Dear Ropers,

The AATRC had a spectacular roping in Tunica Mississippi on the first weekend of March. Tunica Ms is one of our favorite places to go! The facility is so nice and so are the guys we have to work with. The ropers in the Mississippi area have great attitudes and are just happy to get to rope!! Of course I have always said that the AATRC members consists of the nicest ropers out there! Even when we go to different facilities they are all impressed with the kindness of our ropers.

This was our first time to implement a #6 before our #4. The #6 pre-entry filled quickly along with the #4. Saturday started off with the #6 then went into the #4. We roped close to 900 teams Saturday with the two ropings combined. Then went into Sunday and roped our 400 pre-entries. Being that the roping went over 1000 we were able to run a 3hd prog on 1. This enabled us to get done about 9 pm sat and let all those guys that drove a ways get a earlier start home Sunday.

The winners in the #6 roping were paid $3000 and knives. This went to Dale Corlew and Brad Morman (Robert Morman?s son). Robert gave every one a break this time since he always takes home all the money!! These guys took the lead by over 7 seconds! Second place went to Bart Stallings and Jeremy Gay with a 43.77 good for $2200 and two knives. Jeremy was our high point roper receiving the prize of a Running P Saddle.
The #4 winners were Tony Hudspeth and Tracy Hudspeth. These two brothers won $6000 and 2 saddles with a 26.80 on 3. The Hudspeths were the seventh call back and roped their steer in a 7.93 which was good enough for the win and also a check for the 2nd fast time in the short round. Second place went to Keith Midgett and Daniel Edwards they were the 3rd high back and roped a 9.95 on the call back steer for a total of 27.81. Money was thru 12th place and the time for that was a 34.49.

Dummy roping winners were Bradley Caudle (5 and under) Nick Myers (6-9) and Chad Waide (10-12).These kids all roped well and each received a beautiful Red Bluff buckle.

Our next roping is in Ardmore Ok. This will be an AATRC #4.We will start off having a #9 with a #7 incentive Saturday morning. Then the #4 will directly follow. A few weeks later we will have our church roping. It will be held April 25th and it is also at the Ardmore Hardy Murphy Coliseum. We will start off with a #9 with a #7 incentive. This is a pick one draw one for $100.Then we will have a free roping to everyone who attends church at noon. The #9 entry starts at 7:30 and goes to 8:30 then we will rope at 9:00am. Church will be at noon and as you come to church you may enter the roping. You must attend church to enter the roping! This roping will be capped at a #4 on the heel side and open on the head side. You may enter as a header or you may enter as a heeler not both. We will draw everyone 4 runs and it will be a 3 hd prog on one with saddles awarded to the top #3 and under and the top #4 and above. This roping will be ran just like our other church ropings were you will have an option to put money up ($60) and rope against the other guys who put money up just like a jackpot. You do not have to pay to rope. If you choose not to pay you are still eligible for all prizes which include the two saddles and lots of other good stuff!

On May 8th and 9th we will be in Clarksville Ark with a #6 and a #4. This is a new facility in Arkansas. It is located by taking the Cole Hill exit on the west side of Clarksville. This will put you on hwy 164, you go 10 miles to hwy 103 turn left and go two miles and then you are there. It is really pretty easy to get there. Then on May 29th and 30th we will be in Athens TX with the same format of the #6 then #4. (our six ropings are pre-entry only so make plans to enter the Monday before the roping).

I want to end by asking you about were your focus is. As a roper you may hear where you are to focus on the steer. Being a header some of the places people say to focus on is the right horn, left horn, the base of the right horn or I have heard Jake Barnes say the whole head. Wow! What confusion for those just starting out! And what about you heelers. Do you focus on the steers head coming out of the box or do you look at the hip or focus on the hocks? You will hear many different instructions in you career of ropings for where your focus point should be. And believe me I am not qualified to instruct you on any of them! You might say ok where are you going with this. I will tell you! The original question that asked of where your focus is contains to your life. Just as the roper is confused with all the different suggestions of the focus point on a steer. We get confused with all the suggestions of our peers and the world of where we are to focus in life. Your work might have you believe that climbing the ladder of success is where your main focus should be. Maybe yours and your families wants of material things have you focused on making more money. Or, as many that are reading this magazine, you may be focused on ROPING MORE AND BETTER. Then there are the magazines and TV commercials that portray these slim young models (with their bodies probably air brushed!) that have many women focused on being slimmer and younger. In life I believe as human beings we all want to have happiness, peace and joy. So, therefore, we need to focus on how we get it. If you are caught in the trap of focusing on success, money, material things or your looks then you will be able to testify that these things I just listed do not fulfill your emotional needs of the joy we all look for. It is like God made us all with this hole and it has to be filled to have joy. And there is only one thing that will fit in the hole to make us complete. Yep, you guessed it! It is Jesus. We as humans try to put all kinds of stuff in this whole to be happy and none of them work. You might say well I know Jesus and I still am not satisfied. Well I would say to you to check your hole and see if you replaced him with something else. What ever your main focus is that is what you are trying to use to fill your hole. Many of us put Jesus there but have a hard time daily keeping him where he should be. I want to leave you with a few ways you can daily live in joy.

F- Feed your self daily with God?s word.Joshua 1:8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate (feed) in it day and night that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.?
O-Obey what you readJames 1:22 ?Be doers of the word, and not hearers only..?
C- Come to God daily in prayer and Communicate with him.Philippians 4:6 ?..but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
U-Use his instructions in life?s situationsProverbs 23:12 ?Apply your heart to instruction. ..?
S-Share God?s good news and the gifts God has given you with everyone you come in contact with2 Corinthians 9:7 ?Let each one of us give?.for God loves a cheerful giver.?Psalm 9:1 ??I will tell of all Your marvelous works.?