b'By Kimmie Dilloncompetition.Lari Dee demonstrates how to always keep our On March 3rdfeet light in the stirrups and legs flexible when THE BREAKAWAY ROPINGof this year,getting ready to rope. BOOM 16-year-old The world of Breakaway RopingMadisonHope Thompson also offers equally helpful is changing by the minute. JustOuthier leftexpertise. As a champion roper, she works a few short years ago, you hadThe Americanwith each student to find areas where we can to search high and low to findat AT&Timprove. Hope connects with each roper to help a breakaway event being heldStadium inthem take their roping to the next level. at a local rodeo. Today, the exciting event has turnedArlington, upside down in a positive way. Lady ropers are nowTexas,Tracking a dummy roping calves in competitions more than ever before. $110,000 richeraround the arena as both the juniorlets us learn what it In some ways, it feels similar to the emergence ofand overall champ.feels like to follow and Ranch Riding 5 years ago. The event connected withAmazing. rope a calf. The crew the many riders who had handy horses but no avenueat NRS is extremely to compete with others. With the new popularityMy daughter and Ihelpful in pulling the of breakaway competitions, female ropers can roperecently attendedcalf for ropers of all against each other and win money-if, and I mean a 3-day Breakawaylevels and speeds. iftheyre faaaasssst! Roping clinic at theWe also learn about NRS Events Center in Decatur, TX. The clinic the correct departure Breakaway Roping is a variation of calf roping wherewas conducted by 13-time WPRA champ of the from the box and how a calf runs out of the chute and is roped, but notworld Lari Dee Guy and the incredibly talentedto rope the calf clean flanked or tied. This rodeo event combines luck of theHope Thompson.around the neck. draw with a good horse and roping skill. The roper attaches the end of her rope to her horn with a thinThe clinic starts off with getting to know eachOur NRS experience string. A flag is also at the end of this rope so whenroper and their individual goals. Each day we coveris both incredible in the rope breaks away, the timer in the arena stopsmultiple elements of theand out of the the clock. Winning times are unbelievably quick sosport including the ever- arena. We enjoy dont even think about blinking! Often at the tougherimportant mental game.home-cooked competitions, winning times are in the 2-secondmeals next to the arena in the NRS Ranch Caf. range while occasionally one may even enter intoWe then move to theAnd our stay in the adjoining NRS Bunkhouse the upper 1s! Its this difference of just a second, orcovered arena whereis just as fabulous. The rooms are appointed in hundredths of a second, that determines whether thewe practice swing andauthentic western dcor. What a great way to cowgirl lopes home with any hardware. delivery. Each of us receiveunwind after a day of roping with 2 of the finest solid instruction fromlady ropers in the country! Breakaway Roping has been always beenboth Lari Dee and Hope.overshadowed by womens Barrel Racing, but notBack in Arizona, we are working on our craft to so much anymore. The World Champions RodeoLari Dee emphasizes thepractice the drills. We know that top breakaway Alliance (WCRA) is adding this event and providingimportance of a correctropers rely on their hand-eye coordination, skills cowgirls a chance to show off their roping skills. Inswing. She explains thatand consistent sharpshooting with a rope to a statement, the WCRA said: This unprecedentedits ok to miss at thisachieve their goals. I move will give women athletes more opportunities,clinic, as long as we arehighly encourage you to including the ability to compete for big-moneythrowing correctly. Ago out and experience payouts and the potential that a woman could holdproper swing includesthis rapidly growing a professional All-Around title for the first time.feeling the tip of the ropesport for yourself! The WCRA is creating several events where cowgirlswhile keeping your loop can rope for large sums of prize money. And RFD- open and getting the properMore ranch and TVs The American now holds qualifying eventsbreak-over.rodeo newsthroughout the country where cowgirls can qualifynext month! for The AmericanShe also works with us on the Semi-Finalsstationary horse to with big moneycheck our hand and and equally bigleg coordination.ArizonaRealCountry.com October 2019 45'