Steer Ropers Love Competing at NCFSR in Torrington
TORRINGTON, Wyo. – Some places are just a perfect fit for an event.
That’s definitely the case for Torrington, Wyo., and the National Circuit Finals Steer Roping.
The small town just more than an hour from Cheyenne is hosting the NCFSR for the 14th time. The 2023 NCFSR takes place April 29-30 at the Goshen County Pavilion. Action begins at noon (MT) each day.
Ropers have acknowledged qualifying for the NCFSR is high on their list, so they can spend a weekend in Torrington. The 35 ropers enjoyed a welcome reception at the Cottonwood Country Club on Friday evening.
“I enjoy the whole event,” said Scott Snedecor, a four-time world champion. “The people who put this production on do a great job. They condition the cattle good, and they usually have a good set of steers up here and everything they lay out for us. They want us to be here, and they roll out the red carpet. It is a good time.
“They enjoy us being here and the money is good. It is a long way for some of us to come, but they make it worth it.”
The cowboys will compete in four rounds Saturday and then two more rounds Sunday. The top eight finishers in the six-head average advance to the semifinal round. The top four finishers in the semis move on to a four-man sudden-death finals.
“They take good care of us here,” said Cole Patterson, the reigning two-time NCFSR champ. “They feed us and treat us like stars. They bring in good steers and they prepare them. They go to every length to make sure it is a first-class event, and it shows.
“I think they look forward to us coming up here just as much as we look forward to coming up here. It is a good match, and I was excited the whole way driving up here.”
Patterson, who was the 2021 PRCA Steer Roping World Champion, joined his father Rocky, a four-time world champion, as the only two ropers to win the NCFSR twice. Rocky won the NCFSR in 2012 and 2019.
Ora Taton, who has been to every NCFSR in Torrington but two, has found glory in this event winning the title in 2020.
“I enjoy coming here because it is close, only three hours from Rapid City (S.D.),” Taton said. “The way they have it setup where there is an average roping on six. Then there are eight guys (for the semifinals) and you have to go as fast as you can to keep advancing. There are two different styles of roping on that, and we do them all in a weekend and you have to do both to be crowned a champ. Sometimes you just have to outlast them. That’s what happened for me in (2020).”
That year in the four-man sudden death round, Taton defeated ProRodeo Hall of Famer Trevor Brazile, Snedecor, and longtime star Vin Fisher Jr.
“This event pays well, and you want to come here, and I have become friends with people on the committee,” Taton said. “They come up and we shake hands and slap each other on the back. It is fun. All these guys rope good, and it gives a lot of guys who might not get to run at money like this a chance to do so.”
Courtesy of PRCA