Dear Ropers,

May is here and everyone?s roping should be getting better! With the evenings staying light longer and the nights warmer you should be able to get a few more practice sessions in! (That?s the plan anyway.) Well, whether you are getting to practice or not you need to make sure you put our next few ropings on the calendar! May 8th and 9th we will be in Clarksville Arkansas at the Foothills Arena. This is a new arena in Arkansas that should really kick off well. So far they have had some weekly jackpots that have been really successful. We will be the first big production that they host. As you most know Ft Smith Ark is out biggest roping of the year so with that in mind, all the feed back, plus the great prize package of 10 saddles, $10,000, 6 buckles and 4 knives we plan to have a big roping in Clarksville also. And that prize package I just talked about is only in the #4 pt. We will also have a #6 Saturday morning. (Don?t forget to pre-enter the #6 on the Monday before the roping!) In the #6 we will give away 2 saddles, 4 knives and lots of cash! If you are wondering about hook ups they do have them along with 200 stalls. Directions are take I-40 Coal Hill Exit (Hwy 164) go North (aprox. 10 miles) to Hwy 103 then left 2 miles. Or you can go Hwy 103 north out of down town Clarksville and go 12 miles. A few weeks after Ark on May 29th and 30th we will be in Athens Tx. with a #4 and #6. Be sure to check out our ads!
Our last roping was April 3rd and 4th in Ardmore Ok. This was a #4 AATRC roping along with a #9. Starting off Saturday morning we held the #9 with #7 incentive. That roping is always fun to watch! With the barrier stretched out a little further than what it would be in the #4 a time of 29.76 on 4 won. The winning team was David Miller and Buddy Norman. They received a total of $2300 in cash. Money went thru 4th in the average and 2 places were paid in the incentive. Our incentive winners were J D Pass and Roger Highley with a 25.32 on three. After this we went into the #4. We were able to keep the AATRC format, which is, if you catch your first steer then you can throw one of your next two times away. Winners of this roping were Brad Wilkerson and Michael Brown. These guys put together an extremely tough time of 24.67 on 3. Being left handed didn?t hurt this heeler a bit! They received $2000 and 2 beautiful Running P Saddles that are custom make for the AATRC. (You will not see the style of these saddles duplicated any where else!) Second in the average went to Keith McReynolds and Blue Farrington with a 27.86 on two. This was good for 2 saddles and $1500.
In the dummy roping the ladies took the first two divisions. The winners were: in the 5 and under, Hanna Gurrola, 6-9 Bailee Bruce and in the 10 to 12 Colby Norman. Congratulations to all our winners!

As I end I want to bring to light a story I heard last week. This is for all of you that have wondered if God really exists or those that had no answer to why you think he does.

A man went to a barber shop to have his hair and his beard cut as always. He began to have a good conversation with the barber who attended him. They talked about so many things and various subjects. Suddenly, they touched on the subject of God. The barber said: "Look man, I don't believe that God exists." "Why do you say that?" asked the customer. Well, it's so easy, you just have to go out in the street to realize that God does not exist. Oh, tell me, if God exists, would there be so many sick people? Would there be abandoned children? If God exists, there would be no suffering nor pain. I can't think of loving a God who permits all of these things." The customer thought for a moment, but he didn't respond because he did not want to start an argument. The barber finished his job and the customer left the shop. Just after he left the barber shop, he saw a man in the street with long hair and a beard. It was very long, and a long time since he had his hair cut. He looked dirty and unkempt. The customer entered the barber shop again and he said to the barber: "You know what? Barbers do not exist." "How can you say they don't exist?" asked the surprised barber." I am here and I am a barber. Why I just worked on you!" "No!" the customer exclaimed. "Barbers don't exist, because if they did there would be no people with long hair and beard like that man who is outside." "Ah, barbers do exist, what happens is that people do not come to me." "Exactly!"- affirmed the customer. "That's the point! God does exist. What happens is people don't go to Him and do not look for Him. That's why there's so much pain and suffering in the world."

Mathew chapter 7 verses 7&8 say:
?Ask and it will be given to you: seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.?
Mathew chapter 11 verse 28 says:
?Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.?
Kelly Norman