2024 winners of the Mardesich Becker Memorial Team Roping Event Kolton King and Quentin Personeni are seen here (center) with their trophy saddles, flanked by McCall, Mason, Madison and Ally Mardesich on the left. On the right are Davis & Brooke Mardesich, and Clark & Kourtney Becker. Photo courtesy of Erica Murphy Photography

GRIDLEY, CA (MPG) – The Second Annual Mardesich Becker Memorial Team Roping Event will take place at this year’s Butte County Fair, on Thursday Aug. 21 at 7 p.m.  

The number of entries will be capped at 125 headers and 125 heelers, unlike last year when there were just a hundred. There will be a waitlist for those signing up after the limit is reached.  No substitutions will be allowed, and after Aug. 15, there will be no refunds, per the Facebook announcement.  

Three divisions will be featured: Youth (age 15 & under), Women, and Men.  Straight Draw, Go Twice, where the Top 10 will come back the same night for Sudden Death, as well as Start Clean—fastest time in second round wins, the Facebook information said.  

So, what are headers and heelers?

Team roping consists of two mounted ropers. The two riders and one steer leave the starting gate simultaneously. As might be expected, the header lassos the head (or horns) of the steer, and the heeler catches the steer’s hind legs with the rope, ideally at about the same time.  Each ride is timed, and time is flagged by the official when both the header and the heeler stretch the steer out. Prizes are awarded to the winners in each division.

One of the event coordinators, Brooke Mardesich, said that “six to seven seconds is a good time for this kind of roping.”

A roping team chases their steer at the Mardesich Becker event in 2024. Photo courtesy of Erica Murphy Photography

According to the event Facebook page, the prizes this year are trophy saddles and added cash to first place in the Top 10 on Thursday night (Aug. 21). In addition, there are awards for the Top Youth and Women’s Headers & Heelers.

For the first time, the Top 10 will be invited back Saturday night, Aug. 23, to the Bulls & Broncs event for a chance at $500 and Guns for the fastest time!  Also, Dummy Roping will take place on Aug. 21 at 6:30 p.m. There will be two age groups instead of one: 6 & under and 7–9-year-olds (as of Jan. 1). Entries will be taken on site for Dummy Roping only, said the Facebook post.                 

The Mardesich Becker event was initiated last year, in memory of Jeff Mardesich and George Becker, who were both avid ropers. Mardesich passed away from cancer in 2022, and Becker suffered from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy and tragically died by suicide in 2020. Becker had team roped with Davis Mardesich, Jeff’s son.

Another coordinator of the event and George Becker’s mom, Kourtney Becker, said “We are thrilled that the Butte County Fair and CEO Matt Reed for letting us hold this event again this year. We had a wonderful turnout last year. There’s been an outpouring of community support from sponsors. We have beautiful prizes, and this year, the Top 10 will get to come back on Saturday to compete for a rifle.”

Spectator admission is free to all fair goers, so come on out and get in on the action.