Louisiana Team Takes $81,000 win

What is it about 13?

Long reviled as an unlucky number, it seems that myth doesn’t hold true for the Louisiana team of Natie Johnson and Cody Hogan. That goes double for Natie since he elected to rope with a 13-year-old eighth grader to win the #13 Shoot Out, pocketing $40,500 for himself of the $81,000 championship prize.

“He’s a good roper,” Johnson said.

Simple, but true.

Hogan had equally as much faith in his partner, Johnson.

“I thought this run would shape up pretty good and my partner would do his job and I would do mine,” he said.

As the first high-call back, the duo needed a rather wide margin of 10.9 to take the win, especially after second high-call back Barrie Smith and Billy Bob Brown missed their chance. Johnson and Hogan didn’t waste any time, however, roping in a time of 7.59 to win.

With Mom and Dad, and two admiring little brothers looking on, Hogan, of Pelican, seemed to handle the crush of people in the Shoot Out Winner’s circle with a certain aplomb, fielding questions from two reporters and Ferron Lucero for the interview like a pro. But he did shyly admit that he is probably the richest eighth grader in high school.

“My friends don’t really get what I do,” he said, “but I’ll bet they will now.”

Noting that a rash of teenagers have taken some big cash in the Finals, including 13-year-old Brady Norman of Springer, Okla., who has pocketed in the neighborhood of $50,000, taking the #15 Shoot Out and placing sixth in the #13, Hogan said it’s all about practice.

“They practice every day just like I do and keep their head on straight.” he said. “Besides being fun, I enjoy doing it and I bet everybody else does, too.”

Absolutely, and Johnson, of Choudrant, was on the edge of giddy when thinking about being able to let his wife and two girls know that he’d won the roping.

“First, I want to thank God for helping me win today, but I really want to thank my wife and my two little girls,” he said. “I can’t wait to let them know.”

Even though Johnson has won a USTRC saddle before in Tunica, Miss., he acknowledged that that win doesn’t begin to compare with being named United States Champion.

“When my wife sees that saddle, she might even let me bring it in the house.”

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The United States Team Roping Championships is the official home of America’s Cowboy Sport, representing more than 35,000 competitive team ropers across the country. USTRC brings the sport of team roping to the national stage by providing competition with integrity as the trusted source of team roping competition rules and classifications.

For more information and a full schedule of events, go to www.ustrc.com or call 254.968.0002.