College Rodeo Seeing Rise of Women Leaders as Faith Anders Makes History

There is another female at the top of a college rodeo program.

Faith Anders

College rodeo season is knocking on the door. It seems like just last week the CNFR was happening in Casper, Wyo., but now it is time for the fall semester to kick off. There are new faces all over schools across the country, but it isn't often that women are seen stepping into coaching positions. One could easily argue that rodeo is made up mostly of men's sports, but so what?

Faith (Hoffman) Anders went from excelling in the arena in the Central Rocky Mountain Region to now leading a team of her own. Recently Casper College announced that they filled their vacant head coaching position. While most expected another man to step into the position, it is Anders who is up to the challenge. It isn't often that a predominantly male profession sees females ready to lead an entire program, but she isn't like most.

Women Coaches Across the Country

Kaylee Gregg/FPC Rodeo

Anders isn't the only head rodeo coach seen at college rodeos recently, but is the newest to acquire the title. Kaylee Gregg has sat at the top of the Frank Phillips College rodeo program in Borger, Texas for many years now. Cali Griffin is another who is well known throughout the Central Plains Region and she was named the head coach at Northwestern Oklahoma State University just last year after spending years at Fort Scott.

There is no reason that there cannot be more women head coaches all over the country. In college rodeo, there is an additional women's event compared to professional rodeo (goat tying). Even though there are still more men's events (six men to three women's) that doesn't mean that it has to be a man in charge. With the resources today, there is plenty of help that can be granted all over the board.

No singular person in most collegiate programs supervises every event. Most have separate men's and women's coaches. Some even have specialty coaches that differ to each event or timed events to rough stock events. Any head coach (male or female) won't do it on their own especially the great ones.

Women have fought tooth and nail in the western industry specifically at professional rodeos. It took a long time for barrel racers to receive the same amount of opportunities as the men, but they did it. Now the breakaway ropers are in the same fight. The same thing is going on in the college rodeo industry with coaches, but there has been growth as we have seen a pair (Griffin and Anders) named to the top of their respective programs in the last year. Congrats to these ladies!