Here comes the 46th annual BFI, and this year’s unprecedented 100% payback has the Western world buzzing. The anchor event of BFI Week 2023, which will run March 29 through April 4 at the world-famous Lazy E Arena in Guthrie, Oklahoma, will be held April 1. Five cowboys—Clay Tryan, Kory Koontz, Speed Williams, Rich Skelton and Charles Pogue—have won the BFI battle three times. Four of the five, including the big three on the all-time BFI earnings list—Tryan at $259,361, Koontz at $241,514 and Skelton with $221,406—are entered up again this year. What does it take to come out king of the BFI mountain? Who better to answer all the questions than the masters themselves.
Clay Tryan
BFI Photo – Kirt Steinke
Three-time World Champion Team Roper Clay Tryan won the 2005 BFI with Patrick Smith; the 2008 BFI with Walt Woodard; and the 2012 BFI with Travis Graves. Tryan is a 20-time Wrangler National Finals Rodeo header with well over $3 million in career earnings.
What sets the BFI apart from all other ropings?
The BFI is to team roping what The Masters is to golf. This is the roping that started the big wave of team ropings back in the day. The BFI was the original big roping.
What does it take to win the BFI?
You’ve always had to have a good head horse and a good day of roping to win the BFI. But I think it’s different now, because more people are jackpot-ready. It wasn’t like that when I first started going. BFI day is a long one, and it’s hard to stay focused.
Why are you one of the Big Five who’s managed a BFI threepeat?
I don’t know. That’s a tough question. Guys who are good at jackpotting have had a lot of success at the BFI, and great head horses are a common denominator. Speed had Bob. Charles had Scooter. I had Thumper and Dew. Those horses would be some of the best going right now, too—maybe the best.
Who are you roping with at this year’s BFI, and what do you like best about your team at this roping?
I’m roping with Jade (Corkill). Jade’s just the portrait of how you should heel. When you watch him, that’s how it should look. That’s a good feeling to have on your team, no matter where you’re entered.
Kory Koontz
BFI Photo – Larry Fulgham
Kory Koontz is a 22-time NFR heeler. He won his three BFIs with Rube Woolsey in 1995, Matt Tyler in 1996 and Manny Egusquiza in 2021.
What sets the BFI apart from all other ropings?
I believe the BFI is the best test of everything that team roping is. You have to score good as a header. The steers are big and strong, and run hard. The header has to do a good job of shaping them up, and the heeler has to do a good job of getting them caught all day long. It’s six steers and enter once, so you have to make every steer count. The money you can win at the BFI sets it apart also.
What does it take to win the BFI?
For me, it takes being prepared mentally to not worry about what the rest of the field is doing. I want to just rope my steers one for one. You start early in the morning, and don’t get done until late in the evening. So I look at the BFI as playing a game. It’s about staying focused and doing my job, plain and simple. I want to be ready, take the right shot at the right time and execute.
Why are you one of the Big Five who’s managed a BFI threepeat?
I don’t really know the answer to that, other than I’ve never had any fear of the big ropings. I kind of feel like I’ve thrived at doing well at the big ones. I’m not sure why that is, but it’s an awesome opportunity and I love the big ropings. As a kid, I played high call at the BFI. The BFI’s always been my favorite.
Who are you roping with at this year’s BFI, and what do you like best about your team at this roping?
I’m roping with a young kid from Texas, Peyton Walters. I’ve roped with him at a few jackpots, and we’ve always done well. I’m going to rope with Peyton, and ride my cousin Tripp Townsend’s blue-roan horse.
Speed Williams
BFI Photo – Larry Fulgham
Speed Williams and Rich Skelton won a record eight-straight world team roping titles together from 1997-2004. They also won three BFIs during their reign of team roping terror, in 1998, 2001 and ’02. Williams is a 15-time NFR header.
What sets the BFI apart from all other ropings?
There were just a few ropings a year that really could set up your year, and the BFI was right before the summer run. It was a huge boost to get a win at the BFI. But the history of the BFI—the long score and big steers that run—is about showcasing what your head horse could do.
What does it take to win the BFI?
You’ve got to be very disciplined. You’ve got to score. You really can’t draw one of the steers that takes you out of the roping. You don’t have to draw great, but with that many good teams entered, there are always steers in there you have to stay away from. With the degree of difficulty at the BFI, last year had to be one of the most awesome short rounds I’ve witnessed. It was pretty impressive.
Why are you one of the Big Five who’s managed a BFI threepeat?
I had a great horse. Bob and I should have had a lot more victories there. The BFI is a place where you just have to back in there, be disciplined and use your horse. Bob was a great one for those conditions.
Who are you roping with at this year’s BFI, and what do you like best about your team at this roping?
I’m roping with my son, Gabe, and am riding a bay Reliance Ranches horse they call Charlie that Gary McKinney sent me that’s really fast. If I get him under control, I’m going to be excited about it. We’ve been to three ropings, and made the short round every time. This horse is a work in progress, but I haven’t been on one with this much speed in a long time. He used to be a racehorse.
Rich Skelton
BFI Photo – Kirt Steinke
In addition to those eight gold buckles and three BFI buckles he won behind Williams, Skelton has roped at 22 NFRs and one National Finals Steer Roping.
What sets the BFI apart from all other ropings?
The BFI was always a very special roping to me. When I was a kid growing up in Texas, I couldn’t wait to get the Ropers Sports News to see the BFI pictures. The longer score, stronger steers and just entering one time set the BFI apart. You’ve got to have good horses, and there’s just so much heritage behind this roping. The BFI and the Chowchilla Stampede were out in California, and were the first big ropings I ever heard of.
What does it take to win the BFI?
It takes a really nice head horse that scores, can run and get ahold of the steers. You have to be consistent, and make six similar runs. You have to draw good to win the BFI. But the better your header hits the barrier, the better you seem to draw. You also need a heel horse that doesn’t take your throw away, and that lets you throw when each steer is ready to heel. Horsepower’s tremendous at the BFI.
Why are you one of the Big Five who’s managed a BFI threepeat?
All the stars lined up. I’ve roped behind really nice head horses at the BFI over the years, and had really nice heel horses that fit that situation. You can’t beat yourself at the BFI, so you have to know when to take a chance and when to just catch. I won second with Tee (Woolman), too, and he always had nice horses for that situation. Never underestimate the value of horsepower at the BFI.
Who are you roping with at this year’s BFI, and what do you like best about your team at this roping?
I’m roping with Clayton Van Aken this year, and he’s a really good horseman. He goes to a lot of the rope-horse futurities, and has nice horses, scores great and ropes horns really good.
Charles Pogue
BFI Photo – Larry Fulgham
Charles Pogue is a 15-time NFR header who won the 1991 BFI with Steve Northcott, and the 1999 and 2000 ropings with Britt Bockius. Pogue won the 10-head NFR average in 1988 heading for Rickey Green, and the 2000 NFR with Bockius.
What sets the BFI apart from all other ropings?
The BFI was one roping you always heard about as a kid growing up, and hoped you’d one day get to the level to get to go compete at it. The BFI was the most popular, prestigious roping. It was the big one in my mind growing up, and when I was learning to rope, I hoped I’d be good enough one day to win the BFI.
What does it take to win the BFI?
They let ’em out there pretty far, so both guys have to be mounted on good horses to win the BFI. To put six runs together at the BFI, you need horses that can really run and work good at high speed.
Why are you one of the Big Five who’s managed a BFI threepeat?
I won all three BFIs on Scooter, so that obviously helped a lot. The BFI was the style of roping I based my run on at the time. You turned it up a little at the rodeos, but for the most part trying to make a high-tempo run consistently was the goal and the game plan. Riding a great horse and getting to rope with good guys took a lot of pressure off of me.
When did you last rope at the BFI, and why’d you quit entering?
My last BFI was about three years ago. It’s hard to go win at that roping if you’re not going and competing at a high level all the time. If you’re realistic with yourself, if you’re not dialed in and you don’t have the right horse and partner, your odds for success at the BFI are pretty slim.
