Working Ranch Magazine - Index

Working Ranch Magazine - magazine - Index

PHOTO BY BECKI BARBEE
weekend
BY
rodeo
CORINNE BROWN
Rope ‘Em, Ride ‘Em and Leave
‘Em Begging for More
Introducing Introducing the the Women’s Women’s Ranch Ranch Rodeo
Rodeo
Association Association (WRRA)
(WRRA)
There used to be a saying on the Western frontier, “Cowgirls can do anything a cowboy
can do, they just look better doing it.” Nowhere has that proved more true than at the
Women’s Ranch Rodeo Association, an enthusiastic and great looking group of women
who know their way around a ranch or rodeo arena, and then some.
Meet Billie Franks, a spokesperson
for the WRRA, a young organization
founded in 2005. She reminds us that
the first women’s ranch rodeo was
held 10 years ago.
“For starters,” she says, “we rodeo
competitors aren’t just weekend cowgirls.
Most members have a more permanent
tie to a ranch, as a choice and
a lifestyle. Many of us have town jobs
as well. Our ages range from 14 to 60
and we number 64 fulltime member/
competitors at present. Another handful,
20 or so, come to the local rodeos.”
Membership is open to any cowgirl
with the desire to compete in the
ranch-related events. As stated on the
organization’s web site (www.womensranchrodeo.com),
the purpose of the
Association is to promote the knowledge
of women’s role in ranching and
agriculture on a national level.
NO ROOM FOR SISSIES
WRRA competitions currently are
most often held in Kansas, as well as
Oklahoma, Missouri and Texas, with
teams coming from as far away as New
Mexico. They even hear interest from
some gals in California. The events
are sanctioned per the organization’s
26 |WORKING RANCH | JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2008
own rules and exclude bronc riding.
A sanctioned WRRA Ranch Rodeo
offers the 5 following events at each
rodeo 1) Ribbon Roping or Mugging,
2) Trailer Loading, 3) Doctoring, 4)
Sorting or Penning, 5) Calf Branding
or Steer Branding.
“We wouldn’t be ranching
if we didn’t enjoy it,
so why not go somewhere
on the weekends where
we can compete
against each other in the
very thing we’re good at?”
Billie Franks, founding
member of the WRRA
That’s saying a lot considering all of
these events require upper body
strength, roping and riding skills, splitsecond-timing,
good reflexes, a welltrained
horse and lots of grit. There’s
just no room for sissies here. In fact,
some of these women substitute for
men at other ranch rodeos and actually
got their start on men’s teams 15
years ago!
Each team consists of four
members, sometimes from
the same ranch or neighboring
ranches. Many have
known each other for close
to 30 years, through college,
marriage, pregnancies, and
children. They’ve helped
each other sort cattle, team
rope, brand, and do what
ever it takes.
“There are a lot of the
girls who are fully capable
of doing what the men do,
having been raised as ranchers/
farmers,” adds Billie.
“After all, we’re talking
about gals who can open up
a hay field, pull a calf, fix
fence, you know – real
ranch work. If you look
back, it’s not anything new
that wo-men helped the men on
ranches. And now, we participate in
the ranch rod-eos because we’re doing
something that we all enjoy doing at
home. We get to come to town and
compete against oth- er girls who share
the same interest.”
SOMETHING THEY ENJOY
Billie Franks herself is a founding member
of the Women’s Ranch Rodeo. An
office manager for an international
manufacturing company, she drives
close to 70 miles to work and lives in
Grenola, Kansas. She’s worked at the
company for 21 years. At 43, she’s
appears to have unlimited experience
and enthusiasm for a sport she obviously
adores. She was raised on a ranch
in Oklahoma, then married rancher
Chet Franks whom she helps run a
cow-calf operation. Like the many
cowboys of the WRCA, she shares a
common sentiment. “We wouldn’t be
ranching if we didn’t enjoy it, so why
not go somewhere on the weekends
where we can compete against each
other in the very thing we’re good at?”
With a seasonal calendar that offers
regional competitions, the ladies have
their own version of the World