There has been some changing around this year with some of the top teams and best ropers from 2006.  We followed Walt Woodard and Matt Sherwood last year through a great season that culminated in Matt winning the world championship without Walt.

This year we talked with Walt and got an update. One of the most important factors to have working well in your team is the working relationship with your partner. This is a professional sport with all the mental and competitive components involved.

“Matt and I did not get off to a good start, we won the 1st day money at San Angelo and then we had a steer stopped at san Antonio and Matt threw over the top of his head, missed.

It seemed like Matt and I lost that magic after NFR and Matt decided he wanted to make a change. I missed a couple of steers- to win Odessa and Denver, but I don’t know- it’s hard to rope great all the time- there are ups and downs, but for whatever reason, we never hit a bad spell last year.  If we ever missed, it was right back on track.  I am a little disappointed that Matt would not stick it out through the bad start this winter.  I like to rope with a guy for a long period of time and fix things by changing within a team not changing teams. But, I am going to rope with Clay Tryan this year and  I feel this will work well for my program. He is a great roper-what more can you ask for? Who’s better than the 2006 world champion? Well, how about the 2005 world champion?

Clay is so much younger than you are.  Do you notice a difference in energy level between the two of you? 

“Absolutely.  Clay is so young and high energy.  When we are talking  he always says “I gotcha, I gotcha”.  He really helps keep me going.  He is a real historian and student of  team roping, like Mike Tyson was with boxing. He has studied every NFR run and great ropers.  He is also a really good horseman.  He has grown up in world and is serious about it.  He feeds his family this way.  He loves to practice and lives just 35 minutes from me. It’s great!”

When Clay called me and asked me to rope this year, he asked me what my commitment is for this year and I am giving it my all.  He wants another world championship.  He knows how it feels and wants that feeling again.  I have been there too and would love to go to the NFR and rope well I want people to say, “Walt Woodard really roped well at the NFR”

How is it going so far?

Currently we are doing really well. We won our group at the semi finals in Houston last night with a 4.6.  The second semi final group goes tonight and then we will rope in the finals for the $50,000.  The farther we get, the harder the competition gets, so now it’s a serious deal.  We will rope against 9 other teams.  Like Clay said “we’re both a long ways behind and need to catch up”.  This money counts so hopefully we will make some headway in the standings.”

We wish Walt and Clay all the best as they rope in the Houston Rodeo Finals and the rest of their 2007 year.