By Guest Columnist Clay Tryan
Allen Bach first showed me his sled, Smarty, when it came out and I just really liked it. This month he asked if I wanted to step in and do the Bach Roping column.
Just after the Finals last year, there was a lot of talk about where the NFR should be held, what it should pay and how fans factor in.
I’m a fan, too.
My favorite thing to see is greatness. I love to see what Cody Ohl will accomplish, and Sherry Cervi, and what Bobby Mote and Kaycee Feild will do, and Tuf Cooper, who is already great so young. I like to see the Miami Heat and the Spurs battle it out; the best two teams go at it. I’m a fan of sports; I want the best two teams to finish on top.
Because there are a lot of fans out there like that, I’d like to think the NFR could have gone anywhere and done well financially. Location doesn’t mean everything to the Super Bowl or the World Cup or even the Olympics.
I never talked to anyone about the negotiations and still don’t know any details. I do know that increased prize money there makes things a lot of fun for fans. The downside, though, for a guy trying to win a world title is that today, a big lead going into Las Vegas is nothing, whereas 20 years ago it made a difference. The large amount of money in that average means so much now that if you’re not in the running for that, it’s tough to win the world.
Jade [Corkill] and I were fortunate enough last year to have had enough of a lead over the high-money team that we held them off. But think about it – if the 15th guy wins $48,000 in the average, you needed a lead of $48,000 on him starting in the first round or he can easily beat you. It adds drama for fans, but I don’t always like the ending.
At the same time, I knew I didn’t want to see some kid that’s 13 go the NFR in 10 years and have the go-round still paying $18,000. When I first started rodeoing, I bought my truck for $28,000 brand new. They cost $50,000 now. Diesel was $1.21 a gallon. Now it’s $4 a gallon. Back then, a good horse was $15,000. I gave $60,000 for one of mine.
And none of that includes the cost of doing what it takes to become the best at your event; to learn to use your God-given talent and understand it in and out so you know what do in every circumstance. Basically, rodeoing is hard financially.
All I know is that my kid is 8 and loves to rope more than anything I’ve ever seen. So I hope we continue to look out for the future of ropers who want to rodeo.
Visit BachRoping.com for more tips on Smarty, used by Clay Tryan.