By Devin Yanez Griffith
Special To Ropers Sports News

The 1970s was a time marked by bell-bottom jeans, disco music and a care-free disposition.
However, in the eyes of Sam Williams, a long-standing member of the California Team Roping Association and team roper, none of these things truly characterized his favorite memory of the 70s, he said.
In 1970, Williams roped for his first time in Oakdale, California, at the Oakdale Ten Steer jackpot.
Roping with his friend Davis Thompson, Williams caught six steers under the pulsing Oakdale sun.
Looking to catch all 10 steers and win the overall championship, Thompson and Williams backed into the box hoping to catch another, Williams said. However, that was not in the cards for the duo, he said.
“You know, we didn’t catch them all on the first go,” Williams said, “but we were proud of what we did there. It was a good test, you know?”
6,400 steers, 64 years and countless memories similar to Williams, mold together to create the Oakdale Ten Steer jackpot.
The Oakdale Ten Steer began in 1956 when the committee met and decided to host an event that would challenge all those who entered, Williams said. This three-day event puts teams to the test by asking each team to rope 10 steers. This means if you entered with two or three teams, you would rope 20 or 30 steers in the span of three days.
To this day, the Oakdale Ten Steer is still the oldest 10 steer event in the state,  hosting up to 200 teams per roping.
“It was a test of a person’s ability to rope 10 of those steers over a three-day timeframe,” Williams said. “It was definitely a hard thing to accomplish in 1970.”
Sixteen years ago, Dave Buchanan, Oakdale Ten Steer committee member and ACTRA team roper, began serving on the committee with one goal, he said. He wanted to preserve the old-fashioned spirit of the Oakdale Ten Steer jackpot, while still improving the experience for ropers alike, he said.
“I want to make the roping better for the guys willing to duke it out,” Buchanan said, “guys who want to support and come out.”
To meet Buchanan’s goal of a more inclusive event, this year the committee developed a different format to attract a new crowd of ropers, he said. The junior/senior century roping was one change in particular that gained attention from all age groups.
“Typically, we have a roping for the girls, but with the tough conditions, we weren’t getting many teams,” Buchanan said. “Instead, we made a junior/senior century roping and had 180 teams.”
The committee has experienced a variety of changes to meet the needs of new team ropers, Buchanan said. For instance, an A and B system was implemented to randomly separate teams in attempts to speed up the roping, Buchanan said. However, it reaped little reward and was discontinued, he added.
“Someone had to think about the little things,” Buchanan said. “It’s important to keep everyone in mind, looking at things like opening up the roping for guys to rope four or five times.
“You can’t do that to a guy with one horse,” Buchanan said. “He simply can’t compete with everyone who hauls a full trailer [of horses].”
The committee has dwindled over time with older members phasing out and lacking younger involvement, Buchanan said. Currently, the committee has six core members who, like Buchanan, are hoping to provide an inclusive, fun and challenging jackpot, Buchanan said.
Les Oswald, winner of this year’s open roping and Oakdale resident, has noticed the changes the Oakdale Ten Steer has undergone, he said. Similar to the committee, he hopes the roping will gain back some of the characteristics that made it a classic event.
“I want to say when I first entered there were about 375 teams,” Oswald said. “This year there were maybe 207 teams. It started to have its old feel back to it.”
Many people have different opinions as to what has changed the Oakdale Ten Steer, Oswald said. For instance, the World Series of Team Roping hosts a plethora of jackpots across the state, with some scheduled for the same time as the Oakdale Ten Steer, Oswald said.
Another feature of the event that adds a layer of difficulty is the score, Oswald said. With the score stretching out at 16 feet, Oswald described it as “definitely being out there.”
“A lot of people don’t like the long score,” Oswald said. “I think it separates ropers, though. You have to be a good horseman and know how to hustle to catch up.”
This year’s champion team included Dalton Pearce and Cutter Machado, both agricultural communications juniors attending California Polytechnical University San Luis Obispo and Cuesta Junior College. Their time on their 10 steers totaled 97.33 seconds.
Although they did not attend the Oakdale Ten Steer 50 years ago like many of their fellow ropers, Pearce and Machado said they have heard much about the history and changes that have made the Oakdale Ten Steer what it is today.
“[The committee] has done a lot of good things by trying new formats,” Pearce said. “They always want to make it better and work at it. It used to be a really big roping, like all night, all day, everything. They’re bringing it back lately.”
The Oakdale Ten Steer jackpot has proved to be an event that has stood the test of time, thanks to the constant adaptation of the committee. Some may ask, “What is the driving factor in bettering the Oakdale Ten Steer each year?”
“[1982] was a big year for me,” Williams said. “We won the master roping that day. They ended up giving us a bottle of champagne for winning it.
“I roped 15 steers by two feet, and it was the first time I placed at a ten steer,” Williams added. “I’ve still got it to this day.”
Memories like Williams’ and Oswald’s enrich the history of this event and make it a household name in California team roping. However, the unwavering commitment to constantly critique and adapt the format of the Oakdale Ten Steer fuels the longevity of this event. Young, talented teams, like Pearce and Machado, bring forth an urge of excitement for the future of the Oakdale Ten Steer.
“We started going [to the Oakdale Ten Steer] young to learn how do it,” Williams said. “People should go places where people rope and rope good.
“You have to work up to it,” Williams said. “You have to go watch and learn That’s why I think people should keep going [to the Oakdale Ten Steer].” ■

1977 Winners Circle at the Oakdale 10 Steer were Doyle Gellerman and Walt Woodard prevailed. Top row left to right: Jake Stephens, Jesse James, Walt Woodard, Jerold Camarillo, Jack Rasco, Jeff Barmby, Ed Hirdes, Reg Camarillo, Gary Mouw, Doyle Gellerman, Ted Ashworth and Billy Barnes. Bottom row: Julio Moreno, Denny Watkins, Gary Hemsted and Leo Camarillo.

Devin Griffith is currently a junior at Oklahoma State University, studying Agricultural Communications with a minor in Animal Science. Growing up in Williams, California, she spent time with her family traveling to different jackpots and rodeos, where some of her best memories were made. Following graduation in Spring 2022, Devin hopes to either work for a livestock pharmaceutical company as a sales rep, or as a communications specialist for an agriculturally based company.