to rodeo fans at greeley stampede trick roping spencer rose

After celebrating its centennial anniversary in 2022, Justin Watada, general manager of the Greeley Stampede and his staff are continuing to up the ante when it comes to entertainment and attractions for the annual event.

Visitors to the Stampede are in for an extra treat this year as Watada and crew have contracted with trick roper Spencer Rose to perform during the events PRCA ProRodeo series.

“We are excited to add Spencer to the lineup during the rodeo. I’ve seen some of her videos and she’s amazing,” Watada said.

Spencer, who hails from California, has been performing trick roping for nearly 20 years.

“I started when I was 12 and I went to a school in California and got my start there,” Rose explained. “I did trick roping and trick riding and I really just took to the trick roping. Trick roping is something that’s always kind of made sense to me.”

Like many of the events in rodeos, trick roping was developed by cowboys as a form of entertainment and as a way to show off their roping skills, reports the website Bullwhip Squadron. Some of the cowboys became so skilled in the art of trick roping that they began working at Wild West shows and other events.

Trick roping involves the spinning of a lasso to perform a variety of tricks. Some tricks involve more than one rope.

Typically, trick ropers use a 100% cotton cord rope, which allows them to maintain a smooth motion. The cotton cord rope tends to also hold a wide loop well.

“If I were to go and try and catch a steer with my trick rope, it would snap, because it’s cotton,” Rose said. “The rope you see guys using in tie down events, those are nylon ropes.”

There are basically three different categories of trick roping: the flat loop, vertical loop and butterfly.

A flat loop is a horizontal loop with a spin while a vertical loop is where the rope will spin in a vertical loop. The butterfly is a vertical loop that passes from the right to the left of the roper.

Some of the top trick roping moves are the Merry-GoRound, Spoke Jumping, Ocean Wave, the Wedding Ring, the Kansas Tornado and the Texas Skip, which is considered the most difficult trick to master. The Texas Skip is when a roper jumps through the loop as they move it from right to left.

“The Texas Skip is pretty much the most iconic trick and the one people typically think of when it comes to trick roping. I actually start with that trick,” Rose said. “I also do a lot of other things where I go on the ground and do some roping laying down, I spin two ropes and I also spin a rope on horseback.”

Some of the top trick ropers include Will Rogers, Vince Bruce and Grace Bensel, the only cowgirl to win three world championships for trick and fancy roping.

While she travels around the U.S. promoting the art of trick roping, Rose also posts videos on social media sites like TikTok, YouTube and Instagram, introducing people of all ages to the unique art.

However, if you’re interested in learning the art of trick roping, Rose advises that you prepare to have a lot of patience, as trick roping is a hard skill to master.

“It takes a very long time to learn, even to do the simplest of things,” she said. “People kind of get bored with it due to the difficulty of it. Some tricks are easier and some tricks I’ve been working on for years.”

Part of the difficulty of trick roping is that you have to spin the rope and your fingers at the same time, all while not letting the rope hit your body or the ground.

“There’s a finesse to it and timing. You have to make sure your rope is good,” Rose said. “Over my career I’ve had the opportunity to see other trick ropers and they all do things differently. You try to put these tricks together, but you have to figure out which way makes sense to you.”

Before committing full time to performing at rodeo events across the United States, Rose worked for the Cirque De Soleil company in their productions of Cavalia and Odysseo.

“It was amazing and I got to broaden my horizons. You get to see people from all over the world and their different techniques,” Rose said. “I’ve been Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Australia — just a little bit of everywhere.”

When not on the road performing, Rose is an instructor and trick roping specialist as well as a wife and mother to two little girls.

“My oldest daughter is four and what really tugs at my heartstrings is that she’s into trick roping. She is learning how to spin and do stuff,” Rose said. “She will probably make a guest appearance for a couple of shows in Greeley. She has a little pony that she rides.”

For more information on the Greeley Stampede events, including the PRCA ProRodeo, SuperStars Concert Series, demolition derby and more, go to www.greeleystampede.org.