What’s Your Number? with Zanga Shutte
Kamuela, Hawaii's long-time team roping advocate

Number and End: 6+ header, 8 heeler

Credit: Jennings Photography

Rope of Choice: Amigo by Cactus Ropes

Biggest Win: It would have been at the USTRC Finals. I won $14,000 or $15,000. That was last year, mostly in the #13 Shootout.

Favorite Roping: It’s got to be the World Series Finale in Vegas. It’s family friendly and we get the run of Vegas. Cowboy Christmas is fun, all of the locals head up there. It’s just a nice time for family as a whole.

Why You Rope? It started from my brother, who was an all-around cowboy here in Hawaii. I just jumped on board in my early teens, and I started riding bulls and then got involved in all the roping events. All of those events just hooked me on for 30-plus years now.

Best Horse You’ve Ever Owned: Squirt, he died about 10 years ago. I could head, heel and calf rope on him. He was above average. Of every horse in my career—he would be #1. I’ve got Dunny, who I bought from Paul Eaves, and he’s in the same bracket. Just good to be around.

Family: My wife, Kimberly, and then my three children, Brooke, Trent and Kawo.
Competition Philosophy: Don’t miss! I want to catch them all. On the heeling side, which is what I do most, I try not to be anxious, not to lose my position, and catching is everything.

Real Job: I’m a rancher, I run a cow-calf operation.

Association of Preference:
I like the USTRC and World Series of Team Roping. I started it in Hawaii about 20 years ago. I started the Hawaii numbering system, and in the ’90s and they gave me a VIP pass to go to the national finals in Guthrie at the time. Then we moved everything over to the USTRC numbering system in Hawaii after that. Since Denny started the WSTR—he’s always been a roper’s kind of guy. He’s a visionary, and he always puts the ropers first. He’s highly respected here on the island because the World Series lets ropers compete for a larger purse.

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