13-year-old cowboy a champion roper

Thirteen-year-old Lincoln May Jr. has quite a few roping wins under his belt buckle.

Make that buckles. Add to that: saddles, cash, and most recently, a horse trailer from his team roping win at the Wrangler Team Roping Championships in Billings.

Outside the May family’s Ferndale home are two lone steer dummies made out of PVC pipe on the front lawn facing a roping arena where the family leases Corriente steers over the summer to practice with.

His dad, Lincoln Sr.; mom, Alisha; and 8-year-old sister, Landry, are devoted to the sport. His sister has begun roping in dummy competitions.

May Jr. and his father practice year-round. May throws about 100 loops a day on dummies to keep his arm in shape.

“My grandpa did it, then my dad,” he said. “I really started ropin’ when I was 9.”

His dad started roping at about the same age. Then, after an accident in which he almost lost his fingers — they got hung up in a rope — May Sr. stopped roping for 20 years. The pain subsided, the memory faded and he got back in the saddle.

“It's just a way of life. It's the way we decided we wanted to raise our kids,” he said.

Both son and father have competed with and against each other. They take wins and losses in stride.

Not many teenagers in the Flathead Valley compete in roping, May’s mother said. In addition to team roping, May has started competing in breakaway roping, in which he ropes a calf alone.

“He's ropin' with the men,” she said.

Sitting on a barstool at home, May wears the rodeo uniform: button-down shirt, jeans, baseball hat and worn leather boots. Looking at him, the only evidence of his talent is the lustrous belt buckle he wears from a previous competition win. He has a reserved demeanor and is modest about winning.

Once in the arena, May’s attitude changes.

His mother turns on her laptop to play videos of him competing. With a sure nod and focused look, May rides his quarterhorse Streak out into the Wrangler arena and swings a nylon rope in the air with a sure hand to catch the legs of a steer.

“When you nod, they let the steer out and the time starts. Time stops when both ropes are on the steer and the steer is stretched and horse are facing each other,” May said. “I had the two [legs] dallies, rope popped off, dallied again and caught it.”

His mother turns on a video of her son’s winning throw. The camera angle jostles as his mother’s yells are heard.

At the Wrangler Team Roping Championships, May’s roping team won the title of Wrangler Deuces Wild Finale champion. The two-member roping team consists of a header, who ropes a steer's neck, and a heeler, who ropes the legs. May was the heeler.

At this championship, May picked some partners. Others were drawn for him. His winning team member, Sarah Jones of Wyoming, was a drawn partner. They competed as a two incentive, or beginner, team.

During the championship, May also won fifth place in the one incentive group, winning a belt buckle. Out of 1,187 teams, he ranked 25th overall and won $500.

“This is what a lot of ropers dream of: winning saddles, buckles, trailers in one season at that age,” his father said.

May walks outside to show the trailer. The family dog, an Australian shepherd aptly named Roper, follows. The rope that made the champion throw hangs from a horse's saddle. For now, the rope is retired.

“I probably won’t touch that one again,” May said, a smile spreading across his face.

Reporter Hilary Matheson may be reached at 758-4431 or by email at hmatheson@dailyinterlake.com.