Dear Roper,

When you work in the roping and rodeo industry, the month of December can bring with it a mixed bag of emotions. For those of us who head to the City of Lights for nearly two weeks of 20-hour work days, sore feet and the inevitable cold or flu that comes with our time there, it’s hard not to cringe when we see the days ticking nearer and nearer on the calendar.

But with that subtle dread comes the creeping excitement—the chance to innovate, to watch the best in the world at their craft, to follow and share the stories that unfold, always in a new way through a new channel.

This year, you’ll be able to count on our video crew for mini-documentary footage throughout the 10 days of the NFR—hosted on teamropingjournal.com and across our social channels, like Facebook and Instagram. And you’ll be able to catch all of the Ariat World Series of Team Roping Finale action live on RidePass with a wrap up of every Finale on our At the Barrier show, presented by Farnam.

Again this year, we’ll post a fresh story about one of the great horses in Vegas every day, and you can look to our Facebook page for a steer report before the start of each round of team roping. We’ll touch base with one of the greats not roping in Vegas each afternoon for a cheat sheet—a guide of what to look for in the team roping at the Thomas & Mack that night. Plus, we’ll write up a nightly go-round report before we leave the arena.

Now if that isn’t enough, or maybe reading isn’t your thing, you can tune in to our podcast “The Score” every morning on your drive to work during the NFR to hear from the go-round winners themselves. Last year, thousands of you tuned in each morning to listen to your favorites celebrate their wins with us, and we’re excited to continue the tradition this year.

In the meantime, I hope you spend some time with the 200+ pages of content we’re delivering to your mailbox this month. The World Series of Team Roping’s Finale program is an annual undertaking to get you ready to get the most out of the second-richest event in the equine world. And our December issue is packed with everything you need to rope and shop in Vegas, enjoy the Finals from your couch and prepare your horse herd for a big show of your own.

—Chelsea Shaffer