary in 1998 and enjoys continued growth in prize money and membership.
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