Highway Patrol trooper Kyle Medcalf and firefighter Travis Wells had never met before the 2026 Imus Ranch Quarter Horses American Hero Celebration with Charly Crawford, but came together to win $30,000 with a 31.61-second time on four head at Cowtown Coliseum in Fort Worth, Texas, Nov. 8.

The roping drew 396 teams of military members, veterans and first responders to Decatur, Texas, Nov. 7, where teams roped three head before the top 15 teams advanced to Sunday’s short go at Cowtown Coliseum.

For Medcalf, of Edmond, Oklahoma, the win was the biggest of his roping career. For Wells, of Collinsville, Texas, it was a chance to finally shake the short-go struggles that had followed him through years of jackpot roping.

“It was great,” Medcalf said. “That’s the biggest roping I’ve won.”

Getting to the roping in the first place had taken some planning for both men. Medcalf was in Austin, Texas, for training with the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, and his father, a retired state trooper, hauled his horse to Decatur so he could rope. Wells, meanwhile, had nearly passed on the deal altogether before a fellow firefighter convinced him to enter.

Once they got together Saturday, however, everything seemed to fall into place.

Medcalf and Wells stopped the clock in 9.12 seconds on their first steer, followed by runs of 8.85 and 7.69 to put themselves in position heading into Sunday’s short round.

“Our first three cows were pretty lights out textbook runs,” Wells said.

Medcalf had an especially strong showing Saturday, qualifying for the short round as both the high callback with Wells and second high callback with Chisolm Daily.

Despite their success, heading into Cowtown Coliseum brought an entirely different atmosphere than what they’d roped in the day before.

Wells, a firefighter of more than 10 years with the Flower Mound Fire Department, was no stranger to big jackpots. He’d competed at the World Series of Team Roping Finale in Las Vegas and plenty of other big ropings, but the historic Cowtown Coliseum presented a different kind of pressure.

“Vegas was cool, but that felt like a bigger stage than Vegas for some reason,” Wells said. “I don’t know why. I think it’s just because it’s Cowtown. We grew up going there as kids and those pro guys get to rope there all the time, but somebody like me that doesn’t go and compete at those kinds of stages all the time. It was pretty overwhelming.”

Medcalf could tell his partner was nervous, but he had a simple game plan for that last year.

“Man, it’s another steer—it’s going to run down the pen,” Medcalf recalled telling Wells. “I’m going to pick it up, put its feet together, and you just go get him caught.”

After Medcalf’s run with Daily finished fourth, he returned to the arena with Wells needing a clean run to secure the $30,000 win. With roughly 11 seconds to work with, Wells opted to take an extra swing rather than force it.

“I knew I had time and I figured I’d kick over and make sure it was perfect,” Wells said. “No sense in taking a risky shot when you don’t have to.”

The decision paid off. They stopped the clock in 9.95 seconds, securing the win with their 31.61-second time on four.

Medcalf also earned $10,000 for his fourth-place finish with Daily, who finished in 36.09 seconds on four head.

For Wells, the victory was particularly meaningful after years of struggling to capitalize on short-round opportunities.

“I make the short go all the time—getting here is not the hard part,” Wells said. “I have a hard time with the short go. I don’t know what it is that I struggle with a short go, but man, it gets me.”

This time, the format allowed Wells to return home after Saturday, reset and come back fresh for the finals. When the clock stopped Sunday, his wife, Holly, and their two children, 5-year-old Dahlia, whom they call Dolly, and 2-year-old Graham, were there to celebrate with him.

Wells credited much of his success to his family, longtime friend and practice partner Rhett Nelson, and his heel horse, Tex.

The 11-year-old black grade gelding came to Wells about two years ago through a mutual friend. Wells said the two clicked from the first steer, and Tex has helped take his roping to the next level.

“You just knew it,” Wells said. “The moment I swung a leg over him and ran my first steer, it was like, ‘Okay, yeah, this is going to work.'”

For Medcalf, the American Hero Celebration carried a different kind of significance.

He grew up around law enforcement, following in the footsteps of his father, who retired as a captain with the Oklahoma Highway Patrol. Medcalf began his own career in law enforcement in 2005 before graduating from patrol school in 2007. He’ll mark 20 years with the Oklahoma Highway Patrol in March 2027.

Currently assigned to commercial motor vehicle enforcement, Medcalf is transitioning into an auditing position as he approaches the later years of his career. But his connection to the Liberty & Loyalty Foundation’s mission goes much deeper than his own years of service.

In April 2026, Medcalf lost his best friend of 18 years in an on-duty vehicle crash. The two families had grown up together, with their children becoming like siblings. Medcalf served as a liaison for his friend’s family following the tragedy, including delivering the notification to his wife.

The loss gave him an especially personal appreciation for a foundation dedicated to supporting military members, first responders and their families.

“Winning this roping here really put a lot for me because this foundation helps military first responders, families of fallen officers and fallen military,” Medcalf said. “I am blessed to be a part of it—-it means a lot to me.”

Beyond Sunday’s win, both men pointed to the camaraderie throughout the weekend as something they hadn’t experienced anywhere else.

For Wells, being surrounded by fellow firefighters, law enforcement officers and veterans made the entire experience feel familiar, even while competing on one of the biggest stages of his career.

“It was really neat to be surrounded by people that I jump on a rig with at work,” Wells said.

Medcalf shared the sentiment, describing an immediate connection among the men and women who understand the demands of service.

“As you know, the roping community is a small community anyways, even though it’s spread out, it’s really small,” Medcalf said. “I feel like the brotherhood is even smaller of a community.”

By the end of the weekend, Medcalf and Wells had walked away with more than a big check addressed to them and saddles to boot. The two men who had met just a day earlier celebrated the win alongside their families and were already making plans to return.

“We had dinner last night, me, him and his dad and my family, and they’re awesome,” Wells said. “We’ll remain in touch and be friends and we’ll be back next year for sure.”

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