The month of June is a roper’s dream
and can offer some of the best money in the roping industry from rodeos
to special events. This is the month for the Bob Feist Invitational (BFI)
and this year it will offer over $700,000 in cash and prizes in one day
for the open pro ropers. The Reno Invitational Roping will be the day
after the BFI and will make some happy ropers out of winners who will
take home some very large checks for their roping efforts. On Wednesday
the All Ladies Roping will be going strong for the second straight year.
Perry DiLoreto and his crew have done an excellent job with these two
events. Perry also serves as a wonderful host at his personal arena during
the week for many of the ropers to practice.
Other team ropings are scheduled during the Reno Rodeo time frame also.
They will be held at other venues. See ads within this issue of Ropers
Sports News for details and arena locations.
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This year the Reno Rodeo Committee has put together an extra bonus called
the “Reno Triple Crown” which would pay an extra $100,000
bonus to a roper who would win the World’s Greatest Roper scheduled
for June 21st and 22nd, win the BFI, and then win either the tie-down
roping or the team roping average at the Reno Rodeo. This could be a very
good week for some lucky roper. The World’s Greatest Roper is limited
to just 20 entries and as of this writing there are 13 of those 20 that
are entered in all three events. The Reno Rodeo has been working hard
to get this bonus together and finalized.
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Daniel Green will be one of the favorites to win the “Reno Triple
Crown,” as he has won the two previous World’s Greatest Roper
titles and recently won the Wrangler Timed Event Championship.
Trevor Brazile will also be a favorite at Reno in all three competitions
and will be a favorite of the field.
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The Silver Legacy will again be the host hotel for the BFI, WGR, and RRITR.
Be sure and stay where the roping stars will be staying and have some
of the best gaming, entertainment, and dining that Reno has to offer.
They will be offering a free shuttle service to and from the arena during
ropings.
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The Crusher Sales PRCA World Standings are showing a tight race in the
team roping with Michael Jones and Jade Corkill going week to week in
the heeling division. They are within $500 of each other and of this writing
Jones is ahead. The heading has a little larger gap with Travis Tryan
on top of Chad Masters by $3,500.
Chance Smart is leading the bull riding standings in the PRCA by over
$50,000. He already has $123,967 won in one event alone. He really needs
to pick up another event like say team roping and go for the all-around.
Trevor is in the lead for the all-around at this time with $81,219 won
as of this writing.
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The entries are down in both rodeos and jackpot ropings all across the
country. This is due mostly to the high cost of travel and the high entry
fees. Unless one is winning on a full time basis it is not feasible to
go for just the love of it any more. In the last few weeks numbers are
down across the western part of the country and some ropings are offering
some special packages to try and attract ropers.
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At press time I am headed to Bishop Mule Days which I will co-announce
with Bob Tallman and Steve Kenyon. This is always one my favorite
events to do as we see some wild team roping along with many other events
that you would never see anywhere else on earth. We will let you know
who won all of the money in the team roping and steer stopping next month.
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My very old team roping partner who happens to be older than I am, won
a roping and a saddle along with his partner Todd Ruffoni at a recent
roping held at the Branquinho Arena prior to the Ranchero Visitadores
Ride in the Santa Barbara, Calif. area. That old roping partner happens
to be the very first employee that I ever hired here at Ropers Sports
News. He is a winner and has proved that time and time again. Oh by the
way, he is Charlene Morgan’s husband and can be seen at the Western
Horseman booths around the country. If my memory serves me, his real first
name is Albert.
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I was shocked last month to get the bad news that my good friend Karl
Stressman of Wrangler had suffered a heart attack and was in serious condition.
After a new stent was installed and a few days in the hospital, he was
home and doing fine. Thank God for the quickness of the people he was
with in the team roping practice pen who called 911 and got the quick
response that he needed.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Karl and his family. We understand
that he is planning on being at the BFI June 23 to hand out the Wrangler
Bonus checks.
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