The arena 1st issue

NTR National Finals Arena Spring 2015 2.indd 1

Bob Crosswaite Roping Ambition at 80 Jace Thorstenson Star Rises To the Top

NTR Schedule What Lies Ahead 5/6/2015 5:50:38 AM

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The Arena serves National Team Roping association and is published 4 times per year. The NTR serves ropers across the western United States, offering exceptional events and keeping the tradition of the sport of team roping moving ahead. The magazine is produced by Yost Events Inc. and published by RJ Five. For inquires, please call RJ Five at 505-407-2151.

Publisher

RJ Five Ryan Davis 505-407-2151 rdavis1005@comcast.net

Contributing Writers Caroline Fraser

Managing Editor Ty Yost

Photography Olie’s Images

Graphic Design RJ Five

Advertising Sales

Contents 3 6 11

Letter from Ty NTR National Finals Bob Crosswaite Roping Ambition at 80

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Jace Thorstenson -

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NTR Schedule

Star Rises To The Top

RJ Five Clay Mac 575.517.0076 Ryan Davis 505.407.2151

The Arena is published every quarter. It is managed and published for the National Team Roping (NTR) association serving its members information about NTR and the team roping industry. All ropers at NTR events are members and have purchased an NTR membership. For membership information, please contact NTR at 520-251-1495. The Arena is mailed directly to members of the NTR and available for free at NTR events. Subscriptions are available for $40 per year, standard mail. For inquiries and upcoming issue information, please contact Publisher, Ryan Davis. For advertising rates please contact RJ Five.

Material may not be reproduced without permission from the Publisher.

The opinions and views expressed in all editorial materials are those of the writer or persons interviewed and are not necessarily those of The Arena. Send all correspondence, change of address, etc to RJ Five – PO Box 328 – Tijeras, NM - 87059

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Letter

from Ty

I

hope you enjoy this premier edition of the Arena. We have been working on it for the past month and I look forward to your feedback and already looking forward to future issues.

THE ARENA will feature the champions of the National Team Roping Tour and to get information into our members’ hands each quarter.

I founded the National Team Roping Tour (NTR) in 2013 with the goal of reversing the trend of large payouts from higher fees, seeking instead to provide high returns on minimal entry fee investments. I was looking for BIG MONEY - LOW ENTRY FEES. Our inaugural season ended March 8 at the NTR National Finals and I couldn’t be more pleased. I can’t express how fortunate I feel to be associated with such a great class of people in the guys and gals that make up the NTR membership.

For those who were unable to attend the NTR National Finals, the higher number ropings, including the Open Roping, were rained out.

Wednesday, we got back on track and what a great finale! Our Horse Sale at Rancho Rio was standing room only, with the top 32 horses averaging over $10,000 each.

What an exciting, electrifying culmination to a year of anticipation during the finale of the NATIONAL NINE! For an introductory, experimental idea, the finale certainly didn’t disappoint! Two hundred twenty one teams, a payout that hit $310,000 with Trace Steele and Tamara Mann

winning first and $100,000, saddles and buckles! The roping and especially the short go was awesome. Nothing fell apart. Every bleacher was packed and standing room only for viewing.

It may have taken some time for ropers to understand just what all was up for grabs. A $100 entry fee could qualify you to rope at the National Nine Finale with NO ADDITIONAL ENTRY FEE, the $100,000 was guaranteed for the winning team at the Finale; some of the skepticism settled. $100,000, suddenly became reachable to a whole lot of ropers. A 500 percent return on a $100 entry investment started grabbing everyone’s attention!

I am really excited about the success of the National Nine and have added a National Eight for the 2016 Tour. I want every roper to have the chance to win the big money without having to pay big money to do it. With a $100 entry fee, a payout of $50,000 per man, the National Nine and now the National Eight, have a 500 time return on your entry fee!

In comparison, look at the return on one of the biggest Open ropings in the world, the George Strait Classic held every year in March. The entry fee at the George Strait Classic is $1,000 per team, first in the average this year paid a whopping $272,000. However, that is still only a 272 times return on the entry.

Granted the winning team at the George Strait also wins trucks and trailers, however even if you add that into the winnings it still doesn’t come close to what we are doing at the National Team Roping Tour.

Our National Eight will have the same format as the National Nine

qualifiers, but capped at a 4 Elite.

Two 4 Elites cannot rope together. I anticipate that the National Eight Finale will likely be the highest paying Eight roping ever held!

The 2016 NTR National Finals will be March 6-13 at Rancho Rio in Wickenburg, Arizona. Conflicts with a high school tournament created motel room shortages this year, so we moved our Finals back a week.

We have a full schedule of ropings this summer, including new events in Colorado, North Dakota and Idaho. For more information on the National Team Roping Tour, go to nationalteamroping.com Thank you for roping with us in our first year and I look forward to seeing you at the upcoming ropings.

Come get qualified for the National Nine & now the National Eight, Big Money - Low Entry Fees!

t s o Y y T

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SU C C E S S IS IN YO U R H A N D S

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National Nine Finale

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L

ots of folks say watching a roping you aren’t competing in is like watching paint dry. Not a spectator sport. But, sometimes you lean against the arena fence and observe a roper that will really catch your eye. Who is that? Where are they from?

Well, that is exactly what happened at the National Nine Finale! Lots of spectators there, some that were wishful they’d have been backing in the box and nodding for a chance at the pot, some just there for the excitement of the $100,000 pay off. With 220 teams, it was easy to let

the routine of the action lull you into not paying attention. Even with the big payoff.

But several teams stood out as contenders from the beginning. The team that waltzed away with the checks, the saddles and the buckles roped only one time, in Sundance, Wyoming to qualify. But their efficiency, speed and consistency became evident by the third steer.

Only eighteen years old, Trace Steele, sole child of Deanne and PRCA roper, Larry Steele, has been roping since he was old enough to sit up straight in the saddle. When he backed his 15 year old bay gelding in the heading box, it was like second nature. But a huge part of his comfort came from the heeler he peeked at before his nod. Tamara Mann - One of the rare, phenomenal lady heelers. Ask who she is, and some of the greatest horsemen in the team roping world say the same thing. “She’s a cowgirl. She’s a great horsewoman and one helluva roper”.

And she doesn’t come out much, but when she does pay the entries, she always takes a little home.

Tamara has been a stay-at-home mom raising her own two children and any other kid in the community that will benefit from her attributes.

She rides her own horses, raised and trained by her. She shares the best of those with kids that need a little leg up to compete. When Trace asked her to rope in the qualifier, he said she was riding a colt that hadn’t been roped on much. Tamara wasn’t even planning to rope that day. Trace had never roped with her before, but had roped with her daughter in high school rodeos and has had a lifelong admiration for Tamara.

Tamara says, “I don’t go to many ropings. I’ve just been a mom, I day work, break and train my own horses and go to hockey, volleyball, rodeos, for the kids. Now that my youngest is in college, I told them it’s time for Mom to play!”

When she and Trace qualified for the National Nine, she set her mind

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on winning. Neither of the partners had been to Arizona before. Trace, a college student, said Tamara was set on going to the finals. It wasn’t easy for him to adjust the schedule, but he got time off from classes. They arrived in Arizona two days before the finale, let the horses rest up, roped in the NTR Nine on Friday, won fifth place, (a real confidence builder, “we knew we were ready to go”) and hit the big time on Saturday.

And just how did this team hold their mindset to go through the day, roping tough, consistently, in a scenario they had never placed themselves in before? Stories of the “team roping capitol of the world”, fast, true, consistent cattle, competitors from every state in the Union. All they had practiced on was roped out cattle in small barns in cold weather. The cold-weather heelers’ biggest job was hazing the steers off the fence, then hoping for a shot . The roping dummies pulled behind a four wheeler were their best practices.

“When we roped in the nine and won fifth, it gave us both confidence,” Tamara said. “Ty always puts on a good roping. His cattle are consistent, he takes care of you. You know what to expect when you get there. And I just knew Trace would catch, I didn’t even think about him missing, that gives me the chance to get my head in the game.”

And Trace’s mindset? “ I just wanted to win as much as I could.

I won a truck in Buffalo and Dad said, “well, you’ve been through it before. You’ve almost won this much before. So, I backed in the box and I didn’t even think, I just let muscle memory take over.

I just roped when I got there, I made sure I had a 100% chance of catching before I roped and I let my heeler clean it up. We’ve never practiced together before. I asked her and I was confident we could win.”

National Nine Finale Trace Steele & Tamara Mann 34.73 on 4 $100,000.00

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National Nine Finale

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Porfirio Dicochea & Raymond Rodriguez 36.21 on 4 $35,000.00

Larry Wehling & Garrett Grieve 36.98 on 4 $25,000.00 8 / SPRING 2015

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4 National Nine Finale

Mike Lutch & Seth Schafer 37.21 on 4 $17,000.00

1st in Ave - 34.73 on 4, Trace Steele & Tamara Mann $100,000.00 Buckles & Saddles 2nd in Ave - 36.21 on 4, Porfirio Dicochea & Raymond Rodriguez $35,000.00 3rd in Ave - 36.98 on 4, Larry Wehling & Garrett Grieve $25,000.00 4th in Ave - 37.21 on 4, Mike Lutch & Seth Schafer $17,000.00 5th in Ave - 37.40 on 4, Martin Martinez & Paco Calixtro $14,000.00 6th in Ave - 39.33 on 4, Raymond Kerr & Amanda Kooiker $10,000.00 7th in Ave - 40.92 on 4, Dan Cross & Jim Caines $7,500.00 8th in Ave - 41.37 on 4, Sam Scott & Don Charging $6,500.00 Consolation 9th in Ave - 41.67 on 4, David Hughson & Ron Schmidt $6,000.00 1st - 13.80 on 2, Bert Croteau & Art Gallais $6,000.00 10th in Ave - 41.84 on 4, Catie Lohse & Jim Stoddard $5,000.00 2nd - 16.39 on 2, Adele Brown & Joel Parker $4,000.00 11th in Ave - 43.69 on 4, Ryan Hatch & David Hatch $4,000.00 3rd - 16.41 on 2, Dave Bullock & Brad Schieck $3,000.00 12th in Ave - 43.88 on 4, Bob Crosthwaite & Mac McCoy $4,000.00 4th - 16.75 on 2, Chance Ovnicek & Pablo Good $2,000.00 13th in Ave - 44.86 on 4, Don Dechant & Gary Dixon $4,000.00 14th in Ave - 46.73 on 4, Rigo Carmona & Charlie Johnson $4,000.00 1st Round Payoff 15th in Ave - 47.78 on 4, Tami Blasingame & Scott Salo $4,000.00 1st - 6.96, Trevor Gonzales & Filipe Furtado $3,000.00 16th in Ave - 48.81 on 4, Pat Danehey & Mike Weatherly $2,000.00 2nd - 7.42, Rigo Carmona & Charlie Johnson $1,000.00 17th in Ave - 49.41 on 4, Sam Scott & Sandy Olson $2,000.00 3rd - 7.71, Rigo Carmona & Bodie Mattson $1,000.00 18th in Ave - 49.98 on 4, Frank Linza & Johnny Torres $2,000.00 2nd Round Payoff 19th in Ave - 51.86 on 4, Malcolm Davis & Harold Barnes $2,000.00 1st - 5.72, Jeff Padilla & Brad Schieck $3,000.00 20th in Ave - 51.99 on 4, Roger Gunsch & Bill Gover $2,000.00 2nd - 6.92, John Teigen & Bill Mankin $1,000.00 21st in Ave - 53.75 on 4, Trevor Gonzales & Filipe Furtado $2,000.00 3rd - 7.14, Shane Barlow & Don Charging $1,000.00 22th in Ave - 28.19 on 3, Alan Alduenda & Richard Mayfield $2,000.00 3rd Round Payoff 23th in Ave - 28.23 on 3, Len LeBlanc & Stan Simpson $2,000.00 1st - 5.24, Lorenzo Carbajal Jr. & Nick Black $3,000.00 24th in Ave - 33.12 on 3, Jamie Payton & Nathan Brown $2,000.00 2nd - 5.88, Raymond Kerr & Irwin Tescher $1,000.00 25th in Ave - 33.54 on 3, David Hughson & Roger Halverson $2,000.00 3rd - 6.03, Nora Hunt-Lee & Lance Johnson $1,000.00 26th in Ave - 34.70 on 3, Mike Lutch & Herb Snow $2,000.00 Shortgo 27th in Ave - 35.26 on 3, Stewart Allen & Clayton Overson $2,000.00 1st - 6.84, Sam Scott & Don Charging $2,000.00 28th in Ave - 35.47 on 3, Steve Lydon & Walt Stein $2,000.00 29th in Ave - 36.59 on 3, Barbara Kenney & Nathan Brown $2,000.00 30th in Ave - 37.82 on 3, Mary Vermedahl & Walt Vermedahl $2,000.00 31th in Ave - 38.80 on 3, Sam Rauch & Kee Etsitty Sr. $1,000.00 32nd in Ave - 40.12 on 3, Brett Hickey & Chuck Graham $1,000.00 33rd in Ave - 41.17 on 3, Rochelle Fielder & Brent White $1,000.00 34th in Ave - 42.02 on 3, Annette O’Berry & Phil Moffitt $1,000.00 35th in Ave - 45.86 on 3, Sherry Ellis & Cory Clark $1,000.00 THE ARENA / 9

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Bob Crosthwaite H e’ll be 80 in November. His goal this year is to make it to the short go at the World Series roping in Las Vegas.

While Bob Crosthwaite claims he hasn’t had any great achievements in roping, the list is pretty impressive. The most recent accomplishments are placing twelfth in the huge, adrenaline packed National Nine Finale. He also won the 150 Century roping with Herb Snow. And he was high call back in the big US #11 roping in Avi, Arizona last year. “I was so nervous. I thought, I don’t care what happens but Lord, please don’t let me miss this steer. And I didn’t.”

But the wins aren’t what Bob considers to be the most important aspect of jackpot team roping. “The greatest thing about the draw pots is you get to rope with so many different men, women, boys and girls. Nobody goes out there to miss, but most the time if you do, your partner thanks you for roping with them. Then we get to visit and build a relationship and make so many really good friends for life.”

Bob was born and raised in Craig, Colorado where his father had a creamery/milk processing plant. His grandfather had a ranch and he admits to spending more time cowboying there and on day jobs than at the creamery.

“I started roping calves when I was about 14,” Bob says. “Roping has always been a big part of my life. I bull dogged, team roped, even picked up for a while.”

A stint in the Air Force put him on sabbatical from the roping arena, but when he returned in 1958, he went back to roping on weekends, working all week, building a family, and rodeoing and team roping around western Colorado, eastern Utah and southern Wyoming.

Then he took a job with a dairy processing firm that moved him to Viet Nam in 1967, then three years in Japan and two years in Korea. He had made

Bob Crosthwaite (left) with partner Herb Snow

some good business contacts, had a longing to return home, and came back to start his own export business in 1974.

He shipped 50-60,000 head of mostly dairy cattle and some Percheron bred mares to the Orient. While the business was extremely successful, the corporate world wasn’t his style. He returned to

Colorado and bought a ranch in the early 90’s, then retired from it and purchased his home in Wickenburg when he turned 65.

That’s a full life, but the surface was barely scratched for the goals and ambitions Bob has. “The greatest thing that ever happened to me was when I

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Bob heading for Herb at the 2015 NTR National Finals

got the phone call from Ty Yost to get involved with Rancho Rio,” Bob says.

“He has great vision. He told me the perfect place to build an arena and trailer hookups was down next to the river. We went down there and wandered through the weeds on that bottom ground. He and Ty Grantham talked about their vision. They are just super guys. The two of them make a helluva good team.

They do everything right or it doesn’t get done. They are tremendous multitaskers and they just do a superb job.

The National Nine is a real winner and the National Eight will be too. I just feel so incredibly fortunate to be able to be a part of it all.”

Bob had a minor setback last July that likely would have made many hang up their rope. A mini-stroke caused him to permanently lose vision in his left eye.

“I just had to stay focused,” he says. “I spent a lot of time roping the dummy and I went to Colorado and punched cows on a friend’s place til I kind of got used to the vertigo. Now I’m used to it and I’m starting to pick up my pace roping again.”

Bob’s love of team roping and the people involved in it is contagious.

“There are some 83, 84, 85 year old folks still roping and I really admire them. I know how tough it becomes. And then there are all these great young kids that

“Naturally, my wife is my first love, but team roping is right up there.” are so amazing, it just makes me proud to watch them whip it on the cattle. This is a sport that is just so well rounded and I’m thankful I get to rope with these young kids. Their run is over sometimes before we even think to throw our ropes!”

“I’ve had a helluva good life,” Bob says. “It’s been a great ride. Naturally, my wife is my first love, but team roping is right up there. God has been good to me. My health is good, I’ve got two great horses, I’ve had a great run.”

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Jace Thorstenson H

e’s easy to spot. Usually sitting on a cute little sorrel mare he calls Pone, rope in hand, studying the cattle.

He’s less than half the size of most of the ropers, but he is a force to reckon with when he backs in the box.

Eleven year old Jace Thorstenson won his first saddle heeling behind legendary header Jann Potter in the Number 7 No Wolves roping at Rancho Rio on Sunday, March 15. He nearly won saddles in the Number 6, coming back first and second high call. A saddle was definitely in his sites!

Jace, an only child, and his parents, Jeff and Kristie Thorstenson, hale from Rapid City, SD until the snow starts blowing, then Jace leaves public school, the family loads up their horses and head to Surprise, AZ. His days are filled with home schooling by his Mom, picking pens, and roping on a variety of horses. Jeff and Kristie are horse breeders and trainers, and they make certain that Jace is well mounted. There is usually always a horse waiting in the wings to take Jace to the next level.

And who is his favorite roping partner at the jackpots? “My mom,” Jace says. He hasn’t been able to rope with her much in competition, but this winter, they have gone to several together.

He says he started roping when he was three years old, chasing the heel-o-matic, and even attended a Tyler Magness clinic at that age. He’s been in junior rodeos since he’s been old enough to compete and has won nearly 30 buckles in heading, heeling, calf roping, and several other events. Pone (half Pony, half horse) is his go-to horse for team roping, calf roping, goat tying, barrel racing, pole bending and cutting.

What are his goals down the road? “Oh probably just to make it to the NFR when I’m 18 or so and the American,” he casually says. His parents have sponsored about 25 Tyler Magness clinics and Jace says he has benefitted a bunch from that. But, his idol heeling is Travis Graves.

The exposure he has gotten from the greatest in roping has not only honed his talent as a roper and horseman, but has given him the confidence of a winner. As a two-time qualifier in the National Nine, asked how he handled the pressure of the big prize, “I just go out there like its a practice run, do the same thing, rope the best I can.”

Humble and respectful, talented and competitive, we’ll be hearing more about Jace Thorstenson in the future.

“I just go out there like its a practice run, do the same thing, rope the best I can.”

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Jace Thorstenson (left) with partner Cliff Cordova

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“Being a mom and working keeps me very busy.

90% of my practice happens on a Heel-O-Matic.

For me, only a Heel-O-Matic mimics what I see and feel roping live cattle.”

“I’m not a pro, but I do want to win.

That’s why I rope a Heel-O-Matic.”

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