“The BFI is one of the biggest ropings there is, and it’s meant a whole lot to my career. It pays more than any other roping I’ve won, so it’s helped me build my place and get to where I need to be for my family. What makes it the Masters of team roping is the heritage. As a kid, we’d wait all year to get the Ropers Sports News to see pictures of our heroes at the BFI. We’d see Walt Woodard, Denny Watkins, the Camarillos. Back then, I could count on one hand the good heelers in the world, and every year they were at the BFI. Nowadays, they’re everywhere. People take the access they have for granted. You can watch it while it’s going on, and the technology keeps it in front of you all year. As a kid, we all knew and revered the prestige the BFI has. As a kid, I heard about it, read about it. And then I got to go there and win it. It was a dream come true. It still is.”
— Rich Skelton, eight-time world champion and three-time BFI champ
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