If You Make A Mistake, Make It Your Last

Hello,

In the early 80’s the rodeo business was extremely hectic. Not that it isn’t today, but it was worse back then. See today the World Championship is decided by who wins the most money at sixty rodeos of your choice and the National Finals Rodeo. Back then you could go to an unlimited about of rodeo that you could count towards the World Championship standings. Some of the best ropers back then were ‘war horses,’ so if you wanted to compete for the title you had to go and do lots of rodeoing. I went to 126 rodeos one year and five in one day. I know it sounds crazy, but you can do amazing things with a private airplane and your own pilot and that is what I had. There were a couple of weeks that we put forty hours on the plane in one week’s time. For any of you who know anything about flying, that is a lot of time. We had that plane leased for a month at a time and the pilot we had was a guy by the name of Bob Clarke. He was also a flight instructor and he could get off anytime we needed him, so we covered some ground and we got to a lot of rodeos.

A lot of life I don’t remember, but Bob was also an ordained minister. Sometimes at about midnight or one in the morning when we were flying with the sky was crystal clear and the air smooth, Bob and I had some great conversations. He was an intelligent guy and I enjoyed his company. He had grown up around airplanes and this guy knew a lot about them. We got into some scary situations with bad weather while flying over the Rocky Mountains in a single engine airplane, but Bob knew his stuff. We would be in bad weather and I would get scared and Bob would always say the same things to calm me down. He would say, ‘airplanes don’t just fall out of the sky, they crash because people make a mistake. Then they make another mistake and then they make one more. The key is don’t make a mistake and if you do make that your last one and you will be alright.’
I have thought about that a lot in my life, because I have tried to remember his advice. Usually I follow his wise words, but recently I got myself in a situation that you’re not going to believe. I decided to go to the USTRC roping in Globe, Arizona. I didn’t have anything going on that week, so I decided to go. I has a roping school scheduled for the weekend in Decatur, Texas, but the open roping was on Thursday and there was a flight that left Phoenix at 10 PM getting into Dallas at 1 AM and that was perfect. They were going to have a pre roping before the open, then the open and then the number 15. But, I would still have plenty of time to make my flight, because my roping would be over by the worst at 5 PM and it was two hours to the airport so it was no problem. I roped in the open and I roped good, but did not win anything. The roping got over at 3 PM and I had several guys ask me to rope in the number 15. They were going to use two arenas, so I got to thinking that they could run 100 teams an hour, so I had a chance. If they started by 3:30, which they did, plus 4 hours is 7:30 plus 2 hours to the airport is 9:30. I already had my airplane ticket, so I would make it. Put my name in, I am roping. *Mistake number one* After they posted the draw my first partner was number 114, the other two were in the 300’s, so I decided to rope with my first partner. He is a Youngman about 16 and he roped very well for his age, but we had roped before and didn’t win anything. So, I roped with him and we did well. *Mistake number two* We were sitting 8th place after two rotations. So, I waited and watched and it became apparent that this thing isn’t going to be over by 7:30, no way. I opted not to rope with my other two partners, because I knew there was no way I could stay for the high teams. I am thinking that maybe if I am 8th after 200 teams, I will be 21st after 400 teams and they are only taking 20 teams back to the finals, so maybe I wouldn’t make it back and avoid the problem at hand. So, I go find the nicest kid in the world and I have to tell him I’m leaving. He says, ‘What do you mean Mr. Woodard? You are leaving to go where?’ I explained by situation to him and he says he knows I’m a busy man and he understands. He shook my hand and thanked me for roping with him and told me to be safe in my travels. Now right there he made a mistake because he should have beat me all throughout the upper body with his rope just for being stupid, but no he kills me with kindness and that was worse. So now my only chance is if I end up 21st. Not one team moves me in the next 200 teams and we ended up coming back in the 8th position. The team that was in the 7th position, that we were virtually ties with, won the roping and I had to leave and turn my high team steer out. I cost the kid four thousand dollars. *Mistake number three*
I went to the school in Texas and I talked to the young man’s father and these people are some of the kindest people I have ever talked to. He said he told his son it is not about the money it is about the lesson learned out of the situation. I thought to myself ‘What is the lesson here?’ Don’t rope with Walt Woodard, because he is a flake. I realize now the lesson here for me was one I already knew, but had forgotten it. When we make a mistake that is ok, because we are human and that is part of life. But, don’t make another because three in a row equals a plan crash and those aren’t fun.

Until Next Month,
Thank you for your time.

Walt Woodard