Top 5 Lay of the Land
The headings standings just got real exciting with Caroline Taylor seizing a considerable 17 points at the early July White Sands Championships to put her not only in the Top 5, but in a 26-point tie for first with fellow Texan Lucy Lawson. The women hold a 6-point lead over the No. 3 position, now occupied by Top 5 newcomer Kay Walters of South Carolina, who did battle at late June’s South Carolina Championships. A single point behind Walters is a tie for fourth between fellow New Mexicans Aubrey Trujillo, who maintained her points from last month, and Top 5 newcomer Lexi Delzer. Delzer broke out of a four-way tie for seventh when she won 9 points at the White Sands Championships, putting her in a 19-point lockstep with Trujillo.
On the heel side, the standings now show six competitors, including newcomers Shayna Wimberly of Arizona, Maddie Smith of South Carolina, Makayla Osborne of West Virginia and Jennifer Daly of Nebraska. Texas’ Audrey Snyder shows no signs of relinquishing her No. 1 position, however, and added 10 points to her earnings with a win at late June’s roping in Hamilton, Texas, for a total of 24 points. That gives her a 14-point lead over Wimberly in the No. 2 spot, who earned her 10 points with a White Sands Championship win.
Two points behind Wimberly comes Smith with 8 points from the South Carolina Championships, putting her ahead of Heath, who maintains her original 5 points. Then, just another two points behind, Osborne enters the standings with 6 points won at the July Stephenville Qualifier, effectively bumping Heath into the last hole of the Top 5.
The Winners
Headers
While Lucy Lawson got a running start at the standings last month, Caroline Taylor of Canutillo, Texas, answered the competition call and matched Lawson’s 26 points to share the No. 1 position. Taylor, 23, saw early success at the Tularosa Classic in late May, where she took second place in the #11.5 for 9 points. Then, she kicked off July at the White Sands Championships by earning another second-place, 9-point win in the #12.5, as well as third place in the #10.5, worth 8 points.
Behind Taylor and Lawson, Kay Walters of Seneca, South Carolina, went to her home state’s Championships to earn her 20 points, the lion’s share of which came from the #9.5. In it, the 38-year-old took second for 9 points and sixth for 5 points. She then earned another 6 points with her entry in the #8.5 when she finished in fifth.
Coming to the Top 5 in a tie for fourth, 15-year-old Lexi Delzer of Mesilla Park, New Mexico, went to work on her season in May at the Tularosa Classic. There, she won first place in the #7, worth her initial 10 points. When she then won second place in the #7 at the July White Sands Championship, she earned another 9 points. Her 19 points puts her in a tie with fellow New Mexican Aubrey Trujillo, who maintained her points from last month, and just one point behind the No. 3 position.
Heelers
Odessa, Texas’ Audrey Snyder continues to lead the charge with a first-place win at late June’s Hamilton roping in the #7. It puts the 16-year-old a solid 14 points ahead of No. 2 newcomer Shayna Wimberly, of Morristown, Arizona. Wimberly had an effective first-place win at the White Sands Championships in the #7 for her 10 points.
Two points behind, and in the No. 3 position is Westminster, South Carolina’s Maddie Smith. Smith, who turned 15 in July, wrapped up her 14th year by taking third place and 8 points in the South Carolina Championships #7. That puts her 2 points ahead of No. 4 Makayla Osborne.
Osborne, 19 in August, earned her 6 points in the heeling standings when she took fifth place in the #7 at the Stephenville Qualifier. TRJ
Current USTRC or Key Card/Key Card Max membership is required to participate in the Cinch Ladies Program. Earned points begin counting at time of membership purchase thru the NFTR’s last shootout event. The season begins the Monday after the last USTRC Cinch NFTR event and ends the last day of the next USTRC Cinch NFTR event.
Ropers must enter at least one Shootout division in the USTRC NFTR to be eligible. The award will be announced at the end of the USTRC Cinch National Finals of Team Roping event.
The points breakdowns are as follows: Starting with At Home Challenge Events, ropers will earn 10 points if they win the Challenge. No other points will be awarded. At Signature Events, points will be awarded to those winning an aggregate check. It starts at First Place with 10 points, Second = 9 points, and so on as far down as the ropings are paid. During the Cinch NFTR, the placing points are simply doubled. First Place will be 20, second = 18, and so on.
