Board of Directors Unanimously Appoint VP

WHAT’S UP WPRA. This is a very important and packed full-of-information What’s Up. We are pleased to announce the newly appointed Vice President, and some key rule changes being introduced in 2020. Please read about these developments, and more, below.

What’s included in today’s newsletter…

WPRA VICE PRESIDENT

WPRA Board of Directors Unanimously Appoint Heidi Schmidt as Vice President

On Tuesday, November 12, the WPRA Board of Directors, per rule 2.3.4 in the WPRA Rule Book, unanimously agreed to appoint Heidi Schmidt to complete the Vice President’s term. Schmidt, who had been serving as the Badlands Circuit Director, will assume her responsibilities as Vice President effective immediately.

Following the decision, Schmidt wished to share a personal message with the membership:

I am hoping this message will be met with support rather than criticism, as I am humbled to accept the interim position of Vice President of the WPRA and serve you – our membership.

Per rule 2.3.4, the Board of Directors is responsible for appointing a Director to fill an officer’s position, in this case the Vice Presidency, if that office becomes open for any reason. My name was brought up months ago by other Board members. I have taken these months to think about this proposition, and to discuss it with my family. Today, I am pleased to tell you all, the WPRA Board voted to have me assume the office of Vice President and I have accepted.

When I weighed the positives and the negatives of accepting the role of Vice President, my decision was based on solely one thing – someone must step up to do this job. I have given six years to this association that I love with all my heart, and will continue to work as hard as possible to support the Board and serve you, our members, for as long as I hold this post.

I eagerly accept the new challenge ahead and serving this great association with everything I’ve got. You may not have elected me to this position, but that won’t stop me from working as hard as possible for each and every one of you.

I look forward to serving you in 2019 and into the near future. Thank you.

Heidi Schmidt

Kaylee Gallino will assume the Badlands Circuit Director position effective immediately. All regular Badlands Circuit-related correspondence should now be directed to Kaylee.

The 2020 WPRA Rulebook is in the printing process and will be sent out to the membership shortly. In the meantime, there are some important rule changes for you to be aware of. Please review the below changes carefully. For any clarifying questions, contact your Circuit Director.

10.4.3.1. Up to four (4) contestants may be drawn for

position together, but only in the same event.

A WPRA member can buddy with another WPRA Member

OR

A WPRA member may buddy with a PRCA member

only if it is her husband or immediate family

(Husband, father, brother, son, mother, wife, sister,

daughter) However, she cannot buddy with

both.

10.4.3.1.1. A valid marriage license must be received

in WPRA office before being allowed to buddy with

husband. WPRA Office must receive Marriage

License by rodeos membership dues date in

order to buddy with husband.

1.1.3. All Futurity entries must be horses 5 years old and

younger. Horse may have never competed for money,

prizes or points any time before Nov. 15 of previous year.

The age of unregistered horses will be determined by

veterinarian. Futurity horses have one (1), year of

eligibility.

ATTENTION! As you are filling out your 2020 WPRA membership form and designating your circuit, you now have another option for the Maple Leaf Circuit.

Members will be accepted in the Maple Leaf Circuit on a resident and non-resident basis.

The required rodeo count for the 2020 Maple Leaf Circuit will be:

*Remember, per rule 8.5.2. Once you have entered a WPRA event, you are unable to change your circuit.

With a year of professional rodeo under her belt – and a shiny new Rookie of the Year title to her name – Carly Taylor is ready for whatever the 2020 season brings.

Taylor, from Andersonville, Tennessee, finished the season with a total of $72,300. She finished 18th in the WPRA World Standings, not far off from making the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo (15th place, Lacinda Rose, had $88,936).

The 21-year-old rookie says she’s thrilled with the year she had.

“I really enjoyed it,” she said simply. “It’s cool, being able to look back on the year and see what I’ve learned from the beginning to now.”

What did she learn?

“I think it’s easy to look at rodeos for an entire month or year and overwhelm yourself,” she explained. “The best thing I learned was to sit at the beginning of a week and map everything out. Focus on them one by one.”

Taylor profusely thanked Ann Thompson, who does her entering for her. She said Thompson “really does have it down to a science,” and that Taylor couldn’t even begin to imagine entering on her own.

This was Taylor’s first year of major rodeo experience. She did some local shows near her home when she was growing up, participated in the Junior WPRA ranks and eventually made the leap into WPRA this year when she felt her horse, Diva, was ready.

It’s been a couple of years, but Dona Kay Rule can point directly at the time when she realized she had something special in High Valor.

“I went to Waco (Texas) to a big D and D event, and as I looked at the draw and saw who was there, I thought, ‘I’m going to have to drop the hammer and ask him for everything,’ ” said Rule of Minco, Oklahoma. “We won all three rounds that weekend, and I knew I really had something.

“But I don’t think you can know until you go on the road and see if they can take the road. Last year, he showed me he could run with the high-quality horses.”

Rule wasn’t the only person in the WPRA to notice. Valor, a 10-year-old sorrel gelding out of Rare High by Valiant Hero, has been voted as the 2019 Horse of the Year presented by the American Quarter Horse Association.

Possibly the main indicator of Valor’s ability has come with the Oklahoma cowgirl’s first qualification to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo after she finished the regular season ninth in the world standings with $96,507. That and a couple of other things have made 2019 an emotional run.

“I lost my dad this year, and I wish he could see this,” Rule said. “I’m going to take my other horse that I had rehabbed and put my dad’s saddle on for a grand entry horse. It’s just triple special and amazing.”

Rule’s love for her father and her passion for running barrels have truly culminated into an incredible season. Having a talented gelding take the top horse honors is just icing on the cake.

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