The Master

Hello,

When I was growing up and trying to improve my roping, I was very fortunate that Leo Camarillo lived about 30 miles away. We didn’t know him, but when he wasn’t gone to rodeo’s he would show up at the jackpots my Dad and I went to. He was so much better that everyone at that time. We didn’t have a chance against him and the crew he traveled with. But we got to see what “right” looked like. We would watch them rope and win and I would go home and try to copy what I had seen. The arena that we usually roped at decided to ban them from roping. Then my Dad came up with a new Idea. He would find out where they were going to be and he would follow them, so we could compete there. I told my Dad that this was the craziest thing he ever did. He said that if we don’t rope against the best, we will never learn how to beat the best. I watched them arrive and when they would unload there horses, shavings would fall out of the trailer and at that time no put shaving in there trailers. I would ask them why and he would explain it. There horses were broke. They would loop them both ways when they warmed up. And they knew there correct leads. They signed up early so they would be the last to rope. There horses were clipped up and they wore clean pressed clothes, boots polished. These guys looked like marines and they would devastate us. They didn’t leave one stone unturned. There preparation was perfect.

Years later Leo would tell me that the first timed event Championship in Guthrie, OK. He decided he would go and compete. He told me that he had all but quite steer wrestling because he was getting older but he would get himself into shape and be prepared. The timed event championship is an event where you have to steer wrestle one steer, rope and tie one calf, trip one steer, head one and heel one. All of that equals one go round and you have to do all that 6 times. Leo told me that 6 months before that event he started to do road work. He said could only run about ½ mile before he had to stop and rest. by 6 months he would run 5 miles every morning before he would start his practice routine for 2 months before the event he roped 300 head a day. That was split up between all the events and on top of that practice tying calves and steers. He told me the last week he had to rest his hands because they were so sore he couldn’t close them. When he got to the Lazy E in Guthrie he told his wife there might he guys here that are just as prepared as I am, but no one is any more prepared than I am. The record he set that year still stands today.
That’s what hard work and dedication will do! If you are willing to go out in that arena and not come out of it until you’re exhausted, you will win, that’s a law. I am convinced that the reason people don’t get the results they want is because there not willing to go without the comforts of life and work like Leo did preparing for the competition.
All the time I hear people say, I want to win! But they really don’t, if they really wanted to win, they would, Run before day light, diet and exercise, take great care of your horses and yourself. Don’t watch TV unless its video of roping, trade your spare time for only something of value that will contribute to your success and practice like you are possessed. Can you live a lifetime like that? No it’s too tuff, but you can do it for 2 years. If that’s too much, then do it for 6 months and you will achieve any goal you set for yourself!
A young man came up to me not to long ago and he said, mister Woodard, you have been around so long I feel like you invented some of the things that people do today. I told him that wasn’t true, but what is true, is that I copied a Master!
Until next month
Thanks for your time
Walt Woodard