�Separations� create excitement in team roping�

By MONETTE TAYLOR | South Central Texas Edition

Speed Williams (header) and Rich Skelton (heeler) had a good finals, for the last time as a team. Skelton’s horse, Pets Ten, was named Heeling Horse of the Year by the PRCA and AQHA. � NFR courtesy photo

Dec. 22, 2005 - Team roping at the 2005 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo drew some added excitement with two news items that made some people exclaim, "Oh, no!" 

Prior to the finals, eight-time world champions Speed Williams and Rich Skeleton, both of Llano, announced they were splitting. As of the 2006 season, each will be teamed with a new partner.

The duo had a rough time at the Wrangler NFR and finally made it to the pay window after the eight round. They also won the 10th round.

Williams, who roped with a hurt knee and shoulder, stated, “This year has been a very frustrating year for me, horse-wise. We kind of got things going pretty good at Dallas (Pace Classic), and my horse slipped and fell with me and hurt my knee. Then a week before we left to come to the finals, I had another horse fall and hurt my left shoulder.” 

His new partner will be Clay O’Brien Cooper from Glen Rose, who previously held the most team roping world titles with partner Jake Barnes of Scottdale, Ariz., prior to Williams and Skeleton breaking that record.

Skeleton, on the other hand, will rope with an All-Around Champion Trevor Brazile of Decatur. 

Barnes and Brazile also made the headlines at this year’s finals when true camaraderie was shown after the fifth round. 

Barnes, along with his partner Kory Koontz of Sudan, were making a run for the team roping title and was leading in the aggregate when misfortune happened. Barnes apparently got his thumb caught in his dally and severed it between the two knuckles. He was taken to University Medical Center where an attempt was made to reattach the thumb, but to no avail.�

When released from the hospital, Barnes went home to re-evaluate his career. At this time, there is no indication of what his future plans are.

Meanwhile, Koontz was given the option of roping with the 16th ranked header, Chad Masters, or someone who is already competing in another event at the Wrangler NFR. He selected Brazile.�

Any monies won by the �new� duo would not go towards the aggregate, but it would go towards winning the world title.�

They came out during the sixth round, their first together, and tied the arena record with a 3.7 seconds, which won the round.�

Koontz, after the round, said, �Really, the roping for a world title is the last thing on my mind right now. We�ve been put in a position, me and Trevor, that we don�t have any pressure on us. Go for broke. Either do what we did tonight, and if you mess up, you mess up.

�Jake and I had something special. We wanted to win a world title. We wanted to win the average. We wanted to come in here and make a statement. The championship would be sweet, but I am not even thinking about that,� he added.

In the seventh round, they split first place, to which Brazile replied, �Usually, it is my partner in my position trying to help me win a world title. It�s nice being able to pinch hit and help Kory do the same. That is all that I am here for, to give him a shot that he worked hard to get to.�

Brazile was not the only cowboy to help Koontz out. Fellow team roper Travis Tryan of Billings, Mont., who was competing in the same category, lent his horse to Brazile.�

��When Kory asked me last night, I just wanted to get on the best horse I could, and Travis Tryan offered his good horse, Walt,�� Brazile said. ��And we owe a lot of it to that right there. Kory still has a chance at a world title and I am just trying to do the best I can to help him.��

Koontz, a header, finished third in the world, winning $142,237.16 for the year.