Have Confidence and Be Respectful

Hello,

When my Dad and I started roping we were just like everyone else is when they started, we were bad. I don’t mean bad like the young people mean, I mean we were terrible. We had a home made horse trailer, a half ton pickup, and a home made ply wood camper. I don’t know if you ever have seen a homemade camper that is made out of ply wood, but they turn out really nice. We took a paint brush and painted it the same color as the truck and trailer and in our eyes it was beautiful. I had an appaloosa heel horse that was about 16 hands tall that we called ‘Lunk Head’ who we would load up and off we would go. We primarily went to a place called Ceres, California which was about 30 miles South of our house. We went there every Friday night to the draw pot. We really got excited when we found out what a draw pot was, because when we went to a roping where you could pick your own partners no one would pick me or my Dad and we didn’t understand why

At a draw pot they drew you a partner out of the poll of ropers and it’s a rule that they have to rope with you and we loved that idea, so we went every Friday night no matter what the weather conditions. If we ever won anything, which was pretty rare, we would go to a 5 steer average for 15 dollars that was in Lockford, California has every Sunday during the summer. It was a pick your partner and you could enter 3 times, but because it was so expensive my Dad and I would only enter with each other and hope for the best. Now you might think that 15 dollars isn’t much, but in 1967 that was like 50 dollars a man today. They used to rope big cattle that were fresh and if you caught 4 out of 5 you won the jackpot. No one at that time could catch 5 out of 5 and if you caught 2 steers in a row by 2 feet they would call the local newspapers, because it was a big deal.
About once a month there would be a group of guys show up and they would be lead by Leo, Gerald, and Reg Camarillo. Leo would heel 15 steers in a row by 2 feet, Gerald would heel 15 steers in a row by 2 feet and they would win 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th. At night we would pray that they would never come back, because it was brutal. These guys were so much better than us all we could do is just stand there helplessly and watch as they completely dominated the roping. Reg was the header and he was a nice guy. Gerald was Leo’s brother and he was a nice guy, but for some reason most people hated Leo. He was cocky and he wasn’t very friendly and it became feasible to hate him. I don’t know if people disliked him because he was a bad guy or because he was so much better than everyone else. But, I thought he was the greatest thing since sliced bread and I followed him around like a dog. He wasn’t very friendly to me either, but it didn’t matter, I wanted to know how he roped all those steers in a row by both hind feet, so I stuck with him like his shadow. He had a Lincoln Continental with dark tinted windows and when he would get tired of me asking him questions he would get in his car and close the door and roll up all the windows. It didn’t matter to me, because I would lean against the car window, knock on the glass, and tell him ‘I know you are in there’ and continue to ask him questions. Some days he would talk to me, some days he wouldn’t. Maybe he just felt sorry for me, but he helped me with my roping. Some days he would tease me, but it didn’t matter, I was always respectful to ‘The Master’ and he helped me.
Now fast forward 14 years and I has just won the World Championship. Dodge City, Kansas was and still is a great rodeo, but they did not have Team Roping. Team Roping is part of Dodge’s culture and there was a committee member named Tom Shirley that loved the sport and he wanted it to be part of the rodeo. So he arranged for a match Team Roping during the rodeo to show the other committee members and the fans what a great event it is. Because I was the current World Champ I was invited, and guess who else they invited? You got it, Leo Camarillo. He was a very intimidating individual and when he got word that he was going to match me he rode up to me at the next place I saw him and said, ‘Do yourself a favor and don’t go to Dodge, because I’m going to embarrass you’ and he rode off. He never spoke to me in the two months leading up to the match. He would just ride by me and stare. He didn’t know it, but I was nervous and he wasn’t helping matters and by being such a butt. Finally the night came and I roped 6 steers in a row by both feet and he roped a leg on the last one and some how I beat the legendary Leo Camarillo. The local television people where there and as soon as it was over they got both of us together and asked me how it felt to beat ‘The Master.’ I had a chance to say some really nasty things, but sometimes in life the right things come out of our mouths and that night I said it. ‘Leo Camarillo is the greatest roper our sport has ever known and it was an honor to just be in the same arena with him. The Master must have had the flu tonight, because he is the best in our sport and I want to thank him for giving me the opportunity to be here tonight and thank him for what he has done for this sport.’ The interviewer turned to him and I don’t remember what he said, but from that day on he was never hateful to me again. I practiced at his house, I traveled with him and the things I learned from him about competing, entering, horsemanship, and dedication to practice I still use today.
The things you just read about are all true and it reminds me of a story about a little cat that lived in the jungle in Africa. He wasn’t very big and was always afraid as he traveled through the jungle. One day he was walking down the trail and he heard something coming so he hid along the side of the trail and here came the old lion. He has seen the lion before and he always admired how confident he looked as he walked along his way. He got up enough courage to talk to the old lion and he said, ‘Excuse me mister lion, but I have trouble with my confidence and I am very frightened as I travel through out the day. I can not help but notice how confident you look every time I see you, what is your secret?’ The old lion looked down at the little cat and said, ‘It is easy. When your walking along the trail and you come face to face with another animal, raise your head up and put your tail up on your back and pretend you are a lion and you will be amazed at the results.’ The cat thanked him and for the next year the little cat did exactly that. Every time the little cat would meet another animal on the trail he would raise his head and his tail up and the other animals would step aside and the cat would continue on his way. One day he looked up and here came the old lion and the little cat raised his head up and threw his tail over his back and as they came face to face the old lion said ‘Don’t you shake your head and raise your tail to me, because I know you are just a cat.’ Have confidence in yourself and your abilities, but always be respectful and humble.

Until next month,
Thank you for your time

Walt Woodard