Davis said later in a press release, "We regret what this is doing to everyone in rodeo, but our members elected this board to protect and promote their association, and that's exactly what we intend to do. We dropped the original lawsuit in an effort to do the right thing. The PRCA leadership mistook our act of professionalism for a sign of weakness. That was a mistake."
Incidentally, at this point in the process, Commissioner Ellerman resigned due to a guilty plea he entered in the BALCO steroid investigation claim (SWR April, Sept., 2007). He is currently serving a two-and-a-half year prison sentence. Board member Keith Martin has since been tapped to serve as interim commissioner.
However, the lawsuit moved forward, and on Dec. 6, a jury of two women and four men unanimously decided in favor of the WPRA.
"If you're right, you have a lot better chance to win and they were right," Nichols said. "I really don't believe the WPRA did anything to instigate this."
"Obviously, we were disappointed with the ruling," said PWBR chairwoman Jimmie Munroe.
For it's part, the PWBR will continue sanctioning rodeos for 2008.
"We've started the season," Munroe said. "We had 160 entries in Denver and with the limitations were only able to get 130 in. Our membership is good for this time of the year and we have a lot of approvals in."
So What's Next?
At the Wrangler NFR, after the verdict had become public, interim Commissioner Keith Martin was asked at a press conference about what the PRCA would do in response to the ruling. He could not speculate on the situation, but compared it to halftime at a football game in which the PRCA was down by a couple of touchdowns.
The WPRA's Davis said, "The PRCA has paid $50,000 to have a 30-day extension and we have told them, like we have through this two-year ordeal, that we do not want to break them, we want only what's best for rodeo and we will not be broken. We will negotiate with them fairly and honestly anytime they want to, including now.
"What would be ideal for me is that we negotiate on good faith with the PRCA and got back our rights in the rodeo arena. And to go forward with the programs we started for the youth and our futurities. We want to enhance our grassroots programs to bring more women under the umbrella of the WPRA.
"We will do whatever it takes for the benefit of our members and our rodeo. We are not closed-minded. We want what we have always wanted, and that is to work with the PRCA for the betterment of rodeo."
The PRCA is still considering its options-including negotiation-and at press time had until the end of January to make a definitive decision. In fact, discussions between the organizations were happening.
"We're looking into options," Munroe said. "There are different motions that have been filed, everything from the judgment being lowered to a new trial. There's the option of an appeal, there's just a lot of different options and the decisions are made on the motions that are filed, that will help us in making our decisions. Everything's open as an option; the decisions have just not been made."
Nichols, who has stayed close to the situation, feels there is room for compromise.
"To me, both sides need to get together and work something out here," he said. "The PRCA can borrow that money to pay them off and the WPRA will be good for years, but when the money's gone, so too is the WPRA because [their members] don't go to the Finals anymore. It would make a lot more sense to merge the organizations, keep the WPRA board in tact, give them an office over there and do a revenue share. The PRCA doesn't want to deal with the all-girl rodeo; so let them do their deal and take the barrel race in-house. Hopefully for both sides they can come to an arrangement of some kind where the PRCA doesn't have to pay that much money because that could benefit the girls, too."
Contestants, unfortunately, are having to bide their time and wait to see what happens.
"There's nothing else I can do," reigning PWBR World Champion Barrel Racer Brittany Pozzi-Pharr said. "I wish the best of luck to both associations."
