#13 Shoot Out
Cinch USTRC National Finals of Team Roping
Monday October 22, 2012
Oklahoma State Fairgrounds Coliseum
By Melinda Clements
“It
is the Super Bowl of Team Roping,” Andy Mahard said with a voice filled with
emotion. “I don’t think any of
this has sunk in. I just rode out the back gate and could not watch. The third high team back in the short
go round was a good place to be but I just could not watch. We had already won
more than I expected and that was good.”
Mahard
and his partner, Colt Baldwin, were, indeed, the third high team back coming
into the short go round of the #13 Shoot Out at the 2012 Cinch USTRC National
Finals of Team Roping. They were
shooting at $93,200 for first place in the average. The prize line was awesome and included Martin Championship
Trophy Saddles, Gist Championship Gold Buckles, Tony Lama Ostrich Boots, and
Western Horseman Collector’s Prints.
Both
men had one common goal. They both
just wanted to make sure they got their steers down. They didn’t really have a game plan. They don’t talk to each other or
discuss how they want things to work out. They were both focused on roping like
they had roped all day and using every steer they had drawn. Talking or not
they were on the same page headed in the same direction and it was working to
their advantage.
The
short go round of the #13 Shoot Out was fast paced, fast moving, hot, and very
competitive.
“I
didn’t think there was any way in the world we could take the win,” Baldwin
said shyly and a bit overwhelmed, “but I guess we did.” Both men were a little in shock and
trying to soak up all that had just happened.
The
pair has been roping together for about three years and their hard work has
paid off.
“Team
roping is the job after the job,” explained Mahard. “You go put in eight or ten
hours at your real job then you come home and put in more hours at roping. It takes time, effort and it is hard
work. It sure paid off here.”
As
the pair watched the short go round unfold they figured the third high call
back team was a good place to be.
“As
the third high call back team we made a good run and were sitting good for
third place,” Mahard explained. “The remaining teams had to rise to the
occasion and join the hunt. We had
done our job.”
The
pair needed a time of 8.08 or better to take the lead in the average. Even though Mahard struggles a bit with
the barrier he read it right and got a great start. He turned off and waited for Baldwin to wrap things up. His partner did exactly that and the
pair had a time of 7.35 to take the lead in the average. Two teams remained. Both men rode out the back gate and
waited to see where the cards would fall.
Jonathan
Torres and Wesley Johnson had a good run with a time of 7.73 but it wasn’t
enough to move Baldwin and Mahard out of first place in the average. One team remained. When the high team back failed to make
a qualified run the win in the average of the #13 Shoot Out fell into Mahard’s
and Baldwin’s lap. What an
overwhelming feeling of exhilaration.
It was unbelievable.
It
took a minute for the pair to ride back into the arena for a victory lap if for
no other reason than both men were totally surprised things came together like
they did.
“We
work hard, we practice and we rope a lot,” Baldwin said. “I didn’t think there
was any chance we would win first.”
When
asked what you do with $93,000 both men kind of looked at each other and
shrugged.
“I
buy horses and my wife buys furniture,” Mahard smiled. “Guess we will buy more
furniture.” Baldwin, on the other hand,
just seemed to be trying to sort it all out and put it together. In all reality both were trying to
grasp what had actually happened. One doesn’t win the Super Bowl of Team Roping
every day. One doesn’t split $93,200 every day either.
