PWR Premier Women’s Rodeo 2026

New Era: PWR and the Future of Women’s Rodeo

The richest women’s-only rodeo in the world has a new name, a new powerhouse behind it, and stories being written right now that no one could have scripted. 

By : Dee Yates

“It’s pretty exciting to be headed to the PWR finals with not only my sister but my mother as well. Not many families get the opportunity to do this, let alone on the stage that PWR has created for women in rodeo. It’s a pretty special platform to share with family and friends. I think I’m more nervous to watch and help them than I am for myself competing!”

— Erica Krantz

If you’ve been paying attention to the women’s rodeo world — and if you’re reading Ropers Sports News, you have been — then you already know something big has been building. The organization that started as the Women’s Rodeo World Championship (WRWC) and evolved into the Women’s Rodeo Championship (WRC) has now taken its most significant leap yet. In November 2025, PBR (Professional Bull Riders) officially acquired the organization and relaunched it under a bold new banner: PWR — Premier Women’s Rodeo. 

This is not a rebrand for the sake of optics. This is a full-scale commitment by one of the most powerful organizations in Western sports, with the resources and infrastructure to do what the women’s rodeo world has always deserved. Since the organization’s founding in 2020, the WRWC and its predecessors have awarded more than $4.5 million to women athletes. The 2026 PWR Championship carries a total payout of $803,000, making it the richest women’s-only rodeo in the world. As PWR Commissioner Linsay Rosser Sumpter said when the rebrand was announced, “Premier Women’s Rodeo isn’t starting over; we’re continuing the legacy with new momentum.” 

What makes PWR different from anything that came before it is the structure of competition itself. The organization operates on a three-tier classification system: Pro, Challenger, and Limited. Each tier is determined by an athlete’s earnings history and ability level, each carries its own leaderboard and qualification pathway, and all pay equal money across every discipline. A Pro-level barrel racer and a Challenger-level breakaway roper compete under the same roof, for real money, with the same respect and recognition. 

The Limited division deserves special mention. It exists for athletes who haven’t held a Pro card in the last five years and whose lifetime earnings fall below defined thresholds — under $75,000 for barrel racing, under $5,000 for breakaway roping. This is the door PWR holds wide open for the up-and-comer, the comeback athlete, and the woman who has been roping at local jackpots for years but never had a stage worthy of her talent. Team Roping competes at the Pro and Challenger levels, with athletes classified through the Global Handicaps system to ensure fair matchups all the way to the championship round. 

The path to Fort Worth is designed to be accessible. PWR’s Virtual Rodeo Qualifier (VRQ) system lets women earn points year-round from events across the country, removing the traditional barriers of geography and travel cost. Athletes purchase a PWR ID Card, nominate events toward the W26 leaderboard, and accumulate points. The nomination window closes April 12, 2026. For those still chasing a spot after that, the Last Chance Qualifier keeps the door open into May. Team Roping and Breakaway Roping head to Hamilton, Texas on Sunday, May 10. Barrel Racing goes May 6 at the NRS Arena in Decatur, Texas. Combined added money across all LCQ classes is $15,000, with winners advancing directly to Rounds 1 and 2 of the Championship. 

Women team ropers have one more pathway worth knowing: the Fast Track Qualifier system. Select ropings across the country — run at major jackpots, ladies ropings, and partner events throughout Texas, Arizona, Oklahoma, and beyond — are designated as PWR Fast Track Qualifiers. Win one, and you bypass the leaderboard grind entirely. One win punches your ticket directly to the championship field. Fast Track winners enter a qualifying pool at the championship, where the top four advance deeper into the competition rounds. For women traveling the circuit, these events are worth crossing state lines to enter. Find current Fast Track events at premierwomensrodeo.com. 

All roads lead to Cowtown Coliseum in Fort Worth, Texas, May 12 through 15, staged alongside the PBR World Finals. Four disciplines — Team Roping, Breakaway Roping, Barrel Racing, and Goat Tying — all under one historic roof, all paying equal money across Pro, Challenger, and Limited. Tickets are on sale now through AXS at the Cowtown Coliseum box office. Four days. $803,000. Fort Worth. 

Among the stories heading to that arena, one stands out for what it says about PWR’s reach. Originally from California, Lynnette Krantz and her daughters Taryn and Erica — all Pro team ropers who have since made their homes across the West — have all qualified for the 2026 PWR Championship together. A mother and two daughters, on the same stage, in the same discipline, at the biggest women’s rodeo in the world. 

“Making the PWR finals with my two daughters isn’t just about the buckles. It’s about the thousands of hours in the practice pen, the long drives, and the bond no one will ever know. Watching them grow from learning to hold a rope to competing with them at this level makes my heart full. Sharing the arena with them is my ultimate reward. Without my two daughters’ support I wouldn’t be here ready to compete in this great PWR finals.”

— Lynnette Krantz

“Getting to rope at an event like Premier Women’s Rodeo Finals is a life-changing opportunity and I get to do it next to my sister and mom — how can it get any better than that? Knowing that as a family we have an opportunity to compete at this premier stage together is what we used to dream about practicing in our backyard arena for hours together!”

— Taryn Krantz

That is not an accident. That is exactly what PWR built this for. 

Then there is the other story everyone is watching. Her name is Kaitlyn Torres. She’s 17 years old, from Alice, Texas, and she is currently holding a lead in the PWR All-Around standings that has seasoned pros paying close attention. If she holds that lead through the championship, it translates to a $20,000 all-around bonus — and a place in the record books. 

Torres is no stranger to this stage. She has been competing at WRWC events since she was 13, a multi-event athlete who has gone head-to-head with legends in team roping, breakaway, and barrel racing. She trained under eight-time World Champion Heeler Rich Skelton and at the 2025 Women’s Rodeo World Championship, competed alongside nine-time World Champion Lari Dee Guy in the Pro team roping. The veterans who have worked for years to reach the top of these standings have every right to compete hard for what they’ve earned. That tension is real. It is also exactly the kind of storyline that puts women’s rodeo on the national map. A 17-year-old competing for — and potentially winning — the PWR All-Around Championship is history. And it is precisely the kind of opportunity PWR, by design, makes possible. 

The Krantz family coming from California. Kaitlyn Torres rising from South Texas. Women all across the country earning their way to Fort Worth one VRQ nomination, one Fast Track win, one Last Chance run at a time. This is what the new era of women’s rodeo looks like. Come May 12, Cowtown Coliseum is going to tell the rest of the story. 

One last note for every cowgirl already thinking about 2027 — the W27 qualifying segment opens April 13, 2026. The day after the current window closes, a new year begins. If you’ve been watching from the sidelines, that is your start date. 

PWR, Premier Women’s Rodeo, is the richest women’s only rodeo in the world, launched in November 2025 when PBR, Professional Bull Riders, officially acquired the Women’s Rodeo World Championship and relaunched it under a bold new banner with a 2026 championship purse of $803,000.

The 2026 PWR Championship is held at Cowtown Coliseum in Fort Worth, Texas, May 12 through 15, 2026, staged alongside the PBR World Finals.

PWR includes four disciplines, team roping, breakaway roping, barrel racing, and goat tying, with equal payouts across Pro, Challenger, and Limited divisions.

Athletes can qualify through the Virtual Rodeo Qualifier system earning points year round from events across the country, through designated Fast Track Qualifier events, or through the Last Chance Qualifier held in May.

Since its founding in 2020 PWR and its predecessor organizations have awarded more than $4.5 million to women athletes.

Kaitlyn Torres of Alice, Texas, just 17 years old, is currently leading the PWR All Around standings with a $20,000 all around bonus on the line if she holds that lead through the championship.

PWR operates on a three tier system, Pro, Challenger, and Limited, with each tier determined by an athlete’s earnings history and ability level, each carrying its own leaderboard and qualification pathway, and all paying equal money across every discipline.