Published: June 13, 2008 10:09 pm            

Rodeo’s heritage runs through Pauls Valley

63rd Heritage Days Rodeo set for June 26-28

The rich heritage of the sport of rodeo runs right through Pauls Valley as PV has for many years played an important role in rodeo’s rise.

And the tradition continues as the Pauls Valley Roundup Club will present the 63rd Heritage Days Rodeo, June 26-28 at the Pauls Valley Roundup Club Arena in Wacker Park.

Performances for the three day event will begin at 8 p.m. each night. Advance tickets are $7 for adults and $3 for children.

The Heritage Days Rodeo will feature cowboys and cowgirls competing in IInternational Pro Rodeo Association sanctioned contests.

The International Pro Rodeo Association (IPRA), headquartered in Oklahoma City, Okla., sanctions more than 500 rodeos each year in almost every state in the union.

The IPRA pays out millions of dollars to talented professionals each year who preserve our western heritage. Sanctioning more than 500 rodeos each season in 41 states, the IPRA enjoys steady growth.

The IPRA currently has more than 3,000 members which includes contestants, stock contractors, and con¬tract personnel, the IPRA is continually moving into new areas of the country.

The IPRA was founded in 1957 when two rodeo promoters formed the Interstate Rodeo Association as a rodeo management organization and a sanctioning body.

Because the existing national rodeo organization was concerned with expansion west of the Mississippi river, this new group's primary interest was to enhance rodeo's cred¬ibility with the news media in the east where fly-by-night rodeos, Wild West shows, and unregulated contests had done much to discredit the sport.

One of the IPRA's original goals, which is still prevalent today, was to improve the rodeo industry as a whole through unification and congeniality.

In 1957, the Interstate Rodeo Association began counting championship points won at its rodeos and named its first world champions at the end of that year. Included among the rodeos providing championship points that year was the famous rodeo in Cowtown, NJ, the sport's first nationally televised event.

In 1964, the Interstate Rodeo Association changed its name to the International Rodeo Association, with headquarters in Pauls Valley where the association was located for 30 years.

The “Professional” was officially added to the association's name in 1983 to distinguish it from other organizations and products using the initials “IRA.”

The national offices moved its location to the historic Stockyards area of Oklahoma City, in April of 1993.

The International Professional Rodeo Association (IPRA) revolutionized the sport of rodeo in 1964 by charter to create a Board of Governors made up of representatives from each segment of rodeo - stock contractors, contestants, fans, producers and contract performers.

This body became the association's rule and policy making body and the powerful upper house of the IPRA's government.

This efficient and unique form of government has been utilized to obtain benefits for the entire sport. By assuring that all segments of rodeo are in harmony, the IPRA offers the most important element in rodeo - a complete, efficient entertainment package.

While this new structure may have astounded the rodeo world, revolutionary actions were not foreign to the IPRA.

To date, the IPRA is the only national, professional rodeo association to sanction cowgirls barrel racing along with men's rodeo events and allow women to com¬pete with men under the same set of rules in the other six standard events.

The IPRA has been an industry leader in innovative ideas in rodeo management. Women have regularly served on its governing boards, a clinic for the education of rodeo judges began in 1963 and an illustrated judging handbook made its debut in 1969.

The Association created the Miss Rodeo USA pageant in 1965 and began providing insurance for its members in 1966. It also established its own Humane Activities Office in 1970, to deal with animal welfare issues and to monitor the actions of radical, anti¬ rodeo groups.

The IPRA was the first to develop a strong regional system that continues to reward cowboys and cowgirls who choose to limit their travels. Each region holds regional finals rodeos and top contestants from each region compete at the National All-Region Finals.

In 1968, the Association began planning for its first post-season event, the International Finals Rodeo. The first IFR was held in February of 1971 at the Tulsa Assembly Center as the Finals for the 1970 season.

The IFR was sponsored by the local Jaycees. The rodeo remained in Tulsa until the end of the 1973 season, when it was held in Albuquerque, NM.

The IFR returned to Tulsa, where it remained until 1990, becoming Tulsa's largest entertainment event in 1986. In 1990, the IPRA officials announced that they had signed a multi-year agreement with the Oklahoma City All Sports association to move the event to the Myriad Convention Center beginning in January of 1991.

Since the International Finals move to Oklahoma City, the prize money has more than doubled, new attendance records have been set and the Finals are featured annually in a national telecast.

In 1996, the IPRA again became the sole producer of the IFR. The premier event of the IPRA was moved to its new home at the Oklahoma State Fair Arena.

The State Fair Arena is the home of many of the country’s most prestigious equine events and it was the obvious home for the International Finals Rodeo.

        

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