This year's Super Six Team Roping event featured an all-female competition for the first time in its 17-year history.Josh Hillcock, one of the Super Six producers, said there weren't many women-only roping events in Alberta so that's why organizers decided to start All Girl Roping.“It fit good because we were already putting the Super Six on Saturday (and) Sunday. So the arena's set up, the cattle are already here and we just thought we'd give it a try,” Hillcock said.The All Girl Roping event was held on Aug. 8 at the Olds Regional Exhibition's MegaDome and according to Hillcock, included about 40 participants of all ages, who made up 182 teams.Team roping involves two riders trying to tie up a corriente steer with the fastest time.First, the steer is released into the arena. Then the riders, a header and a heeler, chase after it.“And they have to work together to rope the steer. So the header throws a rope around the horns or the neck and the heeler comes in and ropes the feet and they have to stretch the steer out,” Hillcock said. “So they basically have to face up, turn their horses towards each other, the steer's in between and then the flagger drops the flag, that's calling for time.”“If they get a time, they get to rope another steer later on in the second round. If they miss, they're done. Completely done. That team is done.”Participants made their teams either by picking half their partners and randomly drawing the rest, or drawing them all.Teams in the All Girl event could rope up to four steers.Katy Lucas of Carstairs was one of the competitors and qualified for two spots in the final round, finishing fifth and sixth, winning a combined $685.She competes in roping events in Arizona, where there are all-female competitions but this was her first one north of the border.“But this is the first one I've been in, in Canada and I think it was quite successful with 180 teams. It was a huge turnout,” Lucas said.Lucas also noted some differences between the All Girl event versus Super Six, which included both men and women who could pick their partners and enter up to six times.“It is a little bit different, not quite as competitive but that's because there's just less people entered,” she said. “(Super Six), it gets a little tougher because people have a lot more chances so it becomes more of a speed event here.”Super Six took place the following two days at the grandstand, drawing roughly 400 contestants from all over Canada who made up more than 1,000 teams. They competed for about $100,000 in cash and [email protected]
