Amongst a roster of grown men and seasoned competitors, one young lady rose to the occasion and won the steer roping at the Yuma County Fair & Rodeo in Yuma, Colorado. Not only did she win the rodeo, but she filled her Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association permit, a feat necessary to become an official cardholding member.
Per the PRCA rulebook, permit holders must win $1,000 on their permit to be eligible for their PRCA card and the full privileges of PRCA membership. With this win under her belt, Kassandra Shoemaker is officially the only cardholding woman competing at the professional level.
Shoemaker decided to try her hand at steer roping, a predominantly male dominated event, while in college at the University of Wyoming. During her tenure there, she was inspired to begin competing due to the addition of the collegiate division of steer roping. While at UW, Shoemaker qualified for the college steer roping finals twice. She was also named the 2023 Rookie of the Year in the Wyoming Steer Roping Association.
With hard work and grit, Shoemaker has captured the attention and respect of fellow competitors and fans alike. This past weekend was no different, as Shoemaker sealed the win in Yuma with three successful runs.
“All the pieces fell into place,” said Shoemaker. “I had a ton of support and everyone rallied behind me.”
In addition to winning the rodeo, Shoemaker also got to share the experience with her steer roping mentor and personal veterinarian, her dad, Wade Shoemaker. In round 2, Shoemaker split second in the round with Seth Schafer, trailing behind her father in the #1 slot. The heartwarming nature of this story does not end there, as Shoemaker won the rodeo on a home raised and trained horse.
Shoemaker says filling her permit was the cherry on top of a great experience.
“I had no expectations of filling my permit this year. I was very lucky for everything to fall into place,” said Shoemaker.
Whether it be luck or hard work, Shoemaker is looking forward to her official “rookie year” in the 2025 season. With her ticket already punched to this year’s Mountain States Circuit Finals in the steer roping, Shoemaker hopes to add a breakaway roping qualification as well. The multi-event athlete will be continuing her education and college rodeo career this fall at Kansas State University where she will begin veterinary school. On the rodeo team, Shoemaker will compete in the steer roping, team roping, and breakaway roping.
Listen to our interview with Kassandra Shoemaker here:
Learn about Shoemaker’s start in steer roping on the Breaking the Barrier podcast:
View full results from the Yuma County Fair & Rodeo here: https://www.prorodeo.com/result/2024/yuma-county-fair–rodeo/15192?resultsTab=text
