Charmayne James

Charmayne James (born June 23, 1970) is an American former professional rodeo cowgirl who specialized in barrel racing. In her career, she won 11 Women's Professional Rodeo Association (WPRA) barrel racing world championships, the most in history. She won ten consecutive world championships from 1984 to 1993, and then a final one in 2002. She qualified for the National Finals Rodeo (NFR) 19 times and also won seven NFR barrel racing average titles in 1984, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1993, and 2002. James retired her horse, Gills Bay Boy, nicknamed Scamper, whom she won the bulk of her titles with, in 1993 after winning her tenth world championship. James herself would retire from barrel racing in 2002 after winning her 11th world championship.

Scamper was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in 1996. James was inducted into the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame in 1992 and the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in 2017. The August 2017 induction ceremony was ProRodeo's 38th annual event, and marked the first time in the event's history that the class of inductees included barrel racers from the WPRA.

Early history Charmayne James, born June 23, 1970, in Boerne, Texas, was raised in Clayton, New Mexico. She was three years old when she first started riding horses, and by age six she was running barrels. Her recollection of barrel racing is that it was the only thing she ever wanted to do. She began her rodeo career at a young age when she joined the Rabbit Ear 4-H Club. Prior to 2019, barrel racing was the only event women competed in at Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) events, and is second only to bull riding as the most popular event. She eventually set her sights on Gills Bay Boy, an American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) registered gelding her father had purchased as a four-year-old for $1,100

ProRodeo career By the end of 1983, James and Scamper had competed on the amateur circuit for approximately three years, and advanced to the pro circuit. James filled her permit for the WPRA following a win at a competition in Dodge City, Kansas.

In 1984, the pair began their first season competing at the professional level, and by season's end, James had won $53,499.00 and two championship titles, including 1984 WPRA World Champion Barrel Racer She was also named 1984 WPRA Rookie of the Year.

In 1985, the pair earned $93,847 and their 2nd WPRA world championship title. They did it again in 1986, winning their 3rd WPRA world championship title and NFR Average with total earnings of $151,969, achieving professional rodeo's highest earnings ever in a single-event season. Another first came in 1987 at the NFR where the team won their 4th world championship with earnings exceeding $120,000.

James returned to barrel racing in 1992 riding her new horse Cruising on Six, nicknamed Cruiser, and won her 11th WPRA World Barrel Racing Championship title.

The bridleless win

In 1985, James and Scamper qualified for the NFR and won five go-rounds at the event. James recalled that it was Friday the 13th during the 7th go-round of the barrel racing competition when Scamper's bridle fell off his head during the run.

As James and Scamper came in, Scamper caught his bridle on the gate, dislodging the Chicago screws that secure the bit and reins to the headstall. James announced her retirement from competition in 2003 after winning a record 11 WPRA World Championships. The groom was her long-time friend The couple has two sons together.

She came out of retirement to compete in RFD-TV's The American, referred to as the "world's richest one day rodeo", whose inaugural event was held in 2014. The event is held every year in February at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, and televised nationally on RFD-TV. In 2016, she again stepped out of retirement as a member of Elite Rodeo Athletes (ERA) to compete in "the inaugural ERA Premier Tour against 87 other world-class athletes that represent 135 world championship titles", held May 20–21 at Tingley Coliseum in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Clayton Since breeding Scamper was not an option for genetic inheritability, James spent several years researching the possibility of cloning. She chose ViaGen, an animal genetics corporation based in Austin, Texas, to perform the cloning procedure for $150,000. who is an identical genetic match to Scamper. James chose a surrogate mare to be the dam of the colt and receive the cloned embryo. At age two, James started Clayton as a breeding stallion. She offered his services to the public at a fee of $4,000. Clayton sired healthy progeny, many of whom have inherited Scamper's genetics. Of special note, the AQHA does not register cloned horses. However, breed registration is not required to compete in barrel racing or other PRCA and WPRA sanctioned rodeo events.

The WPRA has recorded the following earnings for James:

1984 – $53,499 1985 – $93,847 1986 – $151,969 1986 – Leading money earner in professional rodeo 1987 – 1987 – $120,002 1988 – $130,540 1989 – $96,651 1990 – $130,328 1990 – Charmayne crosses the million-dollar milestone 1991 – $92,403 1992 – $110,867 1993 – $103,609 1995 – $50,345 1996 – $49,995 1997 – $54,442 1998 – $116,325 1999 – $88,520 2000 – $146,000 2001 – $129,270 2002 – $186,405

Honors 1986 Panhandle Sports Hall of Fame, Amarillo, Texas 1988 Ellensburg Rodeo Hall of Fame 1992 National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame 1996 "Scamper" inducted into ProRodeo Hall of Fame 1999 St. Paul Rodeo Hall of Fame 2002 Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame 2011 Texas Rodeo Cowboy Hall of Fame 2016 New Mexico Sports Hall of Fame 2017 ProRodeo Hall of Fame 2024 RodeoHouston Hall of Fame 2026 PBR Ty Murray Top Hand Award