Roping competition begins nine-day run

BY ED GODFREY, Staff Writer, egodfrey@opubco.com Comments 0
Published: October 24, 2009

The United States Team Roping Championships returns to Oklahoma City today to begin its annual nine-day run.

Today through Nov. 1 at State Fair Arena, more 3,800 ropers from 41 states, Canada, Italy, Brazil, Australia and Mexico will be vying for crowns in 10 divisions.

"It’s kind of an international phenomenon now,” said USTRC president Kirk Bray of his organization’s 20th annual event.

About $5 million in cash and prizes will be awarded to contestants over the next nine days. Approximately 7,500 teams will compete.

Ropers have qualified to Oklahoma City through USTRC events throughout the year.

Preliminaries are still held this week to give ropers a last chance to make a shoot-out, or the finals, with the higher purses. National champions are crowned in the shoot-outs.

"If you qualify for a shoot-out, you’ve done something,” Bray said.

Much like golf, the team ropers in the USTRC are given a handicap and compete in divisions based on skill level, from beginning ropers to professional rodeo cowboys.

The top division is the Open division and attracts rodeo pros like Trevor Brazile, the Texas cowboy who many consider the best roper in the history of the sport.

The U.S. Open, the finals in the Open Division, begins Sunday at 2 p.m. and draws the biggest crowd during the championships, Bray said.

Admission is free to the U.S. Open and all shoot-outs, short rounds and preliminaries. Team roping begins at 8 a.m. each day and usually continues until 7 p.m.

By the end of next week, there will have been 15,000 cattle runs during the event, Bray said.