Comments

October 3, 2006 at 11:35 am

(1) Lynn Brown says:

September 20, 2006

Dear Editor,

I am writing in response to your latest “Face to Face” article with Commissioner Troy Ellerman concerning barrel racing. I am really glad to know that he and the rest of the PRCA Board have become such experts on the field of women’s barrel racing. I am sure this letter will not get printed in the PSN so I have sent it on to several other magazines as well.

As for Mr. Ellerman’s answer to the questions concerning negotiations with the WPRA it is very evident that the PRCA did not want to negotiate but to dictate. The original rule proposal was to charge the WPRA members a $100 competition fee and before it could be voted on it was increased to $200. Thank you WPRA Board for rejecting this proposal since it would have reduced our membership significantly. What a great offer Mr. Ellerman then made, to increase our PROCOM fees so we would be paying $35 within 10 years for such a wonderful service. Thanks again WPRA Board. I may not be opposed to a merger but I am against a take over which is what Mr. Ellerman, Mr. Feller (Chairman of the Board) and the PRCA Board is trying to do.

As for the financial aspect of the PRCA/WPRA relationship please get the numbers correct. Mr. Ellerman leads the readers to believe that the PRCA reaches into their pockets and pulls out $500,000 from the PRCA general fund to subsidize the WPRA barrel racers at the Wrangler National Finals, the Dodge National Circuit Finals, the twelve Circuit Finals and the Tour Finals Rodeos. This is untrue and I challenge him to prove otherwise. The prize money at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo is generated from ticket revenue, of which at least ½ of the audience is women. The Tour Finals prize money is put up by Pro Rodeo Tours, and as for the Dodge National Circuit Finals and at the twelve Circuit Finals the prize money comes from the committees, the PRCA and WPRA members in entry fees and circuit fees, and from PRCA Properties which comes from sponsor revenue after the PRCAP has retained their 15%. I am sure that Dodge and Coors see some value in their trucks hauling out their barrels. Finally the three million dollars that Mr. Ellerman talks about the WPRA members getting to compete for at PRCA rodeos is not generated by the PRCA but by hard working mostly volunteer committees that work hard all year to make their events successful, and by the way they are also sanctioned by the WPRA, so Mr. Ellerman please do not try to take the credit for their hard work.

Mr. Ellerman would lead us to believe that the PRCA will “be more responsible in making the ground conditions better”. Is he saying that the PRCA Pro and Reserve Officials have not been doing their jobs for the past twenty plus years? I recently attended a tour rodeo and saw the steers the team ropers had to rope and maybe he should help his current members in their quest for fair competition before he takes on some new ones. Each of the twelve WPRA circuit director’s work closely with the rodeo committees to improve ground conditions and although it does not always work for the most part they are trying their best and are always working to improve conditions. Who is going to do this job, your new board with one active barrel racer?

This is not the right decision for the sport at this time. This is not a merger but an attempt at a hostile take over. The PRCA has no plan except that it will cost us all the same membership fees as the current PRCA members.
As to the insurance, all you are doing is trying to reduce the cost of your insurance by increasing numbers, WPRA members currently have their own insurance.
As for men running barrels, don’t be so sure and is it really worth the fight you are going to have to fight?
As for paying higher fees, it is already happening, we will have to pay more to become a member of the PRCA than we are paying now. What happens when one half to three quarters of the current WPRA membership does not join and the entries at all the rodeos drop, can we really afford to rodeo with the entries down significantly?
What do you mean that this is not a money grab by the PRCA; everything you have done has been a money grab. From the gold card issue to the Canadian Pro Rodeo Association issue, to the New Mexico move and now the hostile take over of the oldest woman’s sports association in America. Well, not without a fight.

Let’s talk real numbers Under the Leadership of Troy Ellerman

As chairman of the Board of the PRCA MR. Ellerman watched the former commissioner spend approx nine million dollars of PRCA member’s money on television, unsuccessful tour events and extreme bull events.

As commissioner of the PRCA approx three quarters of the 80 employees of the PRCA have either been terminated or quit.

As commissioner of the PRCA one of MR. Ellerman’s first actions was to close the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame because it was in debt approx. ($300,000). Now nearly two years later once again under his watchful eye the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame is in debt approximately ($630,000).

(Information provided from interviews with PRCA employees)

Can you really afford much more of the current Commissioner and Board of Directors of the PRCA; no wonder they want 2,000 WPRA members paying $500 in membership fees.

Lynn Brown
Gold Card PRCA Member

October 10, 2006 at 12:30 am

(2) rodeo says:

Thank you for the comment Lynn. I can’t believe how messy this has become.