“You don’t see that every day.” A lot of team ropers left the original Cowboy Capital of the World in Oakdale, California saying that last week when the April 11-12 Oakdale Saddle Club Rodeo was won by a tied-on heeler. Yes, the 54-year-old timeless classic announcer Anthony Lucia dubbed “Todd Todd the Heeling God” got the W in that world-famous arena that’s been home to generations of team roping history and tradition.

Colorado’s Brit Ellerman and Cali’s Todd Hampton placed in both rounds—their 7.2 was fourth in Round 1, and their 7.9 in Round 2 split seventh and eighth—to handily win the average with 15.1 on two and daylight the field by half a second for $4,616 a man. 

“Todd is a legend, especially in California,” said Ellerman, 33, who grew up in Fort Lupton, Colorado and now makes his home in Sheridan, Wyoming with his wife, Makenna. “It was pretty neat just to get to rope with such a great guy who still ropes unbelievably well and always has the best horse. 

“Oakdale is such a historic team roping rodeo. In my dad’s day, that was one of the premier team roping rodeos. The Camarillos were from there, and there’s just so much history there. It was my first time roping at Oakdale, and so many guys came up and told me how many times they’d entered that rodeo and never won it. So it was pretty special to get the win, especially with Todd.”

Oakdale was for many years a cowboy mecca, and thanks to area ranchers like my longtime Oakdale Rodeo arena director Uncle Russ Santos was one of the first rodeos to add equal money in the team roping. 

Brit’s dad, Jay Ellerman, is a five-time NFR header, and his mom, Tammy, is an accomplished roper in her own right. 

Todd lives in Madera, California with his wife, Stacey. PRCA heelers are allowed to start tying on when they hit 50, but Hampton mastered the short rope a long time ago while training horses at home.

“I’ve been tying on since I was a kid, so it’s nothing new to me,” he said. “When I was training horses, I tied on on my colts to teach them how to take the jerk. At the rodeos, anyone who’s 50 can tie on. At the World Series ropings, you can tie on at 60 with any number. But I’m a #8 heeler, so I can’t tie on at those yet.”

Since serving notice that he’s still a stud, Hampton’s had some inquiries about the finer points of tying on from old friends the likes of Hall of Fame header Tee Woolman. He meets that 60-and-over requirement, and is ready to capitalize on the back side at the big ropings. 

At the rodeos, Hampton typically uses a 21’ 3” long rope, and does not carry a coil. 

“Everybody’s different, and I don’t like feeling handcuffed,” he said. “I like having enough rope between my hands. I also use a little longer rope—21’ 6”—at a rodeo like Salinas, just in case I need a little more range at high speed over that long score.

“You can actually come tight quicker dallying. The advantage to tying on is that you don’t have to dally and burn your hand. It just takes one element out of heeling, and that’s the dallying. I burned my hand for 40-some years. And I cut my thumb off in the practice pen, in I think 2021, breaking in some new ropes before a World Series roping.”

Ellerman and Hampton are committed to a four-rodeo California run—Oakdale, Red Bluff, Clovis and Springville. And it’s no surprise that Trey Yates, who’s been hanging out at Hampton’s this spring, was the matchmaker here. 

Trey’s Hall of Fame dad, JD Yates, and Todd are old amigos from rodeos, ropings and deep roots in the horse show world. JD and Jay Ellerman have a very old Colorado connection, and Jay knew Todd from his horse show days, too. JD and Hampton won the PRCA Gold Card Team Roping at Salinas together in 2023, with Todd tied on. 

Old Smokey, as Brit and Trey call Todd for his love of Marlboro Reds, didn’t want to commit to a full-time partnership at this stage of his game. He was looking for a run for April, and Trey knew just the guy—Ellerman. 

Brit and Todd both have day jobs, though now that Brit has his beyond-the-arena career lined out may have a rodeo run in him sometime soon. 

Ellerman is partners with Dale Martin on Texas Saddlery, which is a manufacturing company that handles all things leather and silver, and sells a lot of belts online to NRS and Cavender’s. Britt also has his real estate license in Colorado, Wyoming and Arizona. Busy as he’s been building his business portfolio, he continues to rope and train horses every day. 

“I grew up knowing that to rodeo you had to have good horses, a good partner and a little money from somewhere,” he said. “I’ve always had a lot of opportunity coming from the family I do, and I decided to pursue a lot of that first while I continued to work at my roping. I’m more committed to my roping now than I’ve ever been.”

One of the traditional twists at Oakdale is both partners coming from the heeling side of the steer.

“I thought that was a pretty neat surprise,” Ellerman said. “And the horse I rode is really easy, so it wasn’t a problem.”

Brit rode Sunny Lone Cactus, who’s by Sherry Cervi’s stud Alone Drifter. He bought the chestnut he calls Cactus over the phone as a 3-year-old, and he’s 8 now. Todd rode his bay ace, Banker. Breakthebankfrenchie is 12. 

Did Hampton tying on affect anything at Ellerman’s end?

“It was my first trip to Oakdale, and I’ve never roped with anybody tied on before,” Britt said. “I didn’t treat it any different. My dad just started tying on, so I know you need to go all the way to the end of it before you face. But other than that, I didn’t give it much thought.”

Hampton is Vice President at Hall Management Corp., which is their farm labor management company. Todd won the 2024 California Circuit Finals while tied on behind Dan Williams, who’s the husband of 2025 National Finals Breakaway Roping qualifier Suzanne. Hampton’s placed at Oakdale a lot over the years, including in Round 1 last year with Marcus Battaglia. But this was his first trip to the winner’s circle. 

“I still love to compete, and I still love to win, but I’m not doing cartwheels over winning Oakdale,” Todd grinned. “I can’t do a cartwheel, but I guess I can still win a rodeo. I’ve been to Oakdale 30 years, and it feels good to finally get the win.”

Three-time World Champion Header Clay Tryan is one of our ultimate team roping history buffs. 

“When I got to Red Bluff, Clay told me good job, then asked me, ‘Where’s the buckle?’” Britt said. “I didn’t have it yet, because we left before the rodeo was over. He told me I better find it and put it on, because there’s a lot of history behind an Oakdale buckle. I talked to my dad when it was over, and he was pumped about it, too. It was pretty neat to win a historic rodeo with a legendary heeler.”