WPRA Breakaway Roping Finals Move Brings Mixed Feelings Among Competitors

The event’s relocation to Fort Worth has left many cowgirls excited for the possibilities, but concerned that being added to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo could be further away.

Shelby Boisjoli-Meged got the chance to stand on the NFR stage after capturing the 2023 breaking roping world title. If current frontrunner Hali Williams finishes on top, she'll get a different experience in Fort Worth. | Photos provided by PRCA and Fernando Sam-Sin (@fsamsin)

It’s a vantage point Jackie Crawford hasn’t been forced to take often, but last December the Stephenville, Texas, cowgirl was relegated to being a breakaway roping spectator. The moment became an eye-opening experience. 

In a career approaching two decades, Crawford has the résumé many cowgirls dream of. She has earned more than $1 million, capturing 23 total Women’s Professional Rodeo Association (WPRA) world titles, including three in the breakaway roping. 

Since its establishment in 2020, Crawford has been to four National Finals Breakaway Roping (NFBR) events, winning the inaugural showcase.

Last December, the championship was scheduled to take place at South Point Arena in Las Vegas on December 2-3, but the EHV-1/EHM outbreak forced a postponement and relocation. It eventually landed at the Cowtown Coliseum in Fort Worth on December 22-23. 

Crawford missed the cut to make the 15-person field in 2025, but still opted to be in attendance when action began to unfold. 

“That was probably one of the most energetic finals I’ve watched,” Crawford said, noting she met so many fans who came to Fort Worth solely to see the breakaway roping battle. “I will say I sat there, not jealous of not making it, but jealous of not getting to compete in that atmosphere at that place. That was the first time I caught myself in that year being like, ‘Dang it I would’ve loved to have gotten a rope here in that kind of atmosphere.’”

For the next three years, she’ll have a similar opportunity. 

Jackie Crawford won the first NFBR title in Arlington, Texas during COVID. After watching the action from the stands in 2025, the Stepheville, Texas cowgirl is aiming for a return to the field this year. | Fernando Sam-Sin/@fsamsin

On May 14, the WPRA announced a three-year agreement with the newly renovated Will Rogers Coliseum in Fort Worth to serve as the host site for the NFBR in December. The 2026 installment is slated to take place December 18-19. 

Fort Worth was good to breakaway roping in 2025. The looming question – will it be good for the event in the long run? 

The NFBR became part of the rodeo’s season-culminating showcase in 2020, when the NFR moved from the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas to Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, due to COVID-19 restrictions. It’s the only time breakaway roping has been featured simultaneously with regular NFR events. 

When everything shifted back to Las Vegas in 2021, the NFBR was held at Orleans Arena before finding a home at South Point Arena from 2022-24, two days before the 10-day NFR run starts. 

The proximity to the big show has been a litmus test, with the goal of one day seeing a second women’s event on the card at NFR. The sport has grown rapidly, becoming a staple at most regular season rodeos around the country. 

All of this is a big reason the shift to Texas creates emotions ranging from optimism to skepticism. 

“We sold out the Stockyards last year and I think Will Rogers is going to be that much better. I think it’s historic. I think it’s kind of fitting that we’re there,” said Hali Williams. The Comanche, Texas, cowgirl is currently No. 1 in the Breakaway Roping World Standings.

“Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to be in Las Vegas running for $35,000 go rounds. That would be the dream but that’s not the reality right now. I’m not gonna sit here wishing upon dreams when we have a very good reality that if we work hard enough, and get that added money, it’s still going to be a good show.”

The new plan means breakaway roping stars now have two locations to be at in December. Most will have sponsor obligations to fulfill during NFR, meaning they’ll be in Las Vegas around December 3-12 for appearances and engagement opportunities. 

Less than a week later, the top 15 in the world will be in Fort Worth competing for their own glory. 

That’s one of the unfortunate realities Shelby Boisjoli-Meged came to realize after reviewing the specifics of the recent announcement. Because the NFBR will be held after NFR, the newly crowned 2026 champ won’t get to join the other gold buckle winners on the stage inside Thomas & Mack. 

“There’s no feeling in the world like standing on that stage with the other world champions, and being treated equal up there. That was probably the coolest thing I’ve ever done in my life,” Boisjoli-Meged said. She won the 2023 World Title and has qualified for every NFBR. “That was the biggest thing that I’ve ever experienced. It was just surreal. I wish other girls were going to get to experience that. But as far as the finals itself in Texas, I think they’re gonna do a great show and it’ll be like last year.”

Shelby Boisjoli-Meged won the 2023 Breakaway Roping World Title after a strong run at South Point Arena. | Jackie Jensen/Courtesy of PRCA

Seeing that season-ending celebration become part of NFR is the ultimate goal. Whether this move brings that closer to fruition has yet to be determined. 

For now, the cowgirls in the arena are focused on putting the best product forward, with hopes that the fan experience mimics what occurred in Fort Worth last season. 

Boisjoli-Meged called 2025 “the most NFR feeling finals we’ve ever had.” She’s roped in an arena filled with cardboard cutouts for fans because of COVID. She’s roped at two different venues in Las Vegas and adjusted on the fly last season. While standing on the NFR stage might have been the biggest moment in her career personally, the competition environment was at a high point last December. 

That gives everyone hope that breakaway roping’s momentum can continue to build and a future relocation, this time back to Las Vegas as part of NFR, could be in the cards in the not-so-distant future. 

“I think there’s room for us to improve and get our money up higher. I think that’s something we’ve got to focus on, competing with the NFR payout. Then we have something to bargain with with Las Vegas Events, potentially adding us,” Williams said. “I think it’s hard to not be a little disappointed because they still haven’t given us that opportunity, but also I know that if we do our job, it will get there because breakaway just continues to grow.”