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CBS Denver
Meet the woman in charge of Denver's rodeo
By Jeff Gurney,
11 hours ago
Meet the rodeo operations coordinator of the National Western Stock Show 02:19
Caroline Lukens was born a cowgirl.
"I got this cute little quarter horse named Ranger and he was my first horse," Lukens said.
Now she's running the one of the nation's premier livestock, rodeo and horse shows at the National Western Stock Show in Denver. As the rodeo operations coordinator, Lukens is responsible for producing one of the largest rodeos in the country.
CBS Colorado Sports anchor Romi Bean interviews Caroline Lukens at the National Western Complex. CBS
"Sometimes there are advantages to being a woman in a male-dominated industry; and it's becoming less and less male-dominant too," Lukens said.
Lukens is a representative from one of more than 25 sports organizations, teams and others who will be featured during CBS Colorado's Girls in the Game on Saturday. It will be held on the University of Denver campus. Romi Bean hosts the event, which is designed to encourage, inspire and empower girls to consider careers in sports on and off the field.
CBS
"I just have a different way of looking at things, so it's nice to add some balance to our team," she said.
Lukens says, "I once was that little girl coming to the Stock Show with my family and getting to experience the magic of being at the National Western Stock Show."
Harold Miller hangs on while competing in the bareback wrestling competition during the MLK Jr. African American Heritage Rodeo at the National Western Stock Show in Denver in 2019. JASON CONNOLLY/AFP via Getty Images
Now she's found a way to turn her passion into a paycheck.
And she hopes she can inspire the next generation of cowgirls.
"I just hope that we get to spark the curiosity of one of those little girls to maybe one day be in the shoes that I am or maybe even doing bigger things," Lukens said.
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