Jake and Clay. No last names necessary. Simply said, they're legendary ropers and living proof that nice guys can, and do, finish first.
The seven-time World Champion Team Ropers and ProRodeo Hall of Famers struck again at the 2007 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. Rope bags packed with nerves of steel and tunnel-vision focus, they closed it in the clutch and left Las Vegas the team roping average victors for the third time in three different decades. They also came out kings at Rodeo's Super Bowl in 1985 and 1994, the latter at which they set the still-standing record of 59.1 seconds on 10 steers.
"The NFR is our big payday," said Jake, 49, who lives in Scottsdale, Ariz., with his wife, Toni, and sons, Bo and Tuffy. "It's our big chance to make or break our year, because the whole year's built around what you win at the National Finals. Winning $75,000 ($75,845 a man) was fantastic.
"But if I was going to grade my performance for 2007 in general and the NFR, I'd give myself a C. It had its highs and lows. Leo Camarillo called me after we won it and said, 'That was outstanding what you did.' It is a big deal to win the average at the Finals. But every year I've gotten my card and started the year off, it's a letdown if I don't win the world championship. There's only one spot for me, and in my eyes I didn't get it done. My expectations of myself are so high. That's what keeps me going."
Barnes finished fourth in the world among headers, behind Chad Masters, Clay Tryan and Colter Todd. O'Brien Cooper was fifth on the heeling side, in a line headed up by Walt Woodard, Cesar de la Cruz, Patrick Smith and Allen Bach. Cooper called their NFR strategy anything but crazy.
"Not doing anything crazy, and just trying to be solid and consistent and go make smart runs was the name of our game at the Finals," commented Clay, 46, who hangs his hat in Morgan Mill, Texas, with his wife, Alisa, and his two daughters, Bailey and Quinn, and a stepdaughter, Jessica. "It seems like the teams who weather the storm and rope a lot of steers win the most money at the Finals every year. We wanted to stay in the average, because that's where the big paycheck is.
"Early on in our careers, when Jake and I went to the Finals, the plan was to win every round we could. But when you're trying to win every round, it's hard to be consistent and a lot of mistakes are made. There's a fine line at the Finals, and part of the game is to figure out how much you can get away with."
