Going into the 2016 Senior National Finals Rodeo in Panquitch, Utah, in early October, Doug and Kathy Johnson of Falcon, Colorado, thought they were a long shot to walk away as the Senior World Champion Ribbon Ropers. However, when the winners were announced, Kathy Johnson said they were shocked to hear their names called.ìWe went to the awards banquet with our friends on the rodeo grounds, and we had a good rodeo, but we did not have any idea we won the championships,î she said. ìWe did not keep track of the points. We scored 245 points and the next closest was 230.îAccording to the National Senior Pro Rodeo Associationís website, ribbon roping is a team event that involves a cowboy and cowgirl, a horse and a calf. ìThe roper tosses a loop on the calf, while his partner, the ribbon runner, waits in the arena. As soon as the roper dismounts from his horse and makes contact with the calf, the cowgirl runs to the calf and snatches the ribbon tied to the calfís tail. The ribbon runner then races back to the finish line.îDoug Johnson said the couple has been married for 39 years and both have been roping almost their whole lives. ìBoth of us are from ranching families,î he said. ìMy dad was a roper and horse trainer. It is a natural progression to go right from ranch work to roping. It has been ingrained in us. All of our four kids rope. It is a family way of life.îRodeos involving ribbon roping are held throughout the United States, Canada and Australia, Johnson said. In North America, rodeos are spread out across three different circuits. Canada and Montana make up the northern circuit; the middle of the U.S. makes up the middle circuit; and Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and Oklahoma make up the southern circuit, he said.ìIn those circuits, there are 60 total rodeos,î Kathy Johnson said. ìWe do not go to all of them. We just have to be in the top seven teams of our circuit to qualify for the finals.î The couple travels a fair amount, mainly in the summer, she said. ìThat is part of the draw to the sport of ribbon roping because you get to see different parts of the country while doing what you love,î Kathy Johnson said.ìIt is like a vacation. We can get reconnected. Rodeoing at the senior pros is not all about the money. It is about the buckle and the people we rodeo with. Some people we used to rodeo with in college. We all go out to clubs or to dinner. It is a connection of people that all love what we do.îRibbon roping is also a way to stay in good physical shape, she said. The roper has to be strong and accurate, and the ribbon runner has to be fast and strong as well. Johnson said the calves sometimes kick out at the women, and the men have to hold the calf so the women can grab the ribbon.ìWhen you are ribbon roping, there is a horse, a roper, a calf and a runner,î she said. ìYou have to coordinate all those elements and everything has to work correctly. There are so many variables that can go right and wrong.îDoug Johnson said he won two world championships in 2000, one for calf roping and the other for ribbon roping, but was not partnered with Kathy at the time so this is her first world championship. The couple will be the reigning champions going into next yearís finals, which means all the other ribbon ropers will be gunning for them, Doug Johnson said.ìThe horse we won with this time is a stud horse named King,î Kathy Johnson said. ìHis owner is Charles Henderson from Peyton who is also an author.î The couple used two of their own horses in the rodeos that helped them qualify for the finals, but they rode King for the win, she said.Ribbon roping is a retirement lifestyle, Johnson said. The people involved do not give up just because they are getting older, into their 60s and 70s, she said. ìThe kind of people that go to the Senior Pro Rodeos do it because they love it.î
