8/7 Drew Horner: Uncoiled. Getting your Permit
0Last week I started a series on the different tiers of rodeo and what it was like for me at each level of rodeo. We talked about amateur rodeoing and moving into the higher numbered jackpots. The next step to moving up into pro rodeo is to buy your permit from the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) so you can compete at most, not all, of the PRCA rodeos.
Your permit will allow you the opportunity to get experience at pro rodeos while still being able to set some goals you may have. You can still Circuit Rodeo and All American Rodeo on your permit and qualify for both of those series finales. I will explain those to different formats in a bit. Buying your permit for a year or two is a great way to learn your game and to get around some of the better guys in roping.
When you have your permit, use it. This is a time to learn and get better. You need to set goals to move up as you get better with your roping. In order to move onto the next stage of rodeo, which is buying your card, you have to meet the number one prerequisite, which is winning $1000 in PRCA earnings in order to be eligible to buy your card.
When I was on my permit, I circuit rodeod and All-American rodeoed as much as I could. I qualified for the Texas Circuit Finals in 2010, and qualified for the All-American Finals in 2010 and 2011. Setting these goals and accomplishing them helped set me up for success at the bigger rodeos. You don’t need to rush to buy your card unless you feel ready. The only limitation the PRCA has on fulfilling your permit by winning the $1000 and then moving onto buying your card is that you can only fill your permit with the $1000 winnings for two years in a row. Then you must buy your PRCA card or sit out for a year and wait to re-buy your permit the next year. But, if you happen to not win the amount required to fill your permit and buy your card, you can continue to buy your permit.
I hope that makes sense. I will post a link at the bottom that will take you to the PRCA’s website and you can read all the rules and such about the permit system. I recommend someone looking to pursue roping as a career to buy your permit for 2 years and then buy your card. I know I learned a lot about roping, rodeo, and in particular, my roping that it helped me a ton when I bought my card and stepped into the bigger and better rodeos.
Stay in touch with me and let me know what yall are thinking about roping and these blogs. Leave a comment here below, follow me on my twitter, or like my facebook fanpage to keep in touch! DH
Link to permit application and rules:
https://www.prorodeo.org/Portal/Membership/NewMembers/Default.aspx
Link to Circuit System:
http://prorodeo.com/RNCFRpages.aspx?xu=1
Link to All American System:
