APRIL 2024 ROPERS SPORTS NEWS PAGE 13 HIGHER CALL by Bob Ow ... and the greatest of these is love A month or so ago I was reflecting on the Christmas season that I had just enjoyed. The greatest gift for me was having my three kids come over and visit me on the coast. It was a wonderful time. It always is when they visit. My best present that Christmas was seeing and talking with my kids. They are all grown now (hardly kids, they are all in their 30s). I find that this experience is not rare, many I know feel the same way. When we read in the Bible that the greatest gift is love, it is easy to relate to when we are in the company of our kids, isn’t it? We want the best for our kids, as God wants the best for us. It is very easy to lose hope and be troubled in times like we are in. God’s love is easy to relate to when I think of my grown kids. He loves me the same way. That is why 1 Corinthians 13 puts a special emphasis on the importance of love: And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. I know it is the most fulfilling thing in my life and greatest motivation. Perhaps it is the same with you as well? Your father in Heaven loves you like this. That should be encouraging, especially in times that are a challenge. I remember well just before the birth of my first child that a friend of mine I worked with told me: “Bob, you will be astonished at how much you will love that baby.” Man, was he right on! The same thing happened with my next two children as well. Think of your children. That is how God loves you. I think that is vital for every Christian to realize this fact. Let it sink in, especially when adversity strikes. Start the season out great. Thank God for His many blessings in your life. Rope great. Have fun. Have faith. Frankly, I am just thankful to be alive. Brain surgery is a serious matter. God bless you all. Bob Ow lives in Ferndale, California on the northern coast. He and his wife Jo Anna, own a small 5 acre ranch and two really good rope horses. Bob underwent brain surgery in May of 2023 to remove a malignant tumor. Breaking It Down With Speed Williams... From Page 12 different angles and different deliveries and be able to pull off multiple shots. It’s common for heelers to watch someone do well and then go home and try to replicate that style. I’m guilty of this. I wanted to be able to rope every different way as a heeler. Short spoke, long spoke, big loop, little loop and all the different angles. I would study how people heeled and then try to figure out the advantages and disadvantages of that style. When I was young, I had the opportunity to run a lot of steers every day, so it was fun for me to try to mimic different styles. I enjoyed pulling off wild shots and learning what to do when I had to reach. That’s a huge benefit of using the Speed Trainer. You’re able to isolate various positions you encounter during a run and figure out the correct equation of where you need to put your rope on the ground from that position. I’m not saying that roping the dummy on the ground is bad for you. But for teaching my kids and clients, I want to have as close of a mathematical equation to the run as possible. I try to teach people how to use their left hand and their feet to control their horse to get a better shot. Your left hand is for guiding your horse and your right hand is for roping the feet. If you don’t understand the difference and how to use them independently, heeling can be very difficult. Why are there so many different teachings on heeling? Because if you have the correct angle with your swing, you can have different deliveries. Again, like a golfer, you need multiple clubs in your bag when you’re heeling and not rely on just one. The most common complaint I hear from people frustrated with their roping is, “This guy said this, but that guy said that.” They’ve all perfected their way of heeling and that’s the “golf club” they try to use from the position they try to rope from… and then adapt from there. There are many different angles, rope speeds, deliveries, and they’re all capable of making different variables work. You have to decide which style you want to try and make that the shot you’re looking for. You also have to be able to pull different clubs out of your bag when needed. It’s much simpler to teach someone to come around, let their horse rate off, lean forward and throw. The problem is it’s hard to ride different horses if you can’t control them. We all know the friend who had the horse that lasted 10 years before retiring. They can’t find a replacement that works for them because they can’t use their hands and feet. When you learn to use your hands and feet to control the horse, you’re able to ride a lot more horses. Heeling is a very complicated, but actually simple, procedure because you’re trying to put the rope on the ground behind the front legs, in front of the back legs, and there are so many different ways, ropes, and techniques to do it. I’m a firm believer in using ALL the golf clubs and that’s why I move the dummy around for my son. So he can figure out what he has to do with his body to catch.
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