Team Roping Journal

Age: 30 Hometown: Stephenville, Texas World Titles: 3 (2019, 2023-2024) Career earnings: $2,037,125 NFR Average Titles: 1 (2019) NFR Qualifications: 10 (2016-25) Major ropings: BFI; Spicer Gripp Memorial; The Sandhills Invitational; Cinch USTRC National Finals of Team Roping; Priefert Ranch Open.

Have you heard about the inaugural South Texas Showdown, which is coming right up October 24-27 at the Uvalde County Fairplex? If you’re a hard-core roping enthusiast, this event has it all—steer roping, tie-down roping, breakaway roping, a match roping between two world champion tie-down ropers and yes, the 3S Services South Texas Showdown Invitational Team Roping featuring $50,000 added and a 100% payback.

Has the chill in the air got you craving a warm fire and an evening cocktail? Pendleton Midnight boasts tasting notes made for fall: Musky aromatic notes of leather, warm cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and a trace of ginger; a taste of oak balanced with coffee cake, nuts, caramelized banana, and candied fig; then, spices, pecans, walnuts with a full-bodied finish. pendletonwhisky.com; $46

Two-time World Champ Clay Smith has believed in his 6-year-old mare Apache Promise for the last four years‚ and in Oklahoma City June 3, he got to show her abilities off to her full potential. On the 6-year-old mare by Promise Of The Sun out of RH Apache Heaven by the legendary Apache Blue Boy, Smith won the American Rope Horse Futurity Association’s RedBud Spectacular’s Heading Futurity against 91 of the best young rope horses in the country.

Derrick Begay and Colter Todd roped two steers in 8.8 seconds at the 2023 Clark County Fair & Rodeo in Logandale, Nevada, to take the win, some might say by fate. The team was not originally entered in Logandale but took the opportunity to fill in when it arose. “We actually got called probably a week before Logandale,” said Begay, who has made nine trips to the Thomas & Mack on the heading side.

At third out in Fort Worth’s wolfy round of ProRodeo team roping, Kaleb Driggers and Junior Nogueira did what they do best: stretch a steer in clock-stopping fashion. But, this time, the clock didn’t stop. And that is where the controversy lies. The scoreboard clock kept running behind the roping boxes, while Driggers headed to the stripping chute behind his steer, and while Nogueira—already aware something had gone awry—rode back up to the boxes with the judges.

Our Western way of life is under attack. There is an ordinance gaining traction in Los Angeles that is a serious threat to the sport of rodeo and all Western sports—bull riding, barrel racing and yes, even team roping jackpots included. While the most common reaction to this is to sling insults toward “the left-coast crazies,” that will only play into these people’s hand, confirm their fiction-based accusations about those who wear cowboy hats and sink our own beloved Western-world ship.

"These are the lighter end of the steers and by Round 9 we can see some records broke." — Bobby Joe Hill 757 Derrick Begay and Brady Minor Medium-plus. 743 Rhen Richard and Jeremy Buhler Straight and will give them a good chance for a go-round buckle. 742 Clint Summers and Ross Ashford Medium. This steer took a step left in the run-through. 745 Brenten Hall and Chase Tryan This steer was middle of herd and should give them a chance to win. 755 Tyler Wade and Trey Yates Middle of the herd steer.

FORT WORTH, Texas—The WCRA (World Champions Rodeo Alliance) and PBR (Professional Bull Riders) today announced that the largest payout event in the history of Women’s Rodeo, the Women’s Rodeo World Championship (WRWC), will move to Fort Worth, Texas, starting in May 2022. The relocation and dates will go into effect immediately after the 2021 WRWC which will be held in Las Vegas, Nevada, at South Point Arena Oct. 26-29.