#10 Shoot Out
Cinch USTRC National Finals of Team Roping
Saturday October 27, 2012
Oklahoma State Fairgrounds Coliseum
By Melinda Clements
Some
of us do not realize how far and wide spread our sport of team roping actually
is. You might say it has an international
flair. It reaches across the ocean
to Hawaii and north to Canada and south to Mexico and Bolivia. No matter where you go or how you
travel if horses and cattle are involved team roping comes up and one finds
there are tentacles of the sport in every corner of the world.
$105,000
is a lot of money in any man’s sport.
With that kind of money and a prize line consisting of Martin
Championship Trophy Saddles, Gist Championship Gold Buckles, Tony Lama Ostrich
Boots and Western Horseman Collector’s Prints a roper has to be almost boiled
over in anticipation and eagerness to give it his best.
The
# 10 Shoot Out short go round hosted thirty teams vying for the awards and
prize line. The average would pay
money to the top twenty teams placing in the average. It was all the motivation anyone needed to “get r done!”
Some
of the best advice offered all week had been “don’t safety up”, “stay
aggressive”, “don’t change a thing” and “rope your best roping.” It had to be
uppermost in everyone’s mind. Certainly it was easier said than done.
The
short go round was fast paced, competitive and aggressive. Each run was a step closer to
$105,700. Each team was hungry and
ready for some action. Toss the
dice in the wind and see what rolls up seemed to be the best advice.
Rex
and Jorge Hawkins was the sixth high call back team coming into the short go
round of the #10 Shoot Out. The
pair had to be 9.10 to take the lead away from the seventh high team back of
Colton and Coy Brittian. When they
rode into the box it was nerves working overtime to say the least. However, the pair settled in and nodded
to go make a run. When the clock
stopped 8.93 was shining brightly.
The pair had, indeed, taken the lead. There were five more teams to go and to put it mildly all
the teams left were quite competent.
Suddenly
pressure entered the scenario and a waiting game began for Rex and Jorge
Hawkins.
“I
was pretty nervous as I watched the rest of the roping,” Rex Hawkins said with
a smile. “I was so excited. I was very
happy we did well and it was okay how things would turn out. Just watching made
me more nervous than roping.” It certainly seemed that way for Jorge Hawkins as
well.
“I
was too nervous to watch or think,” Jorge said “My uncle and I did well and I
wanted it to be okay.”
A
couple of unqualified runs and some runs with issues closed out the short go
round. Suddenly truth struck home
and Rex and Jorge Hawkins realized they had actually won the average in the #10
Shoot Out. There were no words,
English or Spanish that described the feeling. It was impossible to grasp much less describe.
As
the pair made a victory lap around the arena there was only numbness and a
cluttered mind of disbelief. Who
can grasp that much money or that kind of prize line?
“I
came from Mexico to rope with my uncle,” Jorge said with a shy grin. “I feel
happy having this money and I don’t know what to do with it or even how to
understand what it all means. I think the game plan we had was to rope every
steer and have a good time roping. I came to Oklahoma City because my uncle
said it was a good roping and team roping in Mexico is a lot different.”
“Jorge
is my nephew,” Rex Hawkins explained. “We have been roping together since he
was about nine years old. I dreamed about this and I’m so happy and very
excited. I cannot even think about the money I’m just too nervous. It is unbelievable.”
Family,
friends and supporters surrounded the pair and they had quickly become
celebrities of sorts as interviews were conducted and pictures taken.
Perhaps
team roping is one of those universal sports that brings everyone together
under an umbrella of fellowship.
There is no language barrier, no culture division or lack of
understanding where team roping is concerned. It is a sport of fellowship and camaraderie that brings
ropers together in ways nothing else can.
