And, I Thank You

By Stephanie Anderson – Ropers Sports News

     It has been a long storied career for me fulfilling the unofficial title as “Ambassadoress of the BFI.” Working for Bob Feist since 1975, many of you know me as the GM of Ropers Sports News, but I have been involved in the production of the BFI since its inception in 1977 at Chowchilla, Calif.  
     I have firsthand knowledge of every aspect of the event from procuring sponsors, taking entries, hiring photographers, flaggers, timers, selling tickets and programs, secretarying the day of the roping to making sure there was toilet paper in the men’s and women’s bathrooms. You name it, I have done it.  From Chowchilla, to Vegas, to Texas and then to Reno, I have been involved in the production of the event from the get-go. I have only missed the 1982 roping in Texas (staying home to get RSN to press) and the 2010 roping due to shoulder rotator cuff surgery. I have been at 32 of the previous 34 events and look forward to this year’s 35th annual.
     The special friendships and bonds that the BFI has afforded me are priceless. Thank you to the wonderful sponsors and their representatives who have touched my life throughout the course of the event. The Bigbee family for their staunch support of the BFI as well as the beautiful saddles they have made and donated for years and years. Perry Bigbee (R.I.P., my friend) was such a source of entertainment as he yearly called the office to enter some great teams “after the entries had closed”; Mike Piland and Cactus Ropes; the Casperson family of Idaho and California, who made and donated the Charmac trailers that were given in the 1990s; Bill Hill and Matt Kaplan of Bill Hill Sales, saddle donors and creators of the Best Head and Heel Horse award (2012 marks the ninth year for this award); Ken and Billie Bray of Classic Equine; the Gist family; Phil DeLone and the Silver Legacy crew and many, many more.
     They say it takes a village to produce the BFI and I guarantee it does. As the BFI and RSN grew, the need for more help in the BFI managerial department was needed. Mary (Mitchell) Robertson came to us as a graduate from Cal Poly in the early 80’s. Mary was instrumental in the strong growth of the event after it got off to a slow start. After many years with us, Mary decided to step back and we brought in another Cal Poly graduate, Rayanne (Engel) Currin. Rayanne not only jumped in as BFI manager, but also worked for RSN. A desire for a change of scenery sent Rayanne to Texas for a few years, but she eventually came back to California and rejoined our team. When Rayanne left, we were fortunate to land Taryn Krantz, who had just graduated from Tarleton State. She was our BFI manager the last few years.. Taryn had done apprentice work for Ropers Sports News since she was 16 and worked with us on the production of the BFI, so she was a natural to take over the reins. Many of you have called our office and have had the pleasure of visiting with Julie Sell and Jenny Vasquez, who have worked on the BFI for many years. Months before the event takes place, Julie and Jenny were busy creating posters, the program, tickets, sending out entries, etc., etc.  
     Mary, Rayanne, Taryn, Julie and Jenny, the BFI owes a lot to you gals. I salute you strong women, you have all been a pleasure and inspiration to work with.
We have also been fortunate enough to have some of the best announcers in the world on duty at the BFI including the late Lex Connelly, Jay Harwood, Bill Adams, Reed Flake, Ross Wagner, Dru Stewart and the “voice of the BFI ,” Bob Tallman.
     Brenda Allen and Kirt Steinke have provided us wonderful photos over the years. Also included in that group of  prestigious photographers we have worked with are Larry Fulgham, Andy Watson, Anna Robertson and Vern Howell.
Many well known secretary/timers have been at the helm throughout the years including Fran Hirdes, Laura Nunes, Pat Hunnicutt, Ellen Haddock Cindy Rosser and Stacey Meis. Linda Davis and her staff of Linda Ishman and MaraShane Miller have been at the controls for the past 15 years and they are the best in the business. Thank you also to Jamie Brown for her expertise with crunching the numbers and keeping the office humming for us. Jamie has also worked for us for many years.
     We have been fortunate to have some wonderful cattle contractors over the years including Larry Miller, Don Gatz and currently, the Twisselman family.
You can’t put on a roping without a great cattle/arena crew. The Cresta family, Scott Kesl, Jimmy Smith, Dustin Young, Bill and K.V. Felker along with NWTRA and arguably the best man on the headgate, Carlos Guajardo, kept the show running smoothly.
     We also had the best flaggers and  line judges known to mankind. What an honor to work with Harry Rose, Philip Murrah, Steve Branco, Ken Luman, Nealer Pryor, Bub Gatzman, Joe Marks and Danny Martinez. Thank you electric eye and barrier men, Jim Hamilton, John Whitmer and Lee Legasey.
     A shout out to Mary (Stephenson) Minor, mother of NFR team ropers Brady and Riley. Mary was an important part of our production crew before the boys were born and our event was in the outdoor rodeo arena in Reno. At that time, we had a huge scoreboard set up that Mary updated by hand after each run. Neither rain, snow, wind or being pregnant with Brady would stop Mary from her job. She was a trooper!
Teresa Van dePol (Gator) is darn near as famous as Bob Feist. People come to Reno just to see Gator. She has manned our booths for years, selling tickets, souvenir clothes, programs, etc., as well as providing a lot of entertainment.  Thanks Gator, you are a jewel. Joining her for many years in the booth and also helping us out with the BFI was Shirl Woodson. Shirl also worked for Ropers Sports News. Other great hands in the booth or wherever else you needed them included Larry Sell (husband of Julie), Cindy Beck, Ashlea Dozhier, Erica Krantz and Mallory Brown.
     How can you put on an event like the BFI without your computer geeks? You can’t. Awesome job Marc Jacobs, Jon Johnson, Ryan Feist and of course the master, Mitch Laing.
Kendra Santos, the most well-respected and sought after rodeo/team roping journalist in the world, took a chance on Ropers Sports News in 1980 when she started doing a column for us. Decades ago she took over the reins as the official press chick of the BFI. Kendra worked into the wee hours after each BFI, making sure the press release was done and sent off to all the publications who were anxiously awaiting the results. Thank you, Kendra for putting that final touch of class on our great event.
     Taking entries for  years gave me the opportunity to meet and interact with the contestants, as well as form long-lasting relationships with many of them. It is with great pride that I will be rooting for the three big guns that will make the 2012 event their 35th, Allen Bach, Mike Beers and Denny Watkins, all BFI and PRCA world champions and awesome guys. My best to all of you.

     I am truly sad that Walt Woodard will not be roping this year, as it would have also been his 35th year. Walt, along with the whole Woodard family, have been near and dear to my heart since I was 18 years old. I will always consider them my family. My admiration and support to Walt for whatever path he chooses.
     In closing, it has been an honor to work with all of the BFI staff, contestants, sponsors and fans over the past 34 years. Best of luck to Ullman Peterson Events as they keep the dream alive.