PRORODEO Sports News - August 23, 2024

PRORODEO TOUR

Kassandra Shoemaker launched her rodeo career at the amateur and college levels, competing in breakaway roping, team roping, barrel racing and steer roping. Last year, she became the first female Rookie of the Year in the Wyoming Steer Roping Association. Valerie Ford and courtesy photo

Breaking Barriers

that success,” Wade Shoemaker said. “And I’m sure there’s more to come… and some of the fun of it for all of us is that we’re riding home-raised and homemade horses.” Kassandra’s win in the event marked the first win by a woman at a PRORODEO steer roping event in the modern era. She also potentially became the first woman ever to earn a victory in the event at a PRCA sanctioned rodeo. “I think I’ve been able to get the word out that this is something that women can do and something that girls can work toward one day,” Kassandra said. “It’s just been a lot of fun. I’ve had a lot of steer ropers, and their wives come and introduce their daughters to me. And that’s maybe been the funnest part, as well as doing it with my dad.” Wade Shoemaker also competed in Yuma, finishing atop the field in the second round. The Shoemaker family features a crew of fiery competitors, but they make sure to celebrate their successes as a unit. And Wade said there’s nothing more fun than going down the road with his kids. “I love rodeoing. I love traveling with my buddies. I love going to new places and competing in rodeos I’ve never competed in,” Wade Shoemaker said. “Obviously, it’s a competition, and everybody likes to win. But there’s

nothing more fun than traveling with my family.” The 23-year-old from Grover, Colo., graduated from the University of Wyoming – where she competed on the college rodeo team. This fall, she will attend Kansas State University to pursue the same career as her father, in veterinary medicine. “I always hope and pray that those kids make decisions based on what they want to do and what motivates and drives them, not because it’s something that I did,” Wade Shoemaker said. “I’ll be proud of them no matter what they’re going to do.” Kassandra Shoemaker plans to compete in the Mountain States Circuit Finals steer roping in September and will continue college rodeo in the Central Plains Region throughout the school year. Next year, she’ll continue competing in breakaway roping in the Mountain States Circuit and plans to get her PRORODEO card in the steer roping. She also hopes her brother Coy hops in the family rig soon. “I’m hoping that Coy will get his permit in the next couple of years and go with us, and we’ll all be able to go,” Kassandra Shoemaker said. “It’s just been a lot of fun. It’s really cool that I’ve had some success, and that my dad’s been very successful, and that we get to do it together.”

Shoemaker told the ProRodeo Sports News . “We spend a lot of time at the dinner table watching videos and breaking stuff down. And it’s definitely become a family affair.” Kassandra Shoemaker launched her career at the amateur and college levels, competing in breakaway roping, team roping, barrel racing and steer roping. Last year, she became the first female Rookie of the Year in the Wyoming Steer Roping Association and went on to compete in the college division of the National Finals Steer Roping. This season, she decided to take the next step and hit the road to compete on her PRORODEO permit in steer roping. A few months later, Kassandra Shoemaker earned her first win at the Yuma (Colo.) County Fair & Rodeo with 45.6 seconds on three head. “You think that there’s nothing better than some of those memorable wins that I’ve had personally, but it really was a bigger thrill for her to have Shoemaker following in family steer roping legacy

BY ALEX DODD K assandra Shoemaker spent a lot of time in the practice pen as a kid. Her father, Dr. Wade Shoemaker, has competed in the PRORODEO ranks as a steer roper since 2009. Wade Shoemaker’s busy schedule as a veterinarian and family man limited his time on the road, but despite the challenges, he managed to win a pair of Mountain States Circuit Finals championships in 2010 and 2014. Through the ups and downs of his career, he prioritized roping practice and often enlisted Kassandra, his wife Dawn and son Coy to pitch in. Now, both Shoemaker kids steer rope competitively, and Kassandra is making history. “We spend a lot of time in the practice pen together,” Kassandra

ProRodeo Sports News 8/23/2024

ProRodeo Sports News 8/23/2024

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