Roping champ heaps praise on partner

Thursday, Nov. 30, 2000 | 10:12 a.m.

PRCA

A lot of people try to glorify their job descriptions to make their professional lots in life sound more important than they really are. Not Rich Skelton.

The heeling half of today's most dynamic team-roping duo eats humble pie for breakfast every morning.

"The magic of our team is that Speedy's fast, so that lets me just have to catch steers without making a whole lot of mistakes," Skelton said.

"He can reach or run in there close, and my percentages are way up because of him. He gets it on steers fast and slows them down after he catches them, and that gives me a chance to catch quick."

The team practiced doing just that in the weeks leading up to the Finals after modifying their backyard practice pens to the dimensions of the Thomas and Mack Center arena. Skelton, 33, is also quick to credit his horse, Roany, and Williams' first-stringer, Viper.

"Roany was unreal here this week," Skelton said of his reigning PRCA/AQHA Heel Horse of the Year, who also three-peated in 1999.

"I couldn't have asked for more. He scored good, ran good and stopped good. He let me see steers every time, and gave me a good chance. Both our horses work good inside and out. There's not a weak link there."

There weren't many weak links to their entire 1999 season, with the exception of a few bobbles like Skelton missing one at Denver and roping a leg at San Antonio, and a short stretch last summer when Williams admitted he became "catching-challenged." But you can't keep a pair of great men down.

Williams and Skelton finished the regular season with a fabulous fall that included victory laps in Lewiston, Idaho; Walla Walla, Wash.; and Albuquerque, N.M. They also collected fat checks from Ellensburg and Puyallup, Wash., and Pueblo, Colo. With that kind of momentum, there are plenty of heelers who would have thrown their heads back and thrown an arena tantrum had their header hickeyed a horn on their first steer at the National Finals in the heat of a world championship race. But you'll never see Skelton pout. He knows what he's got, and he appreciates it.

"We had to go for every round. After the first round (at the '99 NFR) we didn't have anything to lose," he said. "We got against the wall and we got out of it. But for $13,000 a night you don't have anything to lose, and if you're roping with Speedy you don't ever have anything to lose by trying to be fast."

Skelton is also smart enough to realize this reign won't last forever.

"I want to do it again, because there are certain times in everybody's life when the time is right," said Skelton.

"It doesn't last forever, so you need to make the most of it while it's happening.

"I feel like I got Rhonda (his wife) and Roany all at the same time (about four years ago) for a reason. She takes care of everything for me, and he's the best there is, too."

Hearts, including Skelton's, broke for regular-season champs Daniel Green and Allen Bach, and perennial contenders Charles Pogue and Britt Bockius, who finished second and third in the 1999 world-title race, respectively.

"Daniel and Al roped excellent all year, and they deserve a lot of credit," Skelton said. "Charles and Britt roped great all year, too, just like they always do. This rodeo is a mind game because it takes 10 days to get it over with. Whoever can keep it together best wins. We just had an excellent week."

As they say, team roping is truly a team effort. And sometimes, "To get Rich, You Gotta Have Speed."