Toughest Team Roping Finals Ever

Well we are all back home from the NFR. What happened has happened. It passes in a blur. The routine is almost the same everyday so all the days kinda run together. Main thing that is different is how you do each night. So for Garret T it's really a blur. Won the round every night. It was a week of ups and downs for us. Started slow then we won second in two rounds which was cool and depressing at the same time. We would take second every night. But once you go 4 1 or 4 2 you hope you might win a round.

I had ran 18 steers there and not won one round. So we were winning rounds 3 and 4 with 2 teams to go both nights and got moved to second. Anyway, I dealt with the ups and downs a lot better this time. I dealt if we kept going at them we would do ok. So we win second in three rounds with three rounds to go. But we were sitting 11th in the average. So even though we were in the lead in money we would be behind if the average was paid so we go 4 6 plus 5 in the eighth round we were 12th in that go and would have been 12 th with a 4 6.

Toughest round I ever seen at the finals. But the three teams that were long were ahead of us in the average so we moved up to eighth with two rounds to go. Randon's Dad went into panic mode and dealt like we were nearly done so we went out and roped most of the day. I had borrowed a horse - Handsome - from Shane Sproul for a backup. Chad Masters road him there in 03 and 04 and that is his best deal. Going for first in a short set up. So I dealt like if I could make a good run on him and place high in the round that would put us back in the drivers seat instead of Trevor.

Well we were 3 7 and won the round. Garrett was last out and almost moved us again. Trevor made a great run of 4 0 but broke the barrier. Which ended up they missed the record by 1 second. They roped as good a finals as I've seen. Actually that was the toughest team roping there has ever been at the finals. A leg never placed in one go. Average was pretty tough. All average money was paid on 10 head. Fastest go round times ever.

Anyway, we moved up to 6th in the average after the 9th round and had a good lead in money so now all we have to do is maintain our average position in the tenth round. So I got back on Nick. Had a good steer. Won fourth in the round and moved up to fourth in the average. Ended up the World Champ. Different the second time. Not quite as sweet, but much more enjoyable to win it with your partner. The same guy you spent so much time with all year. In that regard it was so much better.

We were there all day Sunday, finally left about 8:00 that night and came all the way home. Got to Pima about 4:00 a m. But I was ready to be here. I had left home the day after Thanksgiving. My kids were there for three days over the first weekend and we had a good time but Vegas is a tough place to entertain kids for that long. So now we are home getting ready for Christmas and starting to enter rodeos for next year. Start trying again. Roping with Wren Richard this year. Looking forward to a great year.