Move Over Boys! It's the Year of the Cowgirl at The Daddy!
This year's Daddy of 'Em All honors the women by naming its 128th rodeo as the Year of the Cowgirl. Since the inception of the Cheyenne Frontier Days (CFD), cowgirls have played an integral role in transforming the celebration from a one day cowboy gathering to the world's largest outdoor rodeo. The Year of the Cowgirl celebrates all women who embody the cowgirl spirit. The lead-up to "the greatest show on dirt" includes highlighting Wyoming women and their contributions to the Western way of life throughout the 19th century to the present day. The official podcast of the CFD released a limited series, The Eras of Western Women, to usher in the 10-day cowgirl celebration.
The social media of the CFD has highlighted trailblazers who embody what it means to be cowgirl. Esther Hobart Morris, Louisa Ann Swain, Therese Jenkins, Sacagawea, the Irwin Sisters, Fox Hastings, Lorena Trickey, Helena Bonham, Bertha Kaepernik, and Prairie Rose Hendersom all contributed to Wyoming's history in unique ways. Their contributions changed the status quo during a time when women largely adhered to the stereotypical gender norms. These pioneers redefined what it meant to be cowgirl. The criticism, resistance, and isolation faced by the cowgirls then earns them respect, recognition, and admiration today. The CFD—and state of Wyoming—would undoubtedly look different than it does today without these cowgirls' boldness.
Many iconic traditions at the CFD began with cowgirls taking action. Sally Rand, an entertainer at the CFD in 1935, wore a unique white buckskin outfit for her acts. The committee decided for the following year, in 1936, to recreate this outfit for their Miss Frontier. Since then, each Miss Frontier has worn some rendition of Rand's original white buckskin. These buckskins make CFD's primary spokesperson stand out from the traditional rodeo queen. The majority of CFD's spokespeople today are women. In addition to Miss Frontier, the flag girls of CFD—the Dandies—visit various Rocky Mountain region rodeos and events to promote the CFD. The Dandies put teenage girls in a position to improve on vital life skills, such as public speaking, that will serve them well beyond their time as ambassadors for the rodeo.
Longstanding traditions of women in leadership positions translate to the rodeo arena. Back in 2019, CFD added breakaway roping. By 2021, CFD raised equal payouts for the event. While many major PRCA rodeos today offer breakaway roping, CFD undoubtedly played an integral role in garnering recognition for the sport. The addition of breakaway roping gives young girls more options and opportunity in rodeo.
CFD pays homage to women like Bertha Kaepernik by hosting the Women's Ranch Bronc Championships. Throughout the early 1900s, women's participation in rodeo was often limited to entertainment roles. Fortunately, today's barrel racing and breakaway roping gives women competitive outlets. The women's bronc riding honors the women who failed to get proper recognition for their skills during their era. The women's bronc riding at Cheyenne gets the proper categorization of competition, not "speciality act."
The 2024 CFD will take place July 19-28. Fans can anticipate a progressive-style format rodeo. Rodeo contestants must advance out of the qualifying (slack) round, quarter finals, and semi finals before reaching the finals.
LORALEE WARD
Loralee Ward’s primary place of residency is her Cimarron trailer. When she is not on the road, she calls Fort Lupton, Colorado, home. She attends Colorado State University (online) and rodeos for coach Seth Peterson. She professionally rodeos in the Mountain States Circuit. With the support of her parents (Jim and Cheryl), brother (Kody), and many mentors; Loralee works to develop her passion for training barrel futurity horses. She plans to graduate from CSU and then apply for law school–as long as rodeo/horse training stays at bay. The only thing that Loralee likes more than a good barrel horse is a rare steak. She hopes to bring important coverage to rodeo and western sports from the perspective of an up-and-comer.