Open Roping winners Roger Coons (left) and Wade Hooker,
pictured with Rope for MS chairperson Tara Upson-Maxeiner.

#4 Roping winners Robert Reed, left, and Fernando Real.
Rope For MS chairperson Tara Upson-Maxeiner presents their awards.

784 Teams At 16th
Annual Rope For MS

By Tara Upson-Maxeiner  – Special to Ropers Sports News

WOW! One of the biggest Rope For MS yet!

I am SO thankful and appreciative of all the donors, ropers and spectators that continue to support my event. Without all of you, there would not be Rope For MS. Thank you, thank you, thank you all!

This has been quite an interesting year. For starters, while trimming the wisteria on my mother’s veranda, the top section, sweating like a whore in church (pardon the crassness), I decided to trim the bottom. The veranda is 83 feet long. I was backing in a crouched down position, sweat balls in my eyes, drinking salt water. My hair drenched with sweat (it was 104 degrees), but I was on a mission. Near the very end I toppled over (onto veranda floor) and said “Boy that hurt, (yeah right)!” I finished the last three feet and called it a day. As time wore on it got harder and harder to walk, but it was FINISHED! I
went to the doctor three days later and discovered I had dislocated my right ankle and knee. The veranda DID look beautifully groomed.

Then was the Tim McGraw concert at San Manuel Pavilion (with tickets I had won). I took my soon-to-be daughter in-law’s sister, Dani. When we arrived they gave me VIP parking. Oh Boy! Up ahead I see the VIP parking and it is on grass. Great! No dirt to contend with. I got 75 feet into the prized VIP parking when, I’m STUCK! In the mud. I am now really feeling like a very important person! The more I tried to get out, the deeper I got. There was mud flying, covering the car (including windows). I felt just like My Cousin Vinnie! A few cowboys came over and asked “Are you stuck?” Does a bear have
hair, I asked. We’ll get you out. They pushed and pushed to no avail. Could it be they had been tailgating and each had a beer in hand? The groundskeeper came up and said “I told them we needed to put up cones.” No need now I say; sitting here on the mud spot is a mud laden, used to be silver, car. I’ll get you a tow truck! Meanwhile we’re hearing the Band Perry from afar. Oh no! They’re all done. Now we hear Luke Bryant the same way, from afar. Can it get any better? The tow truck guys show up, hook me up and tell me to hold the steering wheel in the present position. They pull me out and I tell Dani “I don’t think they pulled me out far enough.”
They unhook me (us). They tell me to drive forward. Just as I suspected – Not far enough!! They come to my window and inform me they have to hook me up again, not far enough. Really?  I asked the tow men “How much will this cost?” They say “it’s a courtesy, we only accept tips.” I then said “Here’s a tip, Plant your corn early!” One of the tow men broke into laughter, soon thereafter the other chimed in. After the deed was done I gave them each $20. They acted as though they hit the lottery. I thanked them and we made our way to a “safe” place to park. At this time Luke Bryant is near finishing, or so I thought. Well, Tim is not yet onstage and Luke is still on, there is time to use the ladies’ room. Great! There’s a line! I see women talking in a circle and think the line ends before them. Wrong! I’m told the line ends near the entrance to the Pavilion. I just came from
there. I said “I have to pee like a racehorse (Pardon me again) and I’ll be 52 in December AND I have MS, which means a weak bladder. The young women, 25-28 years old, grab my hand and say “She’s with us.” I asked approval from the ladies who would now be behind me in line and they all said “that’s alright.” God bless the good people of America. The women began telling me, “You are so beautiful, and we thought you were about 30 years old.” Things are looking up! I’m thinking, you know I could hang out with these girls and still here the concert! It was one of those “I feel good” moments. I wanted to break into song. I thanked everyone again and we made our way to our seats. LUCKY ME- I saw an empty box seat and asked the usher if we could use it. Yes you may. Well, I should have guessed, Tim started the show on the next tier of seats. You guessed it, right where my original seats were. What luck! Oh, I could hear Tim just behind and to the left of my prized box seats. People came from everywhere blocking my direct view of the Tim man.
And wouldn’t you know it the men were all over 6’2″. I have all kinds of pictures of the backs of men’s heads. Some short hair, some long and a good number of bald heads, which glow with the flash of the camera. It was rather comical! Tim made his way to the stage as did the tall men standing in front of me again! I could have stood on one of the chairs or the table in my box seat, but thought better of it after all I’d been through to get this far. I was able to get some shots of Tim onstage, but most were taken from the big screen. Close enough Mister! His lovely voice was what really mattered anyway. And what a beautiful voice he has. He’s more than pleasant to look at too!! The memories of that afternoon and evening are PRICELESS!

Then came the H1N1 Virus scare. I received all kinds of professional advice. I decided the prudent thing to do would be to postpone Rope for MS. It would now be held Sunday, September 4th – Labor Day weekend. I was a little (lot) scared even though was a holiday weekend. It would be for not. I know better than to doubt my ropers and spectators. As you see it turned out to be my biggest yet. PLEASE let me know if Labor Day weekend is better than the traditional Memorial Day weekend. The Sunday after the event I was hospitalized with a fever of 103.7; no big!

Last and let’s hope it is, I had the Dinner of Champions on Monday September 12th at the Century Plaza Hotel. This is a huge fundraiser for Multiple Sclerosis. I was again given with tickets and also a hotel room. I LOVE this hotel. A panoramic view of the Hollywood sign and downtown LA. Beautiful view from the 16th floor on my terrace. Tom Sherak put on another great fundraising dinner. Byron Allen did another stellar job as host. The four Canadian Tenors began the entertainment. They put on a good show with their talent. At the end of the dinner Byron introduced Michael Bolton after teasing about him. Michael then teased back with him when he came on stage. It was so cute. Michael sang three songs, one of which was an aria he had sung with Luciano Pavaroti in the past. WOW! I had goose bumps. I ran into him some time later (I didn’t knock him down). He and I were talking when one of the Four Tenors came up and asked to interrupt. When he finished and walked away I asked Michael “Being four tenors, shouldn’t they be called The Fourners?” Michael had a good laugh and said “Yeah, you’re right! He had heard people talking about Rope for MS and wanted to know more. I gave him the information, he then asked “Where is it held?” I told him in Riverside at Riverside Rancheros. He said “That’s not too far.” Maybe if he’s in town
next year at Rope for MS time he’ll show up. That would be great. He is a genuinely nice man with a golden voice and I thoroughly enjoyed chatting with him. How Lucky Am I? I am VERY lucky as I still have a good mind
(correct me if I’m wrong), and I am still upright.
Thank you for reading about my life in a nutshell for this year thus far.
There will be a test to see if you all really read each and every word! LOL

Results are as follows (payoffs are per roper):
#4 DRAW: 2 for $21, 290 teams, $6,870 total payout.
Rotation 1, Round 1: 1st. Dennis West and Buddy Ames, 6.85, $105. 2nd. Nacho Orozco and Devin Owen, 6.89, $80. 3rd. Cob Oxford and Travis Dove, 7.99, $70. 4th. Neil Forgues and Jorge Acosta Jr., 8.18, $50. 5th. Kenny Hassett and Ray Mizell, 8.20, $35.
Average: 1st. Robert Reed and Fernando Real, 21.81, $750. 2nd. Roger Coons and Burt Burns, 22.69, $525. 3rd. Tito Dukes and Bob Morrison, 22.77, $400. 4th. Kenny Hassett and Ray Mizell, 22.93, $340. 5th. Jeff Kisow and Miguel Padilla, 23.00, $280. 6th. Barry Robertson and A.J. Vetter, 23.81, $250. 7th. Frank Gonsalves and Jorge Acosta, 25.07, $185. 8th. Kenny Miller and Bob Hill, 25.46, $150. 9th. Bailey Danylo and Burt Burns, 26.21, $125. 10th. Carol Lopez and John Gibbs, 26.51, $90.
#5 HDCP. DOWN PICK & DRAW: 3 for $30, 303 teams, $10,250 total payout.
Rotation 1, Round 1: 1st. Roger Coons and Tyler Ishman, 5.70, $160. 2nd. Tito Dukes and Kyler Olson, 6.67, $125. 3rd. Sean Rocke and Kyler Olson, 6.92, $100. 4th. Kelly Songer and Bob Morrison, 7.12, $80. 5th. Sherri Burns and A.J. Vetter, 7.13, $50.
Average: 1st. Deanna Castle and Estalin Carranza, 24.15, $1,110. 2nd. Sharon Tavag-lione and Tyler Ishman, 26.77, $785. 3rd. Sean Rocke and Kyler Olson, 27.18, $600. 4th. Roger Coons and Craig Mac-Iver, 27.61, $510. 5th. Jessica King and Timmy Turner, 28.15, $415. 6th. Kelly Songer and Burt Burns, 28.77, $365. 7th. Neil Forgues and Deven Owen, 29.33, $275. 8th. John Hannon and Larry Kelly, 29.69, $230. 9th. Tonia Forsberg and Steve Yoast, 30.42, $185. 10th. Sharon Tavaglione and Craig Mac-Iver, 30.87, $135.
#7 HDCP. DOWN PICK & DRAW: 3 for $30, 158 teams, $5,230 total payout.
Rotation 1, Round 1: 1st. Kelly Songer and Tyler Forsberg, 6.29, $130. 2nd. Mike Enervold and Dallas Reilly, 6.51, $80.
Average: 1st. Walt Scott and Dallas Reilly, 21.81, $775. 2nd. Sean Rocke and Dallas Reilly, 21.84, $540. 3rd. Dean Thornbury and Kyler Olson, 22.06, $400. 4th. Roy Songer and Tyler Forsberg, 26.19, $285. 5th. Justin Spieler and Kyler Olson, 27.19, $210. 6th. Randy Reidinger and Dean Thornbury, 27.68, $145.

OPEN ROPING: 4 for $75, 33 teams, $3,380 total payout.
Rotation 1, Round 1: 1st. Dusty Gravatt and Liddon Cow-den, 7.31, $100. 2nd. Ryan Dodds and Tyler Forsberg, 7.39, $70.
Average: 1st.. Roger Coons and Wade Hooker, 31.53, $620. 2nd. Travis Gorham and Marcus Battaglia, 31.62, $450. 3rd. Ryan Dodds and Todd Forsberg, 33.23, $300. 4th. Travis Gorham and Scott Perez, 34.74, $150.

   #7 Roping winners Walt Scott, left and Dallas Reilly,
with Rope for MS chairperson Tara Upson-Maxeiner.

For any questions, comments or input please call me: Tara (909) 519-8171

“BIG THANKS” go out to everyone who helped with the event. John Maxeiner has
given his invaluable help (from year one). He always picks up the pieces I
have missed and does most of the computer work. He and our son Michael
Maxeiner, Robert and Mark Wagnon got everything together for the auction and
raffle. Colette Schwartz, her daughters Julia and Grace did a stellar job
selling raffle tickets and overall being helpful. Donna Upson did her more
than her share with all of her help. She secured donations for the auction
and raffle and then picked them all up. She also donated one of the Reserve
Champion Breast Collars. She was at the event to help out in any way. But
mostly, she is an amazing woman and mother. She is a true matriarch to our
family! I am so blessed she is my mom. And I know my father was there in
spirit. He would have loved the enormity of it all. Mommy and Daddy your
“Steel Magnolia” did good! Along with everyone’s help. I am also so glad ALL
my sister’s and their families were there this year. HAPPY TIMES! Sue
Gorham, the office staff and announcer again a great job. Dillon Ishman, 8
years old, did most of the auctioneering. Talk about PRICELESS, he standing
on a 50 gallon barrel so as to be seen. Dave Foster did his own fair share
of auctioneering as well a taking bids and pumping up the crowd. Mark Tyo,
Devon Owen and George Ishman did the same. All you guys were great!! John
Curtin did videography work. I can’t wait to see the DVD’s he will be
making. Dan Bergstrom did the photography. The pictures can be seen on face
book – Tara Max- then to Rope for MS. Thank you SO much Dan and John, I hope
you will be able to do it again next year. You two are great at your crafts!
Ryan Dodds and Tyler Ishman did the flagging; and a good job they did! Thank
you. Smokin’ Willie provided a great barbecue again this year. He offered a
wide range of dishes – all delicious! The hot links and tri tip are my
personal favorites. He provided meals to the office staff; Toni Mosher, Sue
Gorham and Jessica Long, Announcer. Lupe and family (chute help). Thank you
to all. If you know of anyone that would be willing to under write the cost
of the cattle and chute help please let mr know. The cattle and chute cost
is $8,000 each event. If someone is willing ton take this on, this would mean $8,000 more will go directly to MS Reaearch!
A BIG blanket THANK YOU to EVERYONE and ANYONE I may have missed. If I did,
I’m truly sorry.

Now, Thank You to my Monetary and Product Sponsors – YOU make the Rope for
MS happen!

Monetary Sponsors:
Jerry Conant – Conant Rentals – Norco, CA
Bob and Judy Leathers
Integrity Rebar Placers
All American Trailers – Norco
Dr. Stephen Walsh
Mr. Dennis B. Lazzari
Susan M. Wilson
Sheila & Stan Kay- Kay Met Recycling
Rick & Tamra Baldini
Mr. & Mrs. Dan Bateman
Bill & Ursula Koch
Colleen Billings in Loving Memory of William Billings
Ropers Sports News
Donna Upson
Frances H. Mullane
Harry & Carol Lane
Suzanne MacMillan
Bob’s Pool Service
Ropings 4 Ropers
Serena & Edwin Chun
Tambra Elliot
Joyce & Ray Barton
Patsy M. Tolley
Margo & Mark Thygesen
Diana & Bill Plyley
Leo D. Rubin
Terry McCalpin

Product Sponsors:
Al’s Kubota Tractor, Inc. – Hemet, CA
Blazin’ Trails – Upland, CA
Dale Chavez
Roper Sports News
Callaway Ropes
Cactus Ropes
Custom Equine Barns – Bob June
BJ’s Restaurant/Brewhouse-  Corona, CA
Bill Wilson State Farm Insurance – Diamond Bar, CA  
Ballard’s –  Norco, CA
Boot Barn
Dally Up – Norco
Hay Connection – Norco
Inland Vet Supply – Temecula & Norco, CA
Linda’s Feed & Supplies – Norco, CA
Monte De’ Oro Winery & Vineyards – Temecula
Norco Ranch Outfitters
Professional’s Choice
Quaid Harley-Davidson, Temecula, CA
Kelly Songer
Starbucks Coffee –  Norco, CA
The Grapeline – Temecula, CA
Vince’s for Spaghetti – Ontario, CA
Gist Silversmiths  – Placerville, CA
Tom’s Turquoise Jewelry – Manassa, CO
Rodeo Boot CO.
Wild Heart Western Woman’s Boutique
Ropes Galore – Ramona
Circle R Ranch Wear – Fort Worth, TX
Rogers Cowboy Supply – Sparks, NV
Cowgirl Bling
3 Barrels Up – Puyallup, WA
Animals R Us
Highroad Marketing – Riverside, CA
Burns Saddlery – Salina, UT
Mr. & Mrs. Mike Schultz – La Verne
Heritage Collectables – Reno, NV
Wilson Creek Winery – Temecula
Kimber Show Couture – Ontario, CA
Western Styles by J Thorson
Your Wildest Dreams – Dublin, CA
Maki Products
San Dimas Grain
Smokin’ Willie’s Barbeque
Bob Feist (BFI)
Tack West – Temecula, CA
Big Horse – Temecula, CA