Written by: Courtesy

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By Ann Bleiker

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The announcement made at the 2016 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo that the WPRA in partnership with the PRCA and the ProRodeo Hall of Fame will start inducting barrel racers into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame this summer marks a significant milestone in the association’s history.

The WPRA barrel race is a very important element in every rodeo’s success.  It is fast, exciting and provides a huge “wow” factor that fans love.  So it makes sense that the WPRA barrel racers be recognized in the ProRodeo Hall of Fame and have a permanent place to honor those that have left their mark on the sport.

It is important to recognize that this historical event could not have happened without the vision and dedication of so many. The current and past Board of Directors had always hoped to find the right way to recognize those champions who contributed in a most significant way. Their efforts combined with a continually growing partnership with the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) led to this unique opportunity.

Now we need your help. On August 5, 2017, the 2017 Inaugural Induction provides the WPRA with its first opportunity to honor the greats in the WPRA’s barrel racing history. Therefore, your participation with nominating possible inductees is really important. To make it easy for you a link to the Barrel Racer Honoree Nomination Form can be found on the homepage of www.wpra.com. The nomination form is straight forward and there is a list of frequently asked questions on the back of it.

All nominations must be mailed in and received by the WPRA office no later than February 24, 2017. All submitted nominations will be provided to the WPRA 2017 ProRodeo Hall of Fame Selection Committee. This committee was created by the WPRA and is external from the Board of Directors. The members of this committee were selected based on their combined knowledge of the WPRA, our history, barrel racing, media and the role and the mission of a Hall of Fame.

Please take some time to consider the importance of this inaugural event and submit a nomination. There are two items to remember when making a nomination. First, you may submit more than 1 nomination and second it is really important to provide details regarding the nominee’s contribution and their significance to the sport of barrel racing.

Let’s make this an exciting induction and be sure to mark August 5, 2017 on your calendars.

If you have any questions, please call the WPRA office.