Sandy Suter went on a winter getaway to Arizona two weekends ago but it was no vacation.
Especially for the calves.
Suter was tracking down a spot in the Word Series team roping championships in December in Las Vegas and got what she came for when she teamed up with Clint Anderson of Manitoba. Suter, the header, and Anderson, the heeler, were the top Canadians in the event in Buckeye, Ariz., finishing fourth out of 320 teams.
"It was a huge roping, with 320 teams, and it paid just under $4,000 (each)," said Suter.
"It's a bit of a gamble because it costs $2,000 to enter it too. You have to gamble big. The American dollar (exchange) is terrible right now so the fact I already have my traveling costs already covered in American (dollars) takes a ton of pressure off."
Suter, 37, has qualified for the World Series three times and each time she's improved her standing. Last December, she and Chance Paradis of Cranbrook finished 21st in the No. 9 competition in Las Vegas and that provided a huge boost of confidence for the Prince George roper.
In team roping, ropers are ranked according to their abilities. Lower-ability ropers are 1-3, intermediate/average ropers are 4-6 and open or professional ropers are 7-9. Each roper's ranking added together determines which level of competition the teams of two ropers will enter. The highest level of competition is No. 15.
Suter is one of only two women in B.C. who holds a No. 5 ranking.
Because Suter has already claimed a World Series qualifying spot with Anderson at the No. 9 level, she plans to team up with other ropers at two other qualifying events -- Fort St. John in May and Ponoka, Alta., in May -- to make it into the No. 10 or No. 11 competition in Las Vegas.
Travelling with her horse Kye in a truck and trailer to roping events all over Western Canada and the Western United States can be costly venture and Suter says it helps having some sponsorship on her side. Christine Murdoch on Murdoch Veterinary Clinic and Rocky Servatius of Central Interior Piping have been her best supporters for decades, helping her remain competitive in team roping.
Suter comes from a roping family, based in Pineview, just east of Prince George. Last year, her sister Christine Jones and her husband Darin qualified for their first World Series event. Gary Suter (Sandy and Christine's father) also remains active in the sport, and he's as intent as ever on making the grade for Las Vegas.
