Word: ropers
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...Injuries are guaranteed. In Redmond, a particularly ornery bull shatters a rider's leg in a serious accident that rodeo veterans refer to as a wreck. Most wrecks are not that severe, but they are nearly always serious. "You're gonna hurt sometimes," says Phil Rawlins, 71, a team roper who lost a finger during competition several years ago (it was surgically reattached). "But wrecks are part of the sport, and no one cares, because the only thing we have after senior rodeo is bingo...
Given the cost, it's no wonder those who succeed attain hero status among their peers. The veterans love to spin dramatic yarns about an 83-year-old barrel racer who competed while legally blind, a one-armed calf roper, and a 66-year-old bronco rider who managed to beat a group of 20-year-olds. Pride motivates the tales, especially because the current crop of rodeo seniors considers itself the last generation to hone its skills by working on ranches rather than at specialized roping schools or college rodeos. "So many people get older and begin to shut...
...Primeville, Ore. The seniors revel in such reactions and say the puny purse money is irrelevant. "We just love the competition, and when people see us compete and can't believe that we can perform at this level, that's a wonderful feeling," says Bob Stoddard, 61, a team roper who operates a ranch in Douglas...
Wonderful enough that they are willing to drive their pickups and horse trailers for a 12-hr. stretch every week, sometimes for a mere 7-sec. horseback ride. "People think we're nuts," says Ernest Forsberg, 58, a team roper and president of the N.S.P.R.A., "but I look at most people our age, and they're out of shape because they've quit doing what they love. None of us plan to quit...
WHAT WOULD MR. ROPER...