Have you heard about the inaugural South Texas Showdown, which is coming right up October 24-27 at the Uvalde County Fairplex? If you’re a hard-core roping enthusiast, this event has it all—steer roping, tie-down roping, breakaway roping, a match roping between two world champion tie-down ropers and yes, the 3S Services South Texas Showdown Invitational Team Roping featuring $50,000 added and a 100% payback.
“I want everybody who competes in this event to say, ‘I can’t wait for next year,’” said volunteer committee co-chair Bart Hutton, who’s working hard on this cowboy-community passion project alongside his business partner, Chad Foster. “The goal is to get sponsors to pay all the expenses, and really make this something special for the contestants and fans, while raising money for our area youth.
“The vision of this event comes from the overwhelming response that the citizens of our area have with any event that has to do with rodeo. We are a committee of people who all love rodeo, from current and former contestants, rodeo moms and dads, and people who love our sport and the Western way of life.”
On Thursday, October 24, South Texas Showdown steer roping, tie-down roping and breakaway roping qualifiers will kickstart the 2024 South Texas Showdown party. The top five qualifiers in each event will advance. Every event beyond the qualifiers will, in fact, feature a 100% payback and big added money. Calcuttas will also be held the night before each of the main events, starting with Thursday evening’s team roping calcutta.
Friday, October 25 will feature the 100% payback, $50,000 added 3S Services South Texas Showdown Invitational Team Roping. It’s an enter-once six header, $2,500 a man entry fees with five full rounds and a top-15 short round. Beyond the fat paychecks, the winners will get their entry fees paid at next year’s 2025 BFI. This setup will be something similar, by the way, with a long score and strong steers.
The Shootout at the Showdown will be held between Round 5 and the short round of the team roping. Conditions will be opposite of the big open roping, so this side show is sure to be a reaching, crossfiring contest that’s fun for fans. Four teams—Kaleb Driggers and Junior Nogueira, Dustin Egusquiza and Levi Lord, Tyler Wade and Wesley Thorp, and Clay Smith and Coleby Payne—will run four steers. The twist is that they’ll only count their two fastest times in the two-steer average, with the winner-take-all fastest team taking home $5,000.
The TXN Bank Roy Angermiller Invitational Steer Roping will take center stage on Saturday, October 26, and will include contestants who earn a spot from the qualifier along with the top 35 in the world. It’ll be a four header, with three full rounds and a top-12 short round. There will be $15,000 added, $1,150 entry fees and a 100% payback. Local legend Angermiller is a nine-time National Finals Steer Roping qualifier who served as rodeo coach at Southwest Texas Junior College in Uvalde for 38 years.
The Cuatro Light Cattle Co. Invitational Girls Breakaway will be held on Sunday, October 27, with $850 entry fees, $15,000 added and 100% payback. It’ll feature the top 35 in the world plus the five qualifiers.
The Jasper Ruth Ranch Phil Lyne Invitational Calf Roping is also slated for Sunday, with $25,000 added, $1,150 entry fees and 100% payback. It, too, is open to the top 35 in the world and five qualifiers. Lyne is a living legend famous for not only world all-around, calf roping and steer roping championships, but for winning the National Finals Rodeo average in both the calf roping and bull riding in 1972. Klapper Spurs will be awarded to the calf roping and steer roping winners.
The first-ever Southwest Texas Showdown will also include the Byler Ranch Company Showdown Match Calf Roping between 2019 World Champion Tie-Down Roper Haven Meged and 2020 World Champion Tie-Down Roper Shad Mayfield. The 12-head match will be run between rounds of the Phil Lyne Invitational Calf Roping, and will pay $15,000 to the winner.
The Southwest Texas Showdown is a 501C3 that will benefit area youth.
“We started this trek with the goal of having the very best event we could for the rodeo contestant,” Hutton said. “We have seen how rodeo and event committees forget how important the contestant is, and just want to work on seeing how much they can make for their event and not appreciating the contestants.
“Our idea and dream is to make this the very best event in the world for the contestant, and we feel if we do that then our event will be successful in raising money for the youth of Uvalde and surrounding communities. We are going to benefit the youth of Uvalde County and surrounding counties, and we have big goals for raising a lot of money. We want to help our local Little Leagues, 4-H and FFA clubs, Uvalde Rodeo Club, Carrizo Springs Rodeo Club, and provide scholarships for kids in this area. A lot of tragedy hit this town a couple years ago with that shooting, and we want to do all we can to help.”
Tickets to the Southwest Texas Showdown go on sale Monday, August 26. There will be a trade show with vendor booths. For further information for contestants, fans and vendors, visit southtexasshowdown.com.
