George Aros Roping

George's Latest Hunting Adventure

AND THERE I WAS……….

And there I was after four days, one day of scouting out the area and three days of hunting with my good friend Aldo Garibay from Caborca, Sonora, Mexico and my good nephew, Jake Thorton, from Tucson. We decided that there were no Coues Deer in the area we were in, so we called upon another friend Jason Olson. He lives in the area and has a passion for locating deer. Read Article with Photos

The Almost 4th of July Roping

A huge turn out started celebrating Independance Day early with a bang-up roping at the Casa Grande Arena. The 418 teams moved through three rounds in only 4 1/2 hours thanks to the use of a second arena, an awesome chute crew and fire cracker-jack office crew. At the end of the day, it was Hector Olaiz and Rudy Riggs tied for the high point saddle. As they were a team, each man had to pick a new partner for the nail-biting rope off. Rudy Riggs emerged the winner, adding that fine saddle to his $1,605 payday.

The West Pinal County Sheriff's Posse and George Aros would like to thank all those who attended. See full results

First Annual Perry Bigbee Memorial Roping

When the founder of Running P Ropes, Perry Bigbee, passed away in December 2010, the roping community he so dearly loved lost a friend. As a promoter, producer, sponsor and advocate for roping events around the country including such classics as the BFI, Perry touched the lives of just about anyone who ropes. On May 28th, a memorial was held in his home turf just outside of Muscle Shoals, Alabama, where friends, family and ropers from all over the country gathered to celebrate the life of this remarkable gentleman. I was honored to be an invited guest at what was sure to be a spectacular event. For this born and raised Arizona desert boy, even the 40 minute drive from the airport was interesting. As we crossed the unbelievably wide Tennessee river, I fantasize what I could do with just a little of that water in Picacho!! Then, the sobering sights of tornado damaged communities made me realize just how quick everything you have can be gone.

Perry’s youngest son Stuart, who heads up the Running P Saddle division, hosted the Memorial Roping at the arena right there at his home. It’s a brand new facility with the most awesome barn I’ld ever seen. A big screen TV played a memorial video covering Perry’s life, and pictures captured many highlights of his career. As a hunter myself, I was pretty impressed with the collection of trophy heads on the walls, including a state record buck shot by Perry’s good buddy Vic Shaw. Next to the barn, a large tent was set up for folks to eat and hang out.

The day couldn’t have been prettier, with temperatures in the low 80’s and a nice breeze. Not only was he the host, but Stuart Bigbee produced the roping. The arena was in tip-top shape, the steers were great and the score line set just right. A testament as to how well Perry was liked, folks came from all over including Florida, California Arkansas, Missouri, Mississippi, Georgia and the Carolinas. The 19 acre place was packed with RVs, as folks made a weekend out of it. Kids had blow-up swimming pools and were running around having a blast. The whole day had a real family friendly atmosphere. Southern hospitality was at its finest, offering up a delicious free BBQ and soft drinks.

Just under eight hundred teams ran for cash and great prizes. The turn out made it one of the largest roping east of the Mississippi. The day offered a #15, #12 and a #10 handicap. Seven especially designed custom Running P saddles were given away, with the top teams in each of the three ropings winning a saddle, plus the high point winner of the day won a saddle. Second place winners received custom rope bags, third won them selves some nice, custom breast collars, and forth were awarded leather nose band halters.

The first roping was a #15 with 180 teams. After the dust settled, Andrew Livingston and Tim Roberts were the clear leaders out running the next 3 places who were separated by mere fractions. For their efforts, the each won $991 in addition to those super cool Running P saddles. The #12 saw the largest number of entries with 396 teams. Dexter Flannigan and Ed Allen had the best score after 4 and each took home $1,745. That roping paid 15 holes. The #10 had close to 200 teams vying for top honors, but in the end, Cody Tilly and TJ Coleman wrapped things up for $1,106 each. Wes Goodrich wound up as the high point champion for the day, having scored well in each of the three ropings. He took home the high point saddle and a total of over $1,900.

In the middle of the day, I was most definitely surprised when action was halted, and Stuart called me out to the middle of the arena. He presented me with a Merit of Honor plaque for loyalty and appreciation. Over the years, Running P Ropes and Running P Saddlery have been generous sponsors of me and The Mike Cervi Memorial Team Classic held in Arizona in February. We have also worked closely together on many other productions. I have always highly valued our relationship, and this honor will always be real special to me. It’s a day I will never forget.

All in all, it was a great event, and a roping no one will want to miss next year. Everyone had a great time celebrating Perry Bigbee’s life and love for the sport. It was the kind of day Perry himself would have loved, and there is no better way to honor the man than that.

See Results

#15, #12, #10

George's Latest Hunting Adventure

The Almost 4th of July Roping

First Annual Perry Bigbee Memorial Roping

For information, call George - (520) 241-2241