From the Website of the Women’s
Professional Rodeo Association…wpra.com.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -
On Wednesday, January
3 the WPRA Board voted to drop a lawsuit
brought against the Professional Rodeo
Cowboys Association back in September.
“The Board
felt that we had achieved what we set
out to when we first filed and that the
time had come to move on,” said
President Jymmy Kay Davis. “Our goal was
to stop the PRCA from coercing rodeo
committees to drop the WPRA as the
sanctioning body for their barrel race,
to ensure that rodeo committees were
free to choose what was best for their
rodeo.”
The lawsuit
arose from the PRCA leadership’s actions
immediately following their August 16
decision to form their own barrel racing
association. At that time, the WPRA had
information that rodeo committees were
being told that they must have the
PRCA’s barrel race or have the
sanctioning of the six PRCA events
withheld. In fact, several rodeos which
had already approved with the WPRA
rescinded their contracts with the WPRA
for this very reason.
This action
along with the PRCA’s apparent use of
the WPRA membership list to send its
propaganda to WPRA members led the WPRA
Board to formally ask for the cessation
of these activities. Only after the PRCA
threatened to sue the WPRA for slander
did the WPRA Board vote to file its own
lawsuit on the basis of anti-trust laws.
Basically, the lawsuit was filed to stop
the illegal tying arrangement and other
means by which the PRCA was threatening
committees.
The WPRA
Board feels it has won this case as the
PRCA/PWBR was forced to create their
“joint policy statement” that clearly
addressed the anti-trust portion of the
lawsuit. The statement in simple terms
says a rodeo committee is free to choose
who sanctions their barrel race, which
was the WPRA’s ultimate goal. They have
also had to put out a written statement
that judges, secretaries, and timers are
free to work any barrel racing event,
addressing yet another of the PRCA’s
strong armed tactics to stamp out the
WPRA.
Given that
the PRCA backed down from their initial
stance and the WPRA’s desire to do what
is in the best interests of the sport,
the Board has asked the court to dismiss
the case without prejudice. By dropping
“without prejudice” the WPRA can still
re-file the case at any time should
further evidence of PRCA wrongdoing come
to light.
“Obviously
this is a victory for the WPRA members
and for the rodeo committees who still
want to sanction with the oldest and
best women’s barrel racing association,
the WPRA,” commented President Davis.
“The WPRA can now put this chapter
behind us and fully focus our energies
on working with the rodeo committees and
on the many new programs we are
implementing to create bigger and better
opportunities for our members.”
