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Show 2C Lakeside Review North, Wednesday, Mar. 2, 1 983 ' Horsos are Happiness i By TERRI CHRISTENSEN - Review Correspondent WEST BOUNTIFUL Cattle bawl, dogs bark and through the settling dust of evening a rider slaps his thigh with the tight coil of a braided rope. More riders whistle to the slow moving cattle, herding them, moving them to their destination. More cattle bunch together, horns toss in the gathering dusk, and a horse lets a shake roll down his back as his rider temporarily dismounts. A scene out of a Western novel? Or maybe a scene straight from the vast ranching lands of Southern Utah? No, this scene is neither fictional nor a lifetime away. This scene takes place in West Bountiful. The sputter of lights coming on overhead pushes the gathering darkness away. Laughter joins the noise of the evening and here, in West Bountiful the men work the cattle because they enjoy it. But is it really work? The gathering of children, wives and friends looks more like family night. Here, three nights a week, family and friends gather to laugh and joke. They come to relax and to socialize, yet more important, they come here to rope. Team roping started almost 100 years ago as a necessity for the working cowboy. He used it to restrain cattle for branding , jt. , - J 1 SHOOTING 20 out of 25 free throws, Todd Heath took first held Feb. place of his age bracket at the Elks Hoop-Sho19. Todd, 9, son of Mr. and Mrs. David Heath of Kaysville was shooting for the Bountiful Elks. ' ot Kaysville Boy Wins Hoop-ShoContest ot Todd Heath, 9, son of Mr. and Mrs. David Heath of Kaysville, has won first place in his age bracket in the Elks Hoop-Shoot State Contest. Todd, shooting for the Bountiful Elks Lodge and the North District of Utah, shot 20 out of 25 free throws on Feb. 19 at the Spring ville Armory. He defeated shooters from the Cent-- ral and Southern Districts to capture first place. Todd, as Utah state champion in the year old boys bracket, will now join those Utah state champs in other age brackets in a regional hoop-shoto be held at the University of Nevada, 8-- 9 ot Las Vegas, on March 12. He will shoot against state champs from Arizona, California, Nevada and Hawaii. and medication. Today, although still used on ranches ac- ross the country, the skill of team roping has developed into one of the nations most popular rodeo sports. During the day these men and women provide for their homes and families. But three nights a week, from early May until late in the fall they become members of the countrys lost breed of heroes roping cowboys. Dont misunderstand; these men and women are true horsemen. Many have raised from birth the horses that they ride and have done most, if not all, of their own training. Their love of horses and their love of roping are full time affairs, yet three times a week they bring them together for a night of fun and helping. The first cow bawls as it is moved into the chute. The gates rattle and then bang shut. Two men on horseback prepare to ride into the open boxes on either side of the chute. One horse spins and rears in his excitement. He knows what is coming. The rider waits for him to come back down and again tries to ride him into the box. This time the horse goes willingly. With the horses powerful hindquarters pressed against the iron box, the riders shake out their ropes. They look at each other and then turn their concentration on the steer. With a nod of the riders head, 300 pounds of Mexican steer burst from the chute and 2,000 pounds of man and horse explode after him. The object of team roping is simple; the accomplishment of that objective is not. It takes a skilled roper, a top horseman and a lot of concentration to rope and then secure the hard running steer. Harold Mann, 1982 president of the West Bountiful Roping Club said the club has been in existance for about four years. It was started as a fun between friends and has evolved into the competitive group of ropers that now assembles. Roping skills and competition has improved, and so has the friendship. Starting with the arrival of about 25 head of cattle at the Neil Christensen arena on 1600 North in West Bountiful, the ropers begin a summer of fun and competition. They hold jackpot ropings once a week with larger competitions four ' times each summer. The jackpots are held each Thursday at the arena with an . er open format. The larger ropings, often called buckle ropings because of the buckles awarded to the best ropers, are held once in the spring, summer and fall with a year-en- d competition and award. Last year Clay Robinson, Clay Parsons, Harold Mann, Kevin Christensen, Emerson Child, Paul Freed and Randy Finkbinder were all awarded buckles for their skill and talent in roping. Because of these men and the other talented men and women who rope at the Neil Christensen arena, the West Bountiful Roping Club is fast gaining recognition as a competitive, tight group of ropers, who train and tune all year round. Even now, during the cold of winter they are working to prepare for the upcoming season, which they hope will be the best one yet. ) i tCo A'-'si- :? OUCH SCO GCCD GADO 0 Gc:coon mCO israrai M REMAINDER OF 2 YEAR OR 24 n o MONTH WARRANTY AVAILABLE! 9 DODGE CHARGERS .V an , 3 2 Dr., Sport Coupt, All Vary Clton, Mixture of 4 Spdt. A Autos. or.mi MISER V V AUTOMATICS 6500 $S400 4 FOUR DOOR 400' s i-- V Voloor Interior, Tilt tVfcoeli, Cnrfso Control, Air, loadodl 14 7CS ARIES K WAGONS To i5 o From I Equipment Varies With Each Car, Some have 3 aries Foun-Doo- n Chwse & lTjefo Rack, Air, Cruise Control, Soma 4 Spds. Soma Automatic! All Customs! 6750 6450 the last of the little guys 99 used cans 290-24- zzo 51 i. - rA? : .jC. sci3TC nrjY. n |