When you have to be stupid fast, you don’t have much of a choice—you have to nod, score and throw on reaction. But when you just need to catch to win—say, in the 10th round at the National Finals of Breakaway—you can put a bit more thought into the run. That can be a good thing, OR it can be a bad thing if you’re not comfortable.
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At the Finals
The 10th calf is just like every other calf. It takes no more skill than a calf in the practice pen, but it can feel like the hardest to catch ever. I wanted to be safe at the barrier, and I knew that was a really good calf. I didn’t have to do anything extra ordinary.
Seeing the Shot
I saw my start, and I could feel that I was safe at the barrier. I took an extra swing on that one just to make sure. The first shot was like a 90% catch percentage for me, but I knew that extra shot I wasn’t going to miss. That would be my last swing in every other set up and every other roping ever, and the next picture would be me throwing. But when I saw him right there, my horse was gaining and the calf was slowing down and everything was in time.
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That Extra Swing
But I decided (in .001 seconds) that I wanted to take another swing. I have my tip down, I pull it back up, and I take an extra one. I’m still at the front of my saddle, and I’m making sure I follow through. Taking an extra swing can make it too easy, but if you practice it enough in competition, you’ll get good at it. Some of my best loops have been when it’s stupid hard to make it look that good. The main thing is that even though I was taking another swing, I just wanted to stay super aggressive and keep my focus and let my horse do her job.
The Horse to Catch On
This mare is an easy horse to take an extra swing on, which is why I got back on her when things came down to the wire. She’s not going to change stride until you throw, which is key for when I need to catch.
Read: Sawyer Gilbert Crowned First-Ever WPRA/PRCA Earnings Champion at 125th Cheyenne Frontier Days
Lucky Lay
In the next to last picture, I am fully committed to stopping but not fully committed to pulling my slack like I should be. It’s one of those weird deals—I missed my target by 3 centimeters and I hit him in the ear. You can clearly see that in the picture. But my dad always says that’s why you use a new rope: it will cover that up (It was a Pink Caddy by Lone Star Ropes).
Mission Accomplished
When I saw it go around the head and I felt my slack in my hand, and that was my final breath of air—like ‘Ladies and gentlemen the rope is on the calf!’ It’s crazy how slow those runs get in your mind—before it had broken away, I’d had bet the world I just won the world. The emotions that went through that before the time stopped, just knowing that, the run was finished, and we were just waiting for the time to stop. I was going to be the first to congratulate myself in that moment.
