Don Ramsour & Sam Garside

In the National 9 Finale, Don Ramsour, Casper, Wyo., and Sam Garside, Prescott, Ariz., roped four steers in 53.61 seconds to take home the $100,000. Garside returned to the short round with three partners, including: Ramsour, his mom, Shelly Garside, and another up-and-comer, Ketch Kelton. He and Kelton finished third, which brought the 16-year-old’s total earnings in one roping to an impressive $60,000.

“I was a little nervous,” Garside admitted. “I didn’t want to mess up for all three partners.”

But the Prescott cowboy remained calm and collected, even with all that cash on the line. He and Ramsour were a draw team and had never met prior to the Finale.

“We never really talked until it was all over,” Garside laughed. “He roped our first one good and I knew he’d catch them all.”

National 9 Champion Header - Don Ramsour

Don Ramsour has lived in Casper, Wyo., all his life. He mainly roped calves growing up along with some steer tripping and team roping. After hauling his oldest son, Donnie, to a handful of youth rodeos the sentiment that you, “only get to throw your rope once,” was all too true and the family transitioned to the world of jackpot team roping.

“We’ve roped with Ty up in this region for probably seven or eight years,” Ramsour said. “In 2013 I won the #4 Header Championship for the Western Frontier Finals. With this one in March, I think I’ve got three saddles and 26 or 27 buckles. My youngest son, Wyatt, he won his first buckle at the NTR in Kaycee, Wyo.,

last summer. And my wife, Jodi, she’s won a couple saddles too. Ty’s ropings are fair, the cattle are always even and you don’t have to pack a partner with you. You can take the family and everyone can rope and have a good time.”

Ramsour had qualified for the National 9 Finale at the 2015 Bobby King Memorial in Sheridan.

“My partner and I had talked and said we were going to go the Finals, but he ended up drawing out last minute. I told the office go ahead and draw me a new partner and I’ll be there.”

While the Ramsours have a place in Thunderbird Farms, near Maricopa, Ariz., Don travels back and forth throughout the winter keeping his commercial, industrial and agricultural construction company, NWP LLC, operating smoothly.

“I was back in Wyoming the week before. I had won about $1,300 playing poker on Friday night and another $2,600 on Sunday. I thought this is a pretty good run of luck. I got on an airplane and went to Arizona on Monday. I hadn’t been on my mare in about a month. I got her tuned definitely something I’m always going to up and went over to the roping and the remember, no matter what.” rest is history.” In addition to his construction Ramsour had never met Garside but after watching a couple of his other runs he knew he’d drawn just right.

company, Ramsour raises a lot of horses.

“The mare that I won the Finals on, Betsy, she’s one that we raised. She was “He had a run about eight ahead of 5 at the Finals, but now she’s 6. She’s a ours, I think that one was with his mom. Sun Frost bred mare. My son rides her half She roped ’em, and turned ’em off, and I thought, ‘Here we go!’ We just backed in brother, and my wife rides a half brother. They are just a pretty good line of horses.”

the box and roped four clean. Ramsour has already qualified for 2017 “It didn’t take long for word to get National 8 Finale. out,” Ramsour laughed. “I had texts and “I struggled for about a month after the phone calls from Montana, Canada and Texas—all over. It was a great time. Most people run out and celebrate. We stood around for a bit, but we had a two-anda-half Finals,” he said. “I think I was worried about what people were going to think. Larry Carlisle called me up and I just decided to go out there and play my game.

hour drive home. We stopped at We got qualified in Wright, Wyo. I’m sure a Texas Roadhouse and went home just like nothing had ever happened. But it’s we’ll be there. I wouldn’t miss it.”

National 9 Champion Heeler - Sam Garside

Sam Garside first started making waves in the NTR last summer when he won the #10 Saddle Roping, the National 9 Qualifier and the Red, White & Blue Roping over Memorial Day Weekend in Mormon Lake, Ariz.

The 16-year-old calls Prescott, Ariz., home and has a room full of trophy saddles, including one tie-down and one all-around saddle. In 2014, he won the Arizona National Junior High Finals Team Roping State Championship with his buddy, Clay Cherry. But his $100,00 National 9 Championship win with Ramsour is his most lucrative to date.

“I bought a used truck,” said Garside.

“But I’ve been saving the rest.”

At press time, Garside was sitting second in the Arizona National High School Finals Rodeo team roping standings with Dawson Lackey, hoping to take the lead at the upcoming state finals and advance to the National Finals in Gillette, Wyo. Additionally, he was headed out to Saginaw, Texas, for his first Windy Ryon Memorial Team Roping.

“I’m roping with Ketch (Kelton) and a couple other partners, but I don’t know who yet. I’m excited and a little nervous. I’m just going to get out there and see what I need to do.”

Garside and Kelton finished third in the National 9 Finale at the NTR Finals.

“We’ve roped together the last four or five years,” Garside said. “We only live about 30 minutes away from each other, so I go down there and ranch and rope with him quite a bit.”

With two pick partners, Garside’s third National 9 partner had to be a draw. To make it back to the short round with all three was a huge accomplishment.

“I was just trying to rope all my steers,” Garside said. “During the short round I didn’t want to miss for everyone.”

Aboard his horse, Snoop Dog, Garside didn’t let anyone down.

“He’s my calf horse. I heel on him sometimes at the bigger ropings and whenever I don’t feel like riding my mare,” he said. “I had actually ridden my mare in the first roping and I didn’t do very well so I just decided to switch and try him out. I was just hoping to win some money really, but it was nice to win first.”

Sam Garside shows off his National 9 Finale trophy Gist Buckle and spends time with his roping buddies, Trey Emerson Begay, Ketch Kelton and Clay Cherry before the award ceremony.