Breakaway roping will add high-speed excitement to Estes Park rodeo
ESTES PARK, Colo. – Erin Johnson and Kelsie Domer have centered their lives around roping.
Combined, they have a baker’s dozen of Women’s Professional Rodeo Association world championships, and they’re looking forward to heading to Estes Park for Rooftop Rodeo, set for 7 p.m. Saturday, July 5-Thursday, July 10, at Granny May Arena inside the Estes Park Fairgrounds.
For the first time in Rooftop Rodeo’s storied history, breakaway roping will be one of the featured events, showcasing the eloquence and speed in the blink of an eye. Ladies will compete for big bucks alongside their male counterparts all while trying to stop the clock in less than 3 seconds.
“Breakaway roping has been around for decades, but the interest has really shot up the last few years,” said Cindy Schonholtz, the Rooftop Rodeo coordinator. “We’re excited to bring breakaway roping to Estes Park starting this year, and we’re making as big of a deal out of it as we can. Just like we are with all events this year, our ‘added money’ will be $10,000.”
She’s referring to local dollars that are injected into each event. With nine disciplines, that money increases the community’s support to $90,000 for the rodeo. Those dollars are then mixed with the contestants’ entry fees to make up the total purse, which last year was just shy of $120,000. That number will increase significantly in 2025.
“We are so grateful for every single Mountain States Circuit rodeo that has breakaway roping, because there are so many girls up here that are really craving the opportunities that breakaway roping and professional rodeo have to offer,” said Erin Johnson, a three-time WPRA world champion breakaway roper from Fowler, Colorado.
“It’s just phenomenal. A rodeo like Estes Park can make a huge difference for the circuit girl to get a chance to step up. I’ve gone to the Estes Park rodeo with my husband for 20 years to watch him rope calves. It’s beautiful there. The hospitality is outstanding. It’s very unique in its culture and its setting, and I’m glad I have the opportunity to rope there, too.”
Johnson won her WPRA breakaway roping gold in 2011-12 and 2015, years before the WPRA established ProRodeo Breakaway Roping. She qualified for the first four National Finals Breakaway Roping championships that take place in conjunction with the National Finals Rodeo. She’s seen her sport blossom in ways many never imagined. When she last won a world title, she finished the year with $12,752 in earnings.
Domer was also on board before breakaway roping took off. She won the 2017-19 breakaway titles and also added world championships in 2012 and 2018 in tie-down roping and all-around buckles in 2012, ’17, ’20 and ’21. She is a three-time qualifier to the breakaway championship and earned the ProRodeo Breakaway Roping gold last year while earning just shy of $170,000.
“I think it’s great that we’ve got another rodeo, and then to be equal added money right off the bat is awesome,” said Domer of Dublin, Texas. “It’s a busy time of year, but it’s cool to have that option to go to that spot, because we haven’t ever had it before.
“I’ve heard a lot of people say that everybody likes to go there. It’s always fun to go to new places and to places like that, where I’m sure it’s going to be beautiful and cool you off for a little bit, too.”
She realized many things have happened since last year’s Rooftop Rodeo to offer this opportunity.
“The committee, the stock contractor and everybody involved has obviously been on the same page to make things better and allow things to grow year after year, and that’s awesome,” Domer said. “We would love to see that everywhere we go, but it’s nice to see that happen there in a short amount of time.”
The addition and increased purse will be a big deal to both champions and other ladies who will put their names in the hat to compete in Estes Park. For Johnson, having an event of this magnitude in her home state is crucial. Like Rooftop Rodeo, she is part of the Mountain States Circuit, a regional affiliation for competitors and events primarily in Colorado and Wyoming. Any dollars she earns in Estes Park will count for both the circuit and the world standings.
“I’m flattered that they think that much of breakaway, and they think that much of the girls they’re seeing roping,” Johnson said. “I’m glad they do, because there are so many girls competing now and so many more of them coming along all the time. They all rope so good, so they put on a show. It’s fast, and it’s a professional event. The quality of roping just goes up for us every year.
“It’s flattering to me that a rodeo like Estes Park is willing to just jump on board and offer the same money. I’m excited.”
Rooftop Rodeo will take place July 5-10. Gates open each night at 5 p.m. The pre-show begins at 6:45 p.m., and the rodeo starts at 7 p.m. For more information about the Rooftop Rodeo or to purchase tickets, visit rooftoprodeo.com. Inquiries about tickets may be made by contacting the Town of Estes Park Events Office at 970-577-3900 or events@estes.org. The Rooftop Rodeo is a Town of Estes Park signature event.