Breaking It Down
Speed Williams
By Speed Williams
speedroping.com
When we found out the NFR was moving to Texas, I had several people call and want to know my thoughts. Initially it wasn’t going to pay as much as usual and some thought it was a bad idea. My response was if there was no NFR, it would be hard to get contestants to leave home and rodeo because with the exception of a few rodeos through the year, the NFR is where they make their money.
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By Speed Williams
speedroping.com
I have been teaching people how to rope since I was a kid. When I was young my dad trained and sold rope horses. We had a lot of customers come to Florida from the north who wanted to learn to rope and buy a horse. So, we needed to teach people who had never ridden or swung a rope how to be able to catch. One of the hardest things to learn is to put weight in the stirrups instead of sitting in the saddle. If you are sitting in the saddle, you can’t be up coming across the line. If you can ride the stirrups and put weight in them, your knees and legs absorb the pounding your horse gives you coming across the line.
By Speed Williams
speedroping.com
Last year my wife and kids went to the All Star Finals at the Lazy E and had a great time. I was unable to go as I had lessons scheduled. My wife said it was one of the more enjoyable ropings they had been to. The Lazy E has been around a long time and remains state-of-the-art and one of the nicest facilities available, along with a friendly atmosphere. I was told by my family the All Star Finals would be put on my calendar for this year. Tim Victory, the producer, called and asked if Rich and I would be interested in matching Jake and Clay. Though I haven’t been competing for the last few years due to injuries, I told him I was up for whatever the rest of them wanted to do.
By Speed Williams
speedroping.com
Lately I’ve found myself teaching a lot of beginner headers. For them, the answer is easy. They need to learn to rope right to left… first. When you rope both horns at the same time, you’re throwing straight forward and turning your thumb down. It’s like learning to put English on a cue ball before learning how to shoot a straight shot. For me, most of the steers I’ve headed have been both horns at the same time. But I can also run close, rope right to left, and catch a big horned steer that steps into me.