MWDRA GROUND RULES

It is the responsibility of the members to know the rules, so read your rule book and the Cowboy’s Digest.

MEMBERSHIP

1. You cannot enter any rodeos until your membership application is into the State Secretary, and filled out completely. It must be signed and notarized in all the appropriate places. Parents and member’s names must be written on “Personally appeared” line. If one parent has Sole Custody, write “Sole Custody” beside signature. Must also include Social Security number of member.
2. Both parents must initial beside each event that member has checked on the front of the application. It is suggested that contestants check all events. If an event is not checked, member cannot enter that event at any rodeo that rodeo year, unless another application if filled out.
3. Report Cards – 1st Semester grades are due March 1, to the State Secretary. 2nd Semester grades are due at check-in at the State Finals Rodeo. Contestants at State Finals Rodeo who have just gotten out of school, and report cards are not available to them at that time, may bring 2nd Semester, or 4th Quarter, Mid Term grades to Check In. New members in the Fall, who did not compete at the State Finals, must send a copy of 2nd Semester grades in with their application. NO REPORT CARDS – NO RODEOS.
4. Membership Fee - $100 Money Order or Cashiers Check made out to MWDRA.
5. Send a copy of Birth Certificate for all Rookie Memberships.
6. Non-Members cannot enter/compete/practice at any MWDRA approved Rodeo or Insured event. There will be no exhibition rides during any MWDRA Rodeo or practice.
7. Determination of district – Membership is determined by either physical address or mailing address. Members must declare their District when they get their membership.

HOME SCHOOL

1. Students being home schooled with parents issuing the report card, must submit Their curriculum and grades to a person that the Board has provided, to determine if: 1) The curriculum is a recognized home school curriculum, and 2) If the student is passing in four solid subjects. This service is at the cost of the prospective members.
2. Students being home schooled and the report card is issued from a school, will send the report card directly to the State Secretary.

ENTERING RODEOS

1. All entries are taken by phone by Central Entry. The Entry Open/Close and Call Back times and dates are published in the Cowboy’s Digest.
2. Call Backs – Call Backs are on Thursday after entry for a rodeo. At call back, you may draw out of that rodeo, or confirm your entry. If you drive to a rodeo and are not listed on the program, the local secretary will confirm with your call back number, and you will be allowed to rodeo. If you did not call back for that rodeo, and are not listed in the program, you will not participate. Entries and call backs are recorded. There will be call backs for the State Finals Rodeo.
3. Rodeo Application Date: completed membership applications must be in at the State Office by the date listed on each rodeo listing, or members will not be eligible to enter that rodeo. Completed memberships include all information with signatures, Social Security number, notarized, Cashiers Check or Money Order made out to MWDRA, copy of last semester grades, and new members must send a copy of their Birth Certificate.
4. Entry fees - $10 per timed event, $15 for Bull Riding, $6 for Judges/Central Entry/MWDRA, $1 State Finals, and $1 Gate Fee per event, per rodeo. There is an optional $10 per event Jackpot fee. The State Finals Entry Fees are $25 an event, for the weekend, with an optional $40 an event Jackpot fee. $10 goes in the 1st Go, $10 goes into the 2nd Go, $10 goes into the Short Go, and $10 is for the Average.
5. Team Ropers and Ribbon Ropers must enter with a partner, and they both have to call in and enter their own events.
6. A Turn-out fine of $10.00 per rodeo, and all entry fees will be collected if a member turns out, without a Medical/Vet Release. This must be paid before a member can compete again.
7. Medical/Veterinary Releases – If a contestant Meds or Vets out of a Rodeo, the release must be signed by a Doctor or Veterinarian, and be turned into the State Secretary within 72 hours. Medical outs must present another doctor’s release to resume competition.
8. All money will be collected by the Local Secretary – entry fee, jack pot, MWDRA, Judges Fees, Central Entry, State Finals Fee, and Gate Fees, plus requests by the State Office for turn-out charges and fines, or NSF check fines.
9. All MWDRA approved rodeos are Jackpot or Points Only. Members choose which events they wish to Jackpot or Points Only when they enter.
10. A $25.00 fine will be charged for a NSF Check. Members will be placed on a cash basis only at that time, and a list will be sent to all local secretaries. Member will not compete in any rodeos until all fees and fines are paid.
11. Late entries will not be accepted by Central Entry, Local Secretaries, or State Secretary. The State Directors will support this.
12. There will be NO SET-UPS and NO TRADE OUTS.
13. If you No Show an event, and then check-in, you can compete in all events entered, except the No Show event. You will have to pay entry fees in all events, including the No Show event. EXAMPLE: Your auto breaks down on the way to the rodeo. You check-in, pay your fees for all your events. You can compete in the rest of your events. EXAMPLE 2: You check-in and pay your fees. You are at the trailer and miss your first event. You are disqualified in all events for that Rodeo, unless it is injury related. You must make an honest attempt on all events entered. It is the contestants responsibility to know when they are up. NHSRA Rule – Contestant Disqualifications Section.
14. In the Ribbon Roping and Team Roping, if one partner Meds Out, Vets Out, or Turns Out of a rodeo, the other partner may pick another partner, as long as they are not already entered in that event. NHSRA Rule – Partners’ points shall be added together to form a team at District/State Finals. If either partner is disqualified, both are out of Team Roping or Ribbon Roping.

MWDRA APPROVED RODEOS

1. A. There will be a District/State Format, with the District Rodeos being the qualifiers for the State Finals Rodeo, and the State Finals Rodeo being the qualifier for the National Wrangler Finals Rodeo. The District Rodeos will be two rodeos with an average, for a total of 30 points per event available at District. Cash and prizes rodeos will take the place of qualifying rodeos.
2. There cannot be more than two Cash or Prizes rodeos in one location, except for District, or State Finals, Rodeos, to coincide with High School Ground Rules.
3. Wrangler Rodeos can be run with Youth Rodeos, such as YRA, and High School Rodeos.

STATE FINALS AND POINTS TO STATE

1. Points: a member must earn 1 point at a District Rodeo to enter the State Finals in that event. The point system is outlined in the NHSRA Rule Book under Point Systems. In Montana, each contestant can take their 3 best rodeos, 30 points maximum, into State.
2. State Finals will be 2 Go Rounds for all contestants, in all events. The top 10 contestants in each event, with the most overall points, will go into the Short Go. Contestants will take their accumulative points into the Short Go.
3. Year End Champions/National Qualifiers will be determined by the Total Accumulative points, which will be points into the State Rodeo + 1st Go + 2nd Go + Short Go + Average Points. (Maximum 30 + 10 + 10 + 10 +10)
4. Clarification of points coming into the State Rodeo must be made prior to the start of the first go round at the State Rodeo of that event.
5. All Around points are accumulative points for the year.
6. Travel Money for Nationals – Members must sell 5 Line Ads at $5.00 each, to be eligible to receive travel money, from the MWDRA, for the WJHFR. Members must, also, bring a Silent Auction item to Check-In at the State Finals Rodeo, to be eligible to receive travel money, from the MWDRA, for the WJHFR.

STUDENT OFFICERS

1. MWDRA By-Laws state the Student President, Vice-President, and Secretary shall have one vote each on the State Board of Directors.

STATE DIRECTORS

1. There will be a State Director assigned to all rodeos in their District. If the State Director cannot make it to a rodeo in their District, they must assign Another State Director to be there. This is to ensure that all rodeos are following the NHSRA/MWDRA rules.

NATIONAL DIRECTOR

1. The National Director will be a Director at Large.

RUDE CONDUCT

1. MWDRA will NOT tolerate any foul language or rude behavior at any MWDRA approved events. Contestant will be disqualified. If any official or Director receives a complaint, or witness an incident, they should report it to the State Secretary’s office.

RODEO COMMITTEES/CONTRACTOR

1. If any problem comes up with a Committee/ Contractor not following rules, Payouts, bad checks, etc., they cannot have any more rodeos until it is corrected per State Board’s approval.

JUDGES

1. A $2.00 Judges charge per contestant will be collected at all qualifying rodeos. Every committee hosting a MWDRA rodeo will be required to pay each judge $50.00 per rodeo, or $75 per judge, per rodeo, if the rodeo is not held in conjunction with another rodeo, like High School, or YRA.
2. Judges must have a MHSRA Judges card to be eligible to judge a MWDRA approved rodeo. The card is to run concurrently with the student member’s cards and cost is $25.00. MHSRA Judges must attend a Judges Seminar at least once every 2 years.
3. Judges for MWDRA approved rodeos will be picked by the MWDRA Judges Committee.

GROUND MONEY

1. If no one qualifies in an event, the jackpot money will be ground split to those contestants that jackpotted in that event. Jackpot money belongs to members in the jackpot.

RULE CHANGES

1. Rule changes are to be proposed at the Winter Meeting, with the Board voting on the proposed changes at the Spring or Summer meeting.

CHEMICAL ABUSE

1. For the first offense (with documentation) the member will be suspended for 5 weekends. For the second offense the member will be out for 1 year. Chemicals meaning drugs or alcohol. This means that: A member going to/from a MWDRA approved rodeo, at any function at the rodeo, at or on the rodeo grounds, at a Motel/Hotel, or in the hosting community while at a MWDRA approved rodeo. This includes the day before and the day after a rodeo with verification of the violation and includes home-town members.

ATTIRE

1. See NHSRA Rule Book for all attire rules.