Major roping event held at Fairgrounds

Competitors from all around descended on the Porterville Fairgrounds to compete in team roping during the West Coast Roping Association’s competition on Saturday at the Porterville Fairgrounds.

There were 368 teams who competed in the event in which competitors looked to score as many points as they could in an effort to qualify for the WCRA’s State Championships to be held this fall in Sanger.

Two of the top local finishers were a husband and wife from Terra Bella. Jane Peltzer was the top overall points finisher for women while Tim Peltzer was the top points finisher in the 2.5 division. Other top finishers included Ernie Mauro, who was the top finisher in the novice division and Jason Sanders, who was the top overall finish in the competition.

The event was a fund-raiser for Strathmore FFA and Strathmore High Ag teacher Danell Daniel, who along with her husband, Brent Daniel, helped organize the event.

Danell Daniel said the event was a huge success for her program, which will help fund leadership activities and field trips for her students. Strathmore High and Granite Hills High students did much of the work to operate the event. Daniel said she hopes the event will be held again next year.

Among the sponsors for the event were the Porterville Fairgrounds, Farmers Tractor and Equipment, Vollmer Excavation, Della Trucking, Frazier Creek Ranch, Weisenberger Hardware, Hyder Hay, Porterville Rock Recycle, Young’s Commercial Trucking, Gillespie Ag Service, Quinn Caterpillar, Porterville Feed, Webb and Sons, Service Technology, Witzel Pump Service, Church and Son Construction and LMF feed. Others who provided valuable service to the event, Daniel said, included Wendy Stark, Tony Machaco and Mike McCarthy.

“Without all those people, this would not have been a success,” said Daniel about the support of the community and local businesses.