Rodeo Daily

Exciting Updates from Calgary Stampede Spark Buzz Around Professional Rodeo

Professional breakaway keeps making strides towards their inclusion in major events. In the last few years, many rodeos have added breakaway roping to their performances.
Maddy Dickens|
Breakaway roper Joey Williams has only run at two events for the 2025 schedule but already has nearly $12,100 in earnings and sits among the WPRA leaders.
Breakaway roper Joey Williams has only run at two events for the 2025 schedule but already has nearly $12,100 in earnings and sits among the WPRA leaders. | Fernando Sam-Sin/@fsamsin

The Women's Professional Rodeo Association (WPRA) made a HUGE announcement today for the world of breakaway roping. Breakaway has now been added to one of the most elite and well known rodeos in the world. 

The Calgary Stampede will be held July 4th through the 13th this year. It is the world’s largest outdoor rodeo and is famous for the competition and pay out. 

GMC Stadium in Calgary, Alberta, Canada is a massive facility. People from all over the world travel to this notorious venue in order to experience the highest level of competition. The quickest event in rodeo is now a part of it.

Ponoka Stampede, also in Alberta, is another well-known summer rodeo. This will be held June 25th to July 1st this year. The committee at Ponoka decided this would also be their first year to add breakaway roping to the performances. 

It has been a slow process to get the girls included everywhere as breakaway roping continues to build throughout the rodeo industry but Canada is making an impact. They set the standard for not only their end of the year finals, but as well as their circuit finals with their inclusion of breakaway.

Athletes from all over the continent make it a priority for their summer run to get to these and now there will be more women who viewers can cheer for.

Rodeos like these are making it more and more exciting to be a breakaway roper. Women have been wanting to be a part of the professional rodeo in every way possible for many years and these two events keep showing others that it is a great idea.

Calgary and Ponoka are two rodeos that are on every cowboy and cowgirls bucket list to win. Breakaway ropers have just been waiting for their chance to enter and now they have it. This is an incredible stride forward for the women athletes who compete in this event.

Follow Rodeo on SI for updates on how the women of rodeo do this summer!

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Maddy Dickens
MADDY DICKENS

Maddy Dickens is a professional barrel racer, with success at all levels of rodeo and competition. She was a reserve National Collegiate Champion at Tarleton State University where she graduated with honors and a Masters in Business Management. She also competed as part of the Mountain States Circuit where she was Rookie of the Year and a 2x qualifier for finals. Maddy resides in Loveland, Colo. She spends most of her free time riding, training and competing in barrel racing. When she is not on a horse or in the arena, she enjoys following collegiate and professional basketball and football, traveling, and is always up for a “friendly” competition.

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