SKM - 2015-07-22 7:00 AM  I respectfully disagree with going to open or amateur rodeo's first. We forced our daughter to go WPRA from day one. This is her third year. A few weeks ago she went to see some friends at an amateur rodeo. She said the difference was night and day and that she was really glad we forced her to go pro instead of starting of ammy like she wanted. If you do WPRA, the first thing you need to decide is what circuit you want to declare. A lot of times the circuit you ate in might not have the closest rodeos. BUT be aware that if you designate a circuit you don't reside in, you will need to go to more circuit rodeos than those who live in that circuit. This could become a big deal if you are sitting in the standings for Circuit Finals. Become organized if you aren't. My daughter has a day timer and desk calendar for keeping track of rodeos, when entries open and when they close. Everything is color coded. She puts all the rodeos she wants to enter on the calendar to get a feel for the best days to try for. She ALWAYS has the day timer with her with when entries open and close so she doesn't miss entering. She then figures out her mileage each weekend and goes with $3 per gallon and 10 miles per gallon. It's a little high but better to figure too much than too little. Most pro rodeos have Hospitality tents so you get a free meal. Some smaller ones don't, but the larger ones do. Very helpful for a starving rodeo bum, lol! I would encourage you to invest in a Garmin. They are much nicer than the GPS on a smart phone. We'd be lost without hers. If you are planning on claiming your rodeos on your income tax, get a small pocketed folder for receipts. Get a small day timer for your mileage and track all of it. You might also look into getting cheap business cards printed to show you are serious about trying to earn a living. Most girls are very helpful. Don't be afraid to ask where the entry office is or any other question you might be unsure of. Everyone has to start somewhere and most rodeo people remember what it was like to be new at it.