Strangers meet to bank $170K in 10 Over 40

Just one day after Arizona’s Justin Franks had watched his 20-year-old son Maverik experience the heartbreak of missing the high-team steer in the 12.5 for that $110,000-a-man payday, Justin capitalized on his own chance March 31 on what was dubbed Two-Million-Dollar Tuesday for the combined purses of the 11.5 and 10.5 Over 40 ropings.

The 10.5 for ropers over age 40 drew a staggering 445 teams to Guthrie for Wrangler BFI Week — including legends like Jimmie Cooper, David Motes and Jay Ellerman — and paid Justin and his Wyoming partner Hardy White the biggest roping paycheck of their lives – $85,000 a man.

“That’s just an awesome event, where they’ve put a whole week of ropings together,” said White. “It’s just outstanding to go rope in such a nice facility and have that kind of money up. We don’t get to do that every day.”

His friend Clayton Van Aken shoes horses for Franks, and matched the pair up for the 10.5. Despite Franks and White having never met each other, they roped their first three steers in 27.42 seconds to come back as the fourth callback that night.

Needing a 10-second run to take the lead, they went 8.72 – then watched as the next team went down the arena too far and the final two teams missed. Franks and White, who were just about to turn 47 and 51 years old, respectively, had a 36.14-second time on four to win $160,000 plus the extensive BFI Week prizeline.

“I didn’t heel that steer the best,” said Hardy, who used to travel to Reno for the 11 Businessman’s back in the day. “There was dang-sure a higher power helping me along right there. That horse is quick and sometimes I don’t use my left hand enough – I knew I was just about to get too close. I had been telling myself, ‘If you get around there and think you can catch him, cut it loose and see what happens.’”

White will use his $80,000 to pay off some debt from buying a new place in Torrington a few years ago after the ranch where he worked for a decade was sold. White mostly trains and sells rope horses and has been a 6 at both ends for years. He also day-works pretty hard all summer for a friend in Lusk. He and Mandy, a teacher, have three kids – daughter Jessy is 24 and twins Avery and Josey are 17.

The windfall more than made up for the all-night drive home White endured after the big win. He took off at almost midnight – $80,000 check in hand – pulling his 32-foot trailer loaded with roping steers and his 6-year-old roan horse, Big Time. White finally reached Torrington at 9 a.m. Mountain time Wednesday.

“I had bought 25 head of fresh natives at an auction in Texas that morning and had them on the trailer,” explained White. “I just figured I’d swing up there to Guthrie, rope in the 10 and keep going home. I had no idea that almost 200 more teams would walk up and enter!”

Franks lives in San Tan Valley and is a partner on a concrete-barrier manufacturing business that distributes around the Southwest. In Guthrie, he was riding Cash, a 17-year-old gelding he bought this year in Texas from Ray Douglas that White said was plenty fast.

“Our second steer was a little out of my league and I had to throw a little rope,” said Franks. “It looked like I was trying to get the neck, but I’m glad I did because that steer had little bitty horns.”

Franks didn’t even learn to rope until he was 29 years old. His friends roped, he said, and one day he just “got the itch.” Regarding his big paycheck, he said, “It’ll all just end up at the same spot where it came from.’” But he had five partners remaining in the 9.5 Over 40 and 8.5 ropings to follow, and was hoping for another chance to “sit in that leather chair” at the Champions’ Circle in the Lazy E. He and Maverik couldn’t rope together in the 11, which required all entrants to be at least 30 years old.

“Honestly, I don’t like to rope against the kids anymore,” said White. “In fact, I avoid it most of the time. I still feel like I rope decent, but not as snappy or aggressive, and I’ve got to use a softer heel rope now.”