SEVIER COUNTY, Utah — Brenda Cropper from the town of Central Valley won a big prize at the World Series of Team Roping held in Las Vegas as a part of the National Finals Rodeo, and she hopes to teach a lesson to her granddaughters and others.
"You can do it. Anyone can do it. Follow your dreams," Cropper said. "The nice thing about roping is it doesn’t matter if you’re big or little — anyone can do it if you just keep after it."
She's a retired school teacher who’s worked for over three decades, and she always wanted to be a cowgirl. She has worked with her horses morning and night in her backyard for as long as she can remember.
And in December, that hard work paid off with a $97,000 prize she netted with her son-in-law. They competed against 900 other teams from across the globe.
"It was by far the coolest thing that I’ve ever won. I’ve roped since I was little... I come from multi-generational cowboys," Cropper said. "This was by far a dream come true, to go win that kind of money. We kept it in the family, and so that made it even sweeter."
Austyn and Hazyn Wanlass, ages 9 and 11, live just behind their grandma and love to ride with her as much as possible.
"Grandma’s fun to ride with because she gives us tips and helps us," the sisters said. "How to ride, sit in the saddle, not to stand up when you're roping, because you get bruises on your feet."
A lot of work goes into taking care of the horses and cattle, along with learning to rope and ride. But there are so many other important lessons learned.
"Hard work pays off, and don’t give up and keep after it," Cropper said.
Cropper says she’s proud of her granddaughters who want to compete in breakaway someday.
"I tell them every day: You have to work hard. You have to want it yourself," she said.
And the girls cheered on their dad and grandma at the national stage.
"They thought it was the coolest thing ever. And it taught them that anyone can win. I was the only woman in the top 50, and definitely the oldest," Cropper said.
She hopes to open doors for other cowgirls out there.
