Ropers,
Once the flag drops, it is time to focus on the next one, right? The steers keep coming up the alley, the Priefert keeps banging, and the ropings keep rolling right along. January puts the USTRC just a little past mid-year and with the roping class hitting it hard once again this winter, it does not look like anything is slowing down until the Cinch National Finals of Team Roping.
January will host USTRC events is Arizona, Texas, and Kansas, plus the 2023 kickoffs at the Fabulous Lazy E Arena in Guthrie, Oklahoma with Jeff Smith and Three Point Productions' "Super Bowl" as well as a great weekend in Georgia during the South Georgia Super Qualifier with Johnny Johnson and the JX2 crew. We then ease into three more months of USTRC Signature events leading up to the most well attended roping event of the year, the Cinch National Finals of Team Roping in Fort Worth, Texas!
Remember - a blast to the past of USTRC, when we would all show up to Oklahoma City and walking down the tunnel into the main arena was like our own trip to the Thomas and Mack? Arkie Kiehne was on the microphone; every month the winners from last year were highlighted in the Super Looper. Man, that was such a cool feeling. That same feeling is what drives the team at the roping office. "What can we do a little different each year to make sure the teams at the largest attended roping of the year get that twinge of excitement, pressure, and most of all have a great time competing?"
The first thing we can all do is thank the city of Fort Worth for partnering with us to bring such a massive event to Cow Town. The arena setups make the roping flow like oil through a funnel which is so important when it comes to running so many teams. For those of you who have attended other roping events at the Will Rogers Memorial Center and say "I will never go back because the parking is such a mess!" well, we jumped in front of that issue before it ever happened by working with the local police and the facility to basically create our own traffic flow for the week so ropers, trucks, trailers, and horses are never jammed up and everything from stall check in to picking up your trophy saddles after the big win is easy and painless.
The whole USTRC Finals experience is going to be amplified even more in 2023 with the re-introductions of some old events, ladies-stay tuned, and the launch of a brand-new set of ropings that will be held in the Watt Arena. This year's finals will host the very first ever Cinch National Breakaway Championships! This will be over the course of four days and will have three divisions for women ropers, open, 19 and under, and 15 and under. The final day will be a 12 and under boys. This will be a welcomed addition to the team roping and will offer families of team ropers and breakaway ropers another chance to showcase their talent!
The USTRC is still working finalizing all of the minor details for the 2023 finals, so in the meantime, make sure to keep an eye out in the Team Roping Journal and on our website at USTRC.com. Make sure you mark your calendars for late April and plan on joining us at the 2023 Cinch National Finals of Team Roping.
