Jack Long Established the Roping Tradition that Sets Lassos Apart

One hundred and twenty girls, all twirling lassos in unison was a thrilling sight to behold, and it wasn’t long before they were performing as a service organization at practically all state and national conventions held in San Antonio, as well as major athletic events.

Connie Reeves, I Married a Cowboy swivel and a slight wrist action would put the rope in motion and was simple to use.

In 1940, Connie enlisted the help of Jack Long, assist the Lassos with roping skills. Jack dedicated himself for over three decades to help the Lassos learn the skill of trick roping. Jack’s commitment to the Lassos was instrumental in keeping the roping tradition alive through the years and up to today.

Since the founding of Lassos, roping has always been a tradition among the team. Constance Douglas, founder of the Lassos, brought the dream for roping to the girls.

Johnny Regan, a trick rope artist from England who taught campers to trick rope at Camp Waldemar, a well-known all-girls camp in the Texas Hill Country, introduced the squad to twirling a short rope. The lasso operated on a funeral home was ver y welcoming and friendly. We lined up on the sidewalk of the funeral home where the vehicle procession takes place. As the vehicles lef t the funeral

At an early age, Jack became interested in horses and Western life. He would watch the horses in maneuvers going down Fredericksburg Road mak ing their way to Camp Bullis. Jack was an experienced trick roper, a sk ill he learned as a boy. I n addition to roping, Jack was sk illed as a saddle maker, ar tist, and leather worker. A funny man with a quick wit and sense of humor, Jack was induc ted into the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame in 1996 in trick roping, trick riding, bulldogging, and clowning. Jack ’s daughter, Patsy, was a Lasso and ser ved as a lieutenant on the Roping Team.

Jack ’s original strategy was to teach all the Lassos all the rope tricks. Later, Jack changed his strategy. Jack found that if he taught each girl a unique trick , their job was to teach the trick to the rest of the team. This allowed for great team work within the group.

Regan came small ropes with a wooden ball handle that were used just for the Lasso to used today by the Lassos. This rope allowed the Lassos to per form all t ypes of roping tricks. I n the beginning, Jack made these ropes for the girls.

An instrumental par t of the Lasso histor y for over 30 years, Jack passed away on April 2, 2000. At his funeral six Lassos roped on the sidewalk as the procession lef t the funeral home. Those Lassos did not k now Jack Long but were par t of the rope tradition and legac y lef t by Jack .

Long was to the Lasso organization, and it was an honor to be able to represent the Lori Talamantez, Captain, Company J, 1999-2000, and Major, 2000-2001