“I’m going to manage it all the same way most women do it all – make a list, prioritize it all, and like Dory said, ‘keep swimming’.”
Linsay Rosser Sumpter added another hat to her collection. The mother, wife, competitor, and rodeo coach now serving as the Commissioner for the Women’s Rodeo World Championship, produced by WCRA and PBR. This event (held May 16-18 at Fort Worth’s Cowtown Coliseum) offered ladies the largest purse for a single event, with $750,000 added within four disciplines. “The job came to fruition organically,” said the mother of two, from Fowler, Colo. “I competed in the last two making the trip to Ft. Worth for a shot at part of the $750,000. If competing for that kind of money doesn’t spark your interest what does? I knew what the WCRA was doing with the nominations but being involved with it and building it more – that just helps open the lines of communication.”
“Girls would come to me and ask me what I thought,” she continued. “I’ve done a little bit of everything in the business and I’m here to compete.” Linsay reached out to Scott Davis and Bobby Mote to give them some input and appreciation for what they were doing and make a couple of suggestions she thought that might benefit the event. “It turned into a few conversations – and then Sean Gleason (CEO of PBR) said we need to talk – It gave me butterflies – he’s a mover and shaker. I had the conversation with Bobby and Sean and we knew we needed female input and here I am.”
Linsay grew up on the road but didn’t start competing until she was 10. Born and raised in northern California, she traveled extensively helping with her grandfather’s (Cotton Rosser) rodeo company, Flying U. Now 93, Cotton is still involved with the company, which is 77 years strong. “I helped with all aspects of the business. I’ve been carrying the American flag since I could hold it. I would take care of saddle horses, do victory laps, and I spent a few years performing trick riding (11-13). I have also timed; we grew up rodeoing, on the work side of things.” Lee Rosser, her father, competed in the bronc riding, steer wrestling and team roping before creating his own rodeo company, Rosser Rodeo. He merged it into the Flying U 15 years ago. Linsay married former NFR qualifier Wade Sumpter and they have two boys Weston 8, and Lindon 5.
This isn’t her first time being involved with the PBR. About a year out of college, Linsay was working as a clothing company salesman, and had the opportunity to be the marketing manager for the PBR. She spent a year and a half there and left that position to take the head coaching job at Otero College. “It worked better with Wade’s schedule with professional rodeo,” she explained. “I would be gone with the Built Ford Tough Series, then he’d be gone. It fit better for me to stay closer to home. All through high school and college, coaching has always been a part of me.”
“The stars have aligned – I’m back within the PBR realm with the Womens World Championship Rodeo, I’m coaching (13 years now), I’m competing, and I’ve got a wonderful family.”
