PAGE 10 ROPERS SPORTS NEWS JULY-AUGUST 2024 R-W Productions Memberships Available At Arena MUST BE ACTRA MEMBER TO ROPE Ray Wood (831) 245-5050 2 x 3.75” JulyAug2024 ★★ ★ ★ ★ ★★ ★ ★★ ★ ★★ ★ 1111 Spring Grove Rd. Hollister, CA 95023 WEDNESDAY NIGHTS, AUGUST 7, 14, 21, 28 SU 6pm, Rope at 7pm and Final Roping Of The Season, SATURDAY, AUGUST 31 SU 5pm, Rope at 6pm (2) #8 Hdcp..................... 2 for $20 Pick One, Draw One or Draw All $10 Cattle Charge CUSTOM BUCKLE TO HIGH MONEY #3 & UNDER Fast Back Launches Revolutionary New Team Rope: The Hombre GRANBURY, TEXAS – Fast Back Ropes is thrilled to unveil its latest innovation in roping technology: the Hombre. After rigorous testing by Fast Back endorsees over the past year, the Hombre is set to redefine performance expectations in team roping. A four-strand crafted with a core, the Hombre stands out with its vibrant orange color, ensuring exceptional visibility in any arena. Its smaller diameter and rough exterior are meticulously designed to enhance grip, making it ideal for swift and precise maneuvers around the saddle horn. “The Hombre represents a significant advancement in our team rope lineup,” said Coy Upchurch, General Manager at Fast Back Ropes. “It offers a relaxed feel combined with superior functionality that ropers of all levels will appreciate. Our endorsees have given it high praise during testing.” Available in both head and heel variations, the Hombre head rope spans 31 feet and is offered in XX-Soft, X-Soft, Soft, and MS lays. Meanwhile, the 35-foot heel rope options include Soft, MS, Medium, and HM lays. This versatility ensures that every roper can find a Hombre rope suited to their specific needs. “The Hombre is designed to meet the demands of competitive ropers who seek precision and reliability,” added Upchurch. “We’re excited to bring this game-changing rope to market and anticipate it will make waves in the roping community.” The Hombre will be available for purchase at retail locations starting September 1st, marking a new era in team roping technology. For more information about the Hombre and Fast Back Ropes’ complete product offerings, visit fastbackropes.com. About Fast Back Ropes: Fast Back Ropes is a leading manufacturer of high-performance ropes for the rodeo, team roping, and calf roping industries. Committed to quality craftsmanship and innovation, Fast Back Ropes continues to set the standard for roping excellence worldwide. Fast Back Logo - Correct Version Below are samples of the correct version of the Fast Back logo. Please purge your system of all other versions. Thank you for your help. Use this version with a dark or black background Ropers Sports News & ACTRA - “Partners In Success” By Mike Sweeney ACTRA Business Manager Team roping in the 1960’s was something that only ranchers, ranch hands and a few professional cowboys did on a Sunday afternoon. Public arenas were few and far between. But there was a guy by the name of Bob Feist who thought it could be a great sport that the whole family could get involved in if they only had more information about the sport. Bob’s attempt to inform the world about team roping came in the form of a publication he started in 1968 called Ropers Sports News. Over the next few years, roping would get more popular after the lauch of RSN and the Sunday afternoon roping’s would see ropers from every skill level, even the pros!! In the early 80’s, ropers were looking for a way to make team roping fair for everyone. There were several attempts to level the playing field either by having age limitations, non-members and several qualifications. This helped but didn’t seem to solve enough of the problems for the sport to really evolve. The computer was something the world was buzzing about at the time but how would that help the team roping world? Pat Hunnicutt from Ceres, California came up with the idea of keeping track of roper’s winnings and handicap them accordingly. How would she get the information to enter into the computer? Ropers Sports News would be a great place to start. The American Computer Team Roping Association is born and the partnership with Ropers Sports News begins. The American Computer Team Roping Association would later become the American Cowboys Team Roping Association, aka ACTRA. As ACTRA’s success grew, other associations started to handicap ropers in a similar way and the sport of team roping was on fire. Welcome the USTRC and WCRA here on the West Coast. As Ropers Sports News was getting the paper off the ground, ACTRA could see that this paper could be a huge asset to them. The partnership started to develop. Team roping was growing faster than anyone could have dreamed. Bob had to put a team together to handle the increasing work load and was blessed to find Stephanie Reynolds Anderson. Steph has been the heart and soul of RSN, but would be the first to tell you she couldn’t be without her co-worker Jenny Vasquez. Throughout the years, Bob, Steph and Jenny have definitely become “the dream team!” As ACTRA continued to grow they had their challenges and Ropers Sports News Past ACTRA National President Bob Blair (r), presents a beautiful buckle to Ropers Sports News in appreciation for their commitment to the bettterment of team roping and their support and dedication to serve ACTRA (American Cowboys Team Roping Assocation) as the “Official Publication of ACTRA.” Receiving the buckle are RSN owner/publisher Bob Feist and staff members Jenny Vasquez and Stephanie Anderson. was a great partner in helping address those challenges. They made sure every roping was advertised and results printed. This helped in making sure the results were accurate which was very important for ACTRA’s Year-End Programs. This was also very important in other programs that helped grow our Association. One thing that was more important than some would think, was that ropers loved to see their name in print in RSN and a “win picture” That was the best! There is a story that has been told for years and it goes like this. A lower number roper won his first saddle at the California ACTRA Finals. This has to be a lifetime moment you would think, but he was so disappointed that his picture with the saddle wasn’t in the next edition of Ropers Sports News. The month following, he got his picture in Ropers Sports News and it made a lot of us realize how important it was to him that all his friends would see his photo in the paper. There is another other thing that helped make this partnership so successful as ACTRA grew. It was when the National Finals Roping in Reno became a bucket list item for many ropers. The coverage of ACTRA’s National Finals pre and post event in Ropers Sports News played a very important role in helping build partnerships with sponsors. It just so happened that the December issue, the one that goes to Las Vegas during the NFR would feature ACTRA’s National Finals in Ropers Sports News. Sponsors loved it. ACTRA has been blessed with many strong partnerships over the years, but “Partners in Success” the bond between RSN and ACTRA will always be very special. We hope to continue the partnership with the new owner of Ropers Sports News, Dee Yates. All of us at ACTRA would like to wish Bob, Steph and Jenny all the best as they certainly deserve a rest from the dreaded “newspaper deadline.” Editors note: We are so grateful to the loyalty ACTRA has bestowed on us for 40 plus years. Partnerships in business and life are what make the world go round and we are are humbled that ACTRA chose us. We have had the opportunity to work with some of the finest people in the team roping industry and we would not change it for anything. Cheers to ACTRA and here is to many, many more years of producing “where families come to rope!” Sincerely, Bob Feist, Steph Anderson and Jenny Vasquez
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