RODEO LEGENDS / ICONS CLASS 2022
Barrel racing
An eleven-time world champion whose partnership with Scamper produced one of the NFR’s most celebrated runs.
| WPRA world championships | 11 |
|---|---|
| Consecutive titles with Scamper | 1984–1993 |
| Later world championship | 2002 aboard Cruiser |
Raised in Clayton, New Mexico, Charmayne James began her best-known partnership when Gills Bay Boy, known as Scamper, joined her barn in 1982. At fourteen, she won the 1984 world championship and began a decade of consecutive titles.
At the 1985 NFR, James and Scamper won a round after the bridle broke during the run. The moment became part of the event’s early Las Vegas history, illustrating the connection between rider and horse under unusual pressure.
James’s ten straight world championships with Scamper spanned 1984–1993. In 2002 she added an eleventh world title aboard Cruiser, also known as Cruisin on Six. That later success is important to the full career story: her record was not confined to one exceptional partnership. She joined the inaugural 2022 Vegas NFR Icons class.
Vegas NFR Icons recognition year: 2022. This identifies the honor, not a championship season or a scheduled 2026 competition appearance.
