b"From the Back OF THE BOXBy John SamsillYou can contact me directly at johnsamsillteamroping@gmail.com if you have any questionsor would like to schedule a clinic or a lesson.I One of the reasons golfing is so difficult is becauseAfter watching thestarted this article a few times and I keep switchingyou are constantly changing clubs. Each club has a subjects. It's not that Idifferent feel. If a golfer only had to use one club,NFR this year I thought cant think of what to writeand the distance was the same on every shot, it about, it's that I have so manywould be incredible the consistency we would see subjects running through myfrom professional golfers. Thus by using the sameabout how team roping head at this time of year. When I boiled it all downrope, or the same rope for different scenarios, our there was one common theme that came up theconsistency goes up without us having to do a thing.has changed since I first most, change. After watching the NFR this year I thought aboutThe second major change that has taken place overstarted fifty-five years ago.time is the setup at ropings and rodeos. What I mean how team roping has changed since I first startedby that is the barriers, the size, and the quality of the fifty-five years ago. Change is a constant, change iscattle we rope. The score or the head start a headerChange is a constant, how we progress. Not just the event of team ropinghas to give a steer has shortened considerably at but everything from ropes, horses, attitudes, and ofthe rodeos but nowhere has it changed more thanchange is how we progress. course the way ropers rope.at the jackpots. If you rope you are familiar with a World Series barrier. If not, I'll explain. At a rodeo One of the first major changes that came to teamand at a jackpot you had the same type of scoringas well. Time starts as soon as the steer breaks the roping around the early eighties was that companiessystem. The header would stand at the back of theplane of his designated head start, just a foot or so in started making ropes one at a time. Before that,box and the steer was given a designated head start.front of him so time starts much sooner than the old every roper had to buy a length of rope from a coilIf it was a rope barrier, when the steer reached thesystem. The times may be longer but the speed of the that was several hundred feet long. You had to buyend of the designated head start, the barrier forrun is the same or is actually faster. the rope from wherever the coil was available. Thethe header that was run across the front of the box end of the coil was the least desirable because itwould come undone and pull across the box. If itWhen I started roping so many years ago, had so many tightly wrapped coils on the spool sowas an electronic laser barrier, it would shut off butconsistency played a big part in winning. It still it would twist and be the least consistent feeling.you could not cross it before the steer was at thedoes but now you have to be so much faster while As you can probably guess, every rope had a bitend of his head start without receiving a ten-secondmaintaining consistency. The attitude of a lot of of a different feel. The reason this innovation hadpenalty. At the jackpots, the steers head start is nowropers now is that they let it all hang out, go as fast such a major impact on roping was that every ropedetermined by the length of the box and the barriersas they can and let the chips fall where they may. suddenly felt the same. With each rope now havingare placed just a foot or two in front of the header,This has been consistent in the rodeo world and a consistent feel, the consistency of ropers wentheeler, and the steer. This type of system has changedthe jackpot world. I cannot argue with this type of way up. When I give a lesson or conduct a school Inot only how we score and how the runs are set upmentality with the amount of money that is being compare the consistency of ropes to a golfers club.because of the heeling barrier but the times recordedpaid out to team ropers now. Being safe can cost you tens of thousands of dollars. If you win a big roping you can use your winnings to go to ten to twelve more jackpots where in the old days you may get two or three more off of your winnings. Of course, I'm talking about the jackpots that happen over the course of the year, if you're lucky enough to win at the World Series Finale well you're talking about a life-changing amount of money. This year the highest paying roping paid out over three hundred and fifty-two thousand dollars to win first. Those types of numbers will make you take some chances. I would like to thank everyone who reads this article each month and for the kind words some of you share with me. Id like to wish each of you a very happy and prosperous new year.Until next time, Ill see you at the back of the box. I would like to thank my sponsors, Fast Back Ropes, Hassayampa Veterinary Services, SaddleRight Saddle Pads, Omega Fields Feed, and Usher Brand Silver and Saddlery.12 January 2022"