Cowgirls from throughout the area expected to travel to Chet and Billie Franks’ ranch near Grenola on Saturday, Sept. 12, to compete in the Women’s Ranch Rodeo Association’s 11th event of the 2009 season.

WRRA features women-only teams competing in a series of ranch rodeos throughout the summer culminating in a national finals to be held in Lyons, Kan., in October. WRRA rodeos are team events with four contestants on each team.

The women’s rodeo which begins at noon will be followed by a brand new ranch rodeo event created by the Franks which they refer to as the “2 Jacks R Better 2 Hand Men’s Ranch Rodeo”.

Ranch rodeos have long been popular in the west. The events require strong horsemanship skills as well as a knowledge of cattle and replicate those tasks still carried out on working ranches every day.

The WRRA was formed in 2005 by a group of women who wanted to have their own association and compete among themselves. Billie Franks was one of the original organizers and still the group’s key administrator. “We enjoy competing against each other and we believe we have demonstrated that we have the skills required to excel at this sport. We want to alert more rodeo fans to our sport and our association,” she said.

Billie noted that the 2 Jacks R Better men’s event is the first 2-man ranch rodeo the Franks are aware of and they hope the idea catches on. “Most times on a ranch you check the cattle by yourself and doctor by yourself, if a neighbor has a cow in your pasture you sort her out and put her back by yourself. If you do have help it’s normally one other person helping you. We have tried to make the 2 Jacks R Better events more like that.”

She explained that with just two hands working the cattle in the arena there will be no time lines drawn in the arena, but a starting and ending point. There will be a time limit and time will only count as 1/3 of the points to win the event, the other two-thirds will be from the cowhands’ horsemanship, how they handle the cattle and cowboy etiquette.

Prizes include Hunn Saddles for the winning team, Tapaderos from Kansas Saddlery for second place and custom made quirts by Jake Liebau and Sara Highsmith for the third place winners.

Where did the name come from? “We tried to think of something catchy, not just Grenola Ranch Rodeo or our ranch name. So what the heck, we named it after our two dogs, Jack and LJ, “ Billie said

For more information call Billie or Chet Franks 620-326-1083 or at billienchet@yahoo.com.

The arena is on the Franks’ ranch located 2 3/4 miles north of the intersection of Highway 160 and Road 8.