# 15 Preliminary
2013 Cinch USTRC National
Finals of Team Roping
Saturday October 26, 2013
By Melinda Clements
By Melinda Clements
Upon
first glance it seemed the rain might have had a dreary, draining effect. There couldn’t have been anything further
from the truth. The clouds were heavy
outside but the mood inside the Oklahoma State Fairgrounds was wired and bordered
on excitement. The mood was festive, the
competition fierce and the action worth the wait.
It
was time for the short go round of the #15 Preliminary and only a mere 1.25 seconds
separated first through fifth. The
competition was tight and focused.
$20,000 was on the line for first place plus beautiful Martin
Championship Trophy Saddles. Every roper involved wanted a piece of the action
and every roper had the same goal in mind; line your pockets with dollars and
take home a new trophy saddle. What an
awesome way to start the week!
Twenty
teams were coming back in the short go round of the #15 Preliminary. They were some of the best. The short go round would be action packed and
worth watching.
Dakota
Kirchenschlager and Blaine Vick have been roping together a long time. Long enough that what they do is second
nature. It is like breathing and
sleeping. It just comes natural without
a lot of thought or processing.
The
pair was the high team back going into the short go round. It was a very
comfortable place to be. Ironically, the
hard part was waiting for the short go round to work its way to the last team.
“You
can’t help but be a little nervous,” Vick commented. “I think the first steer
of the day is always the toughest. Once
you break the ice it just involves doing what we have always done.”
It
was tight, tough competitive short go round.
When the second high team back in the short go round posted a 6.74 on
their short round steer they took the lead.
Kirchenschlager and Vick knew they had to make a mistake free run. There was no room for error.
“The
barrier and getting out is my biggest challenge,” Kirchenschlager said. “There
is just more pressure when you are roping with friends because you do not want
to make any mistakes.”
When
the pair backed into the box they knew they had to be 7.38 or better to win the
roping. In many respects the world stood
still. It didn’t matter about rain or
music or pressure or tomorrow or last week.
It was all about one more steer.
When
Kerchenschlager nodded Vick was set on wrapping things up. Both men were on the
same page with the same goal in mind.
When the clock stopped the digital read 6.74. The pair took the win with a time of 28.64
and the victory was sweet and a bit overwhelming.
“Like
I said,” Vick repeated with a sly grin. “We been doing this a long time! Now we
can just have a good time.”
“Winning
this roping takes all the pressure off for tomorrow,” Kirchenschlager said.
“Now we can just go rope for fun.”
The pair split $20,000 and each will take home
a Martin Championship Trophy Saddle. The
pair will rope in the Priefert US Open Roping on Sunday with a few of their
mentors and heroes.
“Of
course, we look up to those guys,” Kirchenschlager explained. “Those guys have
always been our models and heroes. We
look up to all the Open Ropers. It will
be awesome to rope with them tomorrow.”
The
pair practice together and the fact they are friends and spend time together is
evident. When it comes to roping they
are both on the same page. The pair
agree winning is the only game plan.
As
the pair posed for pictures and gathered up their saddles their mood was
festive and excited. The financial
burden had just been lifted. From here
on out the roping was for fun with a commitment to win. Bring on the rain, mix in the sunshine. Couple that with a win in the #15 Preliminary
and even the rainbows have linings.
