Innholdsfortegnelse for October 2018 i The Team Roping Journal

Dear Roper, I remember sitting at Omaha in 2014, back when the PRCA and the Nebraska city hosted the Champions Challenge and Justin Boots Finale there. Derrick Begay didn’t have a great season that year, but even though he’d gone home, he got to fly in to rope at Omaha because of a rule on the books that he got to compete because he and Cesar de la Cruz had won the event the year before. At the time, Cesar was roping with Tom Richards, and they were in the thick of a battle to make Cesar’s ninth and Tom’s first trip to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. Derrick had one shot—one steer—to help out the partner with whom he’d made five trips to Sin City, but he didn’t have…

Jeff Smith is a USTRC original. He’s produced USTRC ropings in Kansas since the start, and also provides a lot of the steers roped across the country. Smith goes so far back that he served on Denny Gentry’s ground-breaking home team nearly 30 years ago at the first USTRC National Finals of Team Roping ever held, in 1990. Smith, who just turned 58 on September 27, lives in the part of Small Town, America called Peabody, Kansas. Jeff lives within an hour of his mom and all five of his siblings; is dad to one son, Brandon; and grandpa to Bronson and Jerri. Q : What’s it been like to be a ground-floor USTRC guy? A: The USTRC has always been for families, and people always wanted to be a…

A native of Visalia, California, 30-year-old Bobby Roberts ended his 12-year PBR bull riding career in 2016. He’s also a horse shoer, a husband, a day worker, a well digger, a header, a heeler, and a stuntman. Cowboys have a long history in the stunt industry, and growing up a handful of hours from L.A. doesn’t hurt. Neither does having friends who can help you get your foot in the door. “My best friend, Dylan Hice, and his cousin, Derek Lacasa, are both bull riders and stuntmen,” Roberts said. “In 2008, Derek called me and asked if I would be willing to work on a commercial and, since being a bull rider and shoeing horses doesn’t offer real consistent work, I said sure.” The day was a 12-hour stint that…

The most common problem, even for myself, and with the exception of about 10 guys, is roping great in the practice pen and then falling apart in competition. Lots of ropers practice a certain way and rope great at home, and then they do terrible every time they compete. And that comes down to this: you either compete like you practice or practice like you compete. You have to put in that realistic effort and make it the same at home. Ropers will free their horses up and score and keep them honest, and then you try to be 4.0 when you get somewhere. People will run 50 steers in a week and only try to be 4.0 on three. That’s a problem, because the way you practice and the…

Daryl Davis Bit “It has a nice build to it. It has a decent bit of shank. The bars on it are curbed pretty good so you can still get the side-to-side and flex. It’s broken in the middle and is a correction bit, but the port on it isn’t overly tall. Horses seem to like it. It doesn’t seem to bother them or get them gapping their mouths. I like it on a lot of horses. I have one that I ride with a shorter shank on all of my young horses. This is a good step-up. I have one with a taller port, but with this medium port, they can be soft-mouthed or hard-mouthed and you can still get away with it.” – Ryan Motes, four-time WNFR heeler…

Equine practitioner Colter Negranti earned a bachelor’s degree in animal science at University of California-Davis, and his veterinary degree at Colorado State in Fort Collins. After graduating from vet school, Negranti interned and worked two years alongside renowned equine lameness specialist Dr. Marty Gardner in Gardnerville, Nevada. A lifelong cowboy, Negranti returned to his native Central Coast of California, where his Paso Robles Equine practice combines the practical, common-sense approach of his ranch-raised roots with every advantage of cutting-edge technology and modern medicine. Dr. Negranti specializes in lameness issues related to performance horses—equine sports medicine—and has a number of team roping clients. He’s well-versed in the event, which is useful when helping his cowboy friends get the most out of their four-footed team roping partners, in terms of everything from…

Change is coming to the way team ropers and fans watch the sport they know and love, just in time for the Cinch National Finals of Team Roping and the Ariat World Series of Team Roping Finale XIII. Active Interest Media, the parent company of the United States Team Roping Championships and the World Series of Team Roping, signed a media rights representation agreement with Professional Bull Riders that will include livestreaming both year-end events this winter on RidePass, the group’s Western sports digital network. The agreement will also leverage the expertise of PBR’s parent company, Endeavor, to grow team roping through expanded media coverage and storytelling. Endeavor, also owner of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, is a global leader in sports, entertainment, fashion, media, and events, operating in more than…

Junior Nogueira now has three Spicer Gripp Memorial Youth Foundation roping titles to his name—one with Jake Barnes in 2015, and two with Kaleb Driggers in 2016 and 2018. This year, Driggers and Nogueira roped six steers in 49.06 seconds, worth $40,800, for first in the average in Hereford, Texas. The roping raised $100,000 this year to give to West Texas A&M University for a scholarship fund for students pursuing an agricultural degree or participating on the rodeo team.…

JUNIOR NFR OPEN HEADER STANDINGS Calvin Taylor 267 Braxton Hughes 258 Jett Stewart 230 Spencer Clements 189 Korbin Rice 166 Caden Tinsely 163 Hagen Peterson 149 Mason Rust 144 Ty Woods 139 Britt Smith 135 JUNIOR NFR OPEN HEELER STANDINGS Kayden Little 565 Sterlin English 319 John Hisel 314 Daryn Gonzales 291 Jaylen Eldridge 236 Kaden Profili 222 Breck Ward 184 Kutter Johnson 174 Tate Thompson 154 Colton Allen 142 JUNIOR NFR #10 HEADER STANDINGS Everett Reeves 264 Caden Tinsley 250 Jett Stewart 217 Taylet Rademacher 201 Garrett Miller 171 Ty Woods 152 Shiloh Thomison 148 Sterlin English 132 Hayden Dean Sanders 128 Slade Baumann 124 JUNIOR NFR #10 HEELER STANDINGS Catcher Gasperson 263 John Hisel 250 Ketch Kelton 207 Brayden Schmidt 191 Braxton Hughes 188 Calvin Taylor 157 Cutter…

“Sheriff’s Office, may I ask who is calling?” Donna Shedeed, 81, said when she answered a call from a strange number this August, though that number happened to be The Team Roping Journal’s office line. “Just a trick I learned on Facebook for when strange numbers call!” she laughed, her iconic big personality shining through the phone line. Donna was caught off guard with the interview request, and because of that, wasn’t prepared to rattle off her mile-long list of accomplishments—one that spans decades, events, and skill sets, and has garnered her acclaim from the National Senior Professional Rodeo Association’s Hall of Fame to the Casey Tibbs Foundation’s Rodeo Cowgirl Great Award. “I’ve always just loved horses,” Donna, the self-proclaimed “Queen of the Tie-On”, said. “My folks were farmers, and…

“AMERICA IS TOO GREAT for small dreams.” When Ronald Reagan shared these inspirational words in his 1984 State of the Union address, he was challenging Congress to fund the country’s first space station program. But he was also speaking to each and every American about our dreams – about the families we want to build, the security we yearn to provide, and the homes where we will love, laugh, pray, and play. Whether your dream is a better barn or a bigger ranch, we want to help make it a reality. But let’s be honest: It’s not easy! Major investments require a lot of discipline and smart, longterm thinking, and knowing where to start can be very challenging. Heck, a fully outfitted barn like the beauty pictured here can easily…

OKLAHOMA CITY has been the home to the USTRC’s Cinch National Finals for the past 21 years out of its 29-year existence. Watch history be made with the USTRC’s new motto, Experience the Difference. Changes to this year’s Finals include trucks and tractors, changes to the Ladies’ Cinch roping, a #7 pick/ draw, and the Junior NFR qualifiers and Jr. Looper ropings. Come join the fun and Experience the Difference, Oct. 21 through Oct. 27, and don’t forget to stop by the Lazy E Arena on your way through for the Guthrie NFTR Championships from Oct. 20 to Oct. 26. 1 The Eats Trying to find something to help fuel yourself? Check out local restaurants that have been catering to the ropers like Cattlemen’s Steakhouse (cattlemensrestaurant.com) and Trapper’s Fishcamp &…

In the late 1980s, then-lobbyist Denny Gentry witnessed Judy Dawes running the New Mexico governor’s office in Santa Fe. He already knew her from team roping circles, but that day, he discovered the person that could help him get his big idea off the ground. “Today, she’s one of the last, hardcore secretaries,” Denny said. “When I saw Judy handling that office, I knew I had found the first employee. That was who I wanted helping me.” The big idea, of course, was a recreational team roping association with a number system. What began as the New Mexico Team Roping Championships, in short order grew to be the United States Team Roping Championships, and Judy was there at every step and misstep, relentlessly heaving the coals onto a sometimes out-of-control…

The USTRC’s Cinch National Finals of Team Roping has trusted in Gist Silversmiths for its trophy buckles for 28 years, beginning at its first finals at the Lazy E in Guthrie, Oklahoma, then to the Jim Norick Arena in Oklahoma City. “We started with the USTRC when Denny (Gentry) initiated the concept in 1990,” Jennifer Folsom, of Gist Silversmiths, said. “He actually started with a roping in New Mexico, the New Mexico Championships in 1989. We did those buckles and that quickly evolved into what he created as the USTRC and began to grow the number of qualifiers that he had across the country. As he did that, we continued to develop various buckle programs from year to year that would supply buckles for those producers that were hosting qualifying…

Here’s 23 things you’ll discover in the DVD: 1. Lacking confidence in yourself? Jake’s “champion formula” will help (Hint: P + O = C) 2. Jake’s “patience shortcut”: A counter-intuitive way to develop confidence in your horse 3. 10 “confidence-boosting” qualities Jake looks for in a team roping partner 4. How to regain confidence after missing a steer (Hint: GT & BT Analysis) 5. Lost thumb, knee replacement, brain damage… Jake explains how to restore confidence after an injury 6. What Jake learned about turning focus ON and OFF from Trevor Brazile’s “$50,000 lost opportunity” 7. Jake’s “pre-run ritual”: The #1 thing to focus on when you back into the box 8. How to manage “first steer nerves” (and the #1 thing you MUST avoid in the first round!) 9.…

Championship-bound RF: Last year was a really good year for me. I was just college rodeoing in the beginning of the year, but at Reno, at the invitational, my mom and I won fifth, and we won the short-round. I don’t even remember how much we won, but Reno was really good to us. Then, me and Lorraine won the second round together out there, so, every time me and Lorraine roped together, it’s like we clicked. And then I won the Spicer Gripp Memorial breakaway, which was in August, so it had just been a really blessed year for me. Getting in the Game LM: I was roping pretty good and practice felt good and everything, but that week didn’t start very good. It was off to a bad…

Staying Hooked Steers aren’t always great—sometimes they run up the rope, sometimes they drag, sometimes they fight their head and go down—and I’ve had to learn to catch the bad ones just as well as the good ones. In the photos on these next few pages, this steer was going down the arena perfectly, and Kaleb Driggers and I were trying to make a rodeo run on him, but then he went down right in front of my horse, just as I was ready to deliver fast. I had to kick over him and stay in time with him and my horse to finish the run, like you’ve sometimes got to do in a jackpot or rodeo situation to stay in the average. 1 Kaleb roped this steer really fast. I…

My confidence has always come from my preparation—knowing I’ve spent the time in the practice pen before I head out on the road, knowing my horses are working;,and knowing my swing is in the right spot. But confidence and inspiration are two different things, and my inspiration comes directly from my two little girls—Annie, who is 2-and-a-half; and Hope, who was born June 19—and my wife, Rebecca. In 2009, Rebecca gave me cards with a saying on them before the start of the Canadian Finals Rodeo. I would put those cards in my shirt pocket, and I’d pull them out and read them two teams before I rode into the box. She did that every year, and before I rode into the box at my first Wrangler National Finals Rodeo,…

WHAT HAS THE SPORT OF TEAM ROPING MEANT TO YOU? “I’ve worked for roping producers my whole career. The hours are endless and the work never stops—in fact, it seems like there are more ropings to promote every month—but that’s all a sign that this is one of the most thriving industries in which I could have chosen to work. And the fact that I get to do what I love when I set my work aside? Even better.” — Kari deCastro, owner, Idlewild Creative and marketing director, Yost Events…