Arizonans Try Roping European-Style In Italy
By Cindy Compton
Special To Ropers Sports News
VOGHERA, ITALY — Prologue: Fourth of July, Mormon Lake, Ariz., 2012. Robert Reynoso introduces Italian Pietro Brembilla to Dan Narramore and Jim Compton. Dan decides that we need to go to the WSTR qualifying roping in Voghera, Italy, in September. It was not hard to convince us. Since we were going to Italy, we needed to see some of the country in addition to roping. We gave the travel agent a rough itinerary and she set us up.
Thurs., Sept. 27
…And we’re off. Jimmy and I meet Lynn McKenzie and Dan Narramore at the Phoenix airport. We have a short one hour flight to L.A. and then we will get on the plane to Rome. Hold everything! After delays of over four hours and cancelled flights, we miss connecting flights and have to be rescheduled for Friday. The reschedule involves adding an L.A. to Paris, Paris to Rome leg.
Fri., Sept. 28
This time we are really on the way. A “minor” glitch happens when Dan’s passport disappears sometime during the flight from L.A. to Paris. There is an exhaustive search to no avail, but Dan has a passport card that works to get him into the European Union. A too-close connection in Paris results in another missed flight. Twenty-seven hours after leaving home, we arrive in Rome. We are grateful to find all our luggage and a driver waiting to take us to the hotel.
Sun., Sept. 30
Since we have to catch a 1:08 train to Florence, our Roman tour guide, Roberto, gives us a whirlwind, four-hour glimpse of Italy’s capital. We saw St. Peters piazza, the Coliseum, Circus Maximus, the church of St. Peter in Chains, and we drank from an ancient Roman fountain.
We jump on the express train for a two-hour ride to Florence. By now we realize that while traveling, the less and lighter your luggage, the better. It could be true when packing; you should take half the clothes you plan on and twice as much money.
Mon., Oct. 1
Florence native Clarissa proudly shows us her city. The morning starts with a view from Piazza Michelangelo high above the city. Driving into the old city, we begin a walking tour of the Duomo (cathedral). It is enormous. The entire exterior is covered with white, red and green marble. Next, Clarissa takes us to the Michelangelo museum (in an old prison). On our way back to the hotel, we stop in the Piazza Vecchio to see where The David originally stood. Just a note, many museums are closed on Mondays.
Jim and I take a taxi to the car rental locations. Even with the route marked on a map, we have an exciting time getting back to the hotel. One way streets, very hard to see street names, and confident native drivers make finding our way a real adventure. Lynn has a GPS with Italy maps loaded on it. We name the GPS Sofia. We pray that it will work the next day.
When we get back to the hotel, re realize that Dan needs to be added as a driver. While the boys work on that, Lyn and I make our way to Santa Croce church. It is the burial place of Marconi (the inventor of radio), Machivelli, Galileo, and Michelangelo. Awesome. History means so much more once you see the places you studied about in school.
Tues., Oct. 2
We load up on our Renault minivan. Lyn puts Sofia in service and we are off to Aglie. It was a bit of a challenge getting out of Florence during rush hour and we took an unintended detour in Genoa. For the most part, Sofia took us just where we needed to go.
Roping producer Mike Crouch and western store owner Lorenzo met us at the last toll booth. They took us to a favorite lunch spot. Afterwards, we stopped by the Rolando ranch to unsaddle horses. Next stop was the practice arena. We met Silvio, Matt, and Guliano. The facility is a very nice covered arena. Everything is so clean. Mike has arranged to have horses for the boys to try.
While they practice, Lynn and I explore the Ducale Castle in Aglie. It has been standing since the 1200’s. New houses in Europe were built in the mid 1800’s and early 1900’s.
Mike arranged rooms for us at the Cascina La Desiderata, an Agritourismo bed and breakfast. Our hosts are wonderful. They prepared a fantastic, home cooked dinner for us.
Wed., Oct. 3
After taking his daughter, Angelica, to school, Mike arrives around 8:30. Realizing that Dan needs a new passport, Mike makes a lengthy phone call to the U.S. consulate in Milan. Replacement passports are processed between 8:30 and 11:30. By this time, it is just before 10:00. A normal trip to Milan takes two hours, so our trip was anything but ordinary. We were in an Italian road race with the clock. Who knew a pickup could travel at 114 mph? Of course, there were still cars passing us.
Milan traffic is worse than Phoenix rush hour. With time running out, Mike and Dan jump out of the truck and make a run for the consulate. Jimmy jumps in the driver’s seat. We search and search for a parking place. We finally find a garage in the basement of the Pricipe de Savioa Hotel.
Meanwhile, Mike has to charm the Italian guards at the consulate that have just closed the gate. He successfully pleads with them to let “just one more desperate American” inside. In a mere 1½ hours, Dan has his temporary passport.
At a more relaxed pace, Mike drives us up to the Italian Alp town of Cervinia. Along the way we see old Roman security castles. The drive is beautiful. We even get to see glaciers.
On the way back down we see fighting cows, yes cows, grazing on the mountain sides. Driving on we even come upon a herd of fighting cows being driving down the road. Each cow has a thick leather collar with a big cow bell attached. It makes them easier to find when the clouds are at ground level. These cows are very territorial. They will run off any cow that is not from their herd. Naturally competitions are held between mountain towns to see who has the champion fighting cow.
For dinner, we stop at Giovanni’s, Pan et Vin restaurant in the Aosta area. He serves us special appetizers and wine. Our main course is beef fondue, followed by five delicious cheeses. It was a wonderful meal.
Thurs., Oct. 4
We head back to the practice pen. Ropers from the Czech Republic, Germany, France and the U.S. join the Italians for the session. Several of the horses have been shipped over from the United States. There are high quality Quarter Horses, as well as really nice Appaloosas. One Criollo horse was from Argentina. The 15-plus hour drive did not deter the Czechs and Germans from coming to the European Qualifier. The ropers start with dummies, move on to the Hot Heels and end with the cattle.
After the practice session, Sofia steers us to our hotel in Rapallo. Built on the shore of the Ligurian Sea, the view is spectacular.
Fri., Oct. 5
We catch a train the Cinque Terre, five coastal villages accessible only by train or on foot. First stop is Monterossa, with its sandy beach. The next train stop is Vernazza. It has beautiful views and tasty gelato. It’s hard to believe that in October 2011, the town was buried by a mud slide. We decide to skip Corniglia and Manarolo. The last stop for us is Riomaggiore. We climb the steep main street for just a few minutes and then return to the train station. Back in Rapallo, we find a grocery store. That night we have a picnic on the hotel balcony.
Sat., Oct. 6
We get up early to take a swim in the pool overlooking the sea. I could have stayed there for days.
Time to head to Voghera’s Cowboyland. The family amusement park is complete with an indoor arena large enough for 1,200 spectators, a hotel, a restaurant, and a saloon all under one roof. Hmm, sounds like the WSTR finals facility. The west has been transplanted in Italy.
The arena is a first class facility, complete with a Priefert chute and an electric eye barrier system. There are even bucking chutes for the rodeos that are held there.
At 5 p.m., Mike and Erica Crouch present the WSTR European Qualifier. It has to be one of the most international qualifiers ever held. Italians, Czechs, Germans, French, and Americans perform for an enthusiastic audience. The arena time clock lets you know your time in case you don’t understand Italian. The fellow ropers were very helpful in letting Dan and Jim know when they were up. The roping is a #10 with a #7 Incentive and an All-Girl division. A total of 165 teams entered up. Of course there are no Corrientes in Italy. The native Italian cattle used for the roping are a breed called Marammani. Their horns are great and steers have real stamina.
A steak dinner and dancing followed the first round of roping Saturday night.
Sun., Oct. 7
Championship Sunday. The second go round begins at 9 a.m. Every team gets their second steer.
The finals begin at 3 p.m. The top 50 teams made the short round. To begin the show, Erica introduces every roper. The national anthem for each participating country is played. When the Italian anthem was played, ropers and audience members all joined together to sing. That was very special.
The cutest ropers, by far, were the dummy ropers. They did not miss once. The crowd was very enthusiastic about the roping, especially the young ropers. At one point a large group of children in the audience were cheering loudly for every team. Because of the language barrier, it was not clear if they were cheering for the ropers or the cattle.
When the” dust” settled, Jimmy and Gabriele Bergesio won the Gist buckles in the #10. Jimmy and Andrea Perenchio turned in the fast time of the short go. The #7 was won by Tony Raffa and Giovanni Lauro. Winning the all girl buckles, donated by Debbie Garrison, were Mara Aragni and Giuditta Trabucatto.
Jimmy borrowed Ugo Micci’s horse, Once Pine (Tony). Dan’s horse Chocolate was graciously provided by Angelica Crouch. Many thanks to them.
Dan and Lynn head to Venice on Monday. Water taxis, gondolas, Murano glass, Burano lace and a maze of tiny street and brides await them.
Jim and I catch a ride with Sisto Facchetti and Antoinella to Milan. Though we speak very little Italian and they speak a little English, we enjoyed visiting on the trip.
Mon., Oct. 8
The alarm goes off at 5:30 a.m. As we are repacking we realize the rope bag is in Sisto’s truck. We have to call Mike, who calls Sisto, who has the bag to us in 15 minutes. What a nice person.
By 10 a.m. we are aboard the plane for an uneventful trip home.
The trip to the European Qualifier has been a memorable experience. Mike and Erica Crouch put on a great roping. They were beyond helpful in making travel arrangements and taking care of us during our trip to Northern Italy. We all highly recommend a trip to the 2013 European roping. We were warmly welcomed by the European ropers, especially by Lucas Hogue (formerly of Grants, New Mexico). Just like in the U.S., the roping community is a good group to be a part of. For info on roping in Europe contact Mike at mikecrouch@libero.it
Winners of the All-Girl Roping were Mara Aragnia and Giuditta Trabucatto (with buckles). Presenting are Mike and Erica Crouch.
