From big cities to small towns, from major league stadiums to portable arenas, the IPRA has become the sports second largest professional rodeo association sanctioning nearly 300 rodeos. The IPRA has a membership base of over 2,400 members and currently sanctions rodeos across the United States with 15 of these events being held in Oklahoma. In the last few years the IPRA has also become a powerhouse in Canada sanctioning 40 rodeos there as well.
The Association began planning for its first post-season event, the International Finals Rodeo in 1968. The first IFR was held in February 1971, with a total payoff of $47,000, at the Tulsa Assembly Center as the Finals for the 1970 season. The local Jaycees sponsored the IFR. Tulsa remained the home of the IFR until the end of the 1973 season when it relocated to the Tingley Coliseum in Albuquerque, NM.
The IFR returned to Tulsa in 1975 where it remained until 1990. After the IFR celebrated its 20th anniversary in 1990, the IPRA announced that they had signed a multi-year agreement with the Oklahoma City All Sports Association to move the event to the Myriad Convention Center beginning in January 1991. In 1997, IFR27 moved to the State Fair Arena in Oklahoma City. The new Ford Center in downtown Oklahoma City hosted IFR33 in 2003.
The IFR’s roots are now firmly planted at the historic Lazy E Arena.
The IPRA will crown its world champions during IFR events in January. A western trade show transforms the concourse surrounding the Lazy E Arena into a shopper’s paradise. The Annual Bucking Stock Sale adds extra excitement during the week as prime bucking stock is shown and auctioned. Contract act performers also have a chance to showcase their talents before stock contractors and rodeo committees during the Contract Acts Showcase. The IPRA also holds their annual convention during IFR week. A full schedule of meetings and seminars are held for rodeo committee members and personnel. A Senior Pro Rodeo Judges clinic hones the rodeo judge’s skills and knowledge of the events. Miss Rodeo USA contestants also have a full schedule during the IFR. The ladies are judged in various areas before the new queen is crowned during the fourth performance of the IFR.
The International Professional Rodeo Association is the parent organization of the “world’s richest high school rodeo in the world”. The IFYR, held annually in July at the Heart of Oklahoma Expo Center in Shawnee, OK, hosts over 1,000 high school age cowboys and cowgirls from across the country. Canadian contestants as well as competitors from Australia and Hawaii have been included on the entry roster. The rodeo consists of 11-performances with 2-performances daily, three arenas running simultaneously, and loads of rodeo action. IPRA personnel handle the judging, announcing, and secretarial duties of this tremendous rodeo. The IFYR celebrated its 26th anniversary in 2019 and had a total payoff of over $250,000.
For the IPRA members who choose to stay closer to home in their rodeo travels, the regional system is the answer. This system offers the top cowboys and cowgirls from each geographic region the opportunity to compete at the National All-Region Finals.
With their focus on the future of the association and the industry of rodeo, the IPRA’s leaders have their eyes trained on growth and expansion. Expanding the association into new geographic areas as well as expansion in sponsorship markets are both key factors in the future of the IPRA.
