BELLE FOURCHE—A different kind of competition took place in Belle Fourche, one that takes a special combination of talent to compete in not just one, but three very different events—roping steers, playing golf and throwing darts. The Cowboy Classic Rope, Stroke and Poke event took place on August 29.
Nineteen teams of three signed up to give the unusual contest a try. The competition kicked off at 9 a.m. and proceeded all day, ending around 7 p.m. The team roping took place at the Black Hills Roundup Rodeo Grounds and the golf and darts were hosted by the Belle Fourche Country Club. “Well, the rope would be team roping…the stroke is golf and the poke was to play darts… a combination of time and scores between the three events is what determined the winners,” explained Clay Birkeland, event organizer.
And if a team member didn’t know how to team rope, there was a plan for that. “We had at least two ropers on each team to rope, and then the third member had to rope a dummy on the ground—so you didn’t really have to be a roper per se—you could kind of fake it a little bit,” shared Birkeland.
The event was also a fundraising opportunity with the plans to give a portion of the proceeds to the Black Hills Roundup Foundation to put towards scholarships. “We gave a check for $2,500 to the foundation from what we made that day,” said Birkeland.
With $2,000 added money and a portion of the $600 entry fees per team, the winners received a sweet payday. Prizes were given to the winners as well. “All of the teams that won each—the rope and the golf and the darts—each won buckles,” said Birkeland. “We also gave buckles to the overall winners as well.”
Those with the overall best scores from all three of the Rope, Stroke and Poke events were the team of Colton Backhaus, Clayton Backhaus and Quillan McNeese.
This was the first time the Rope, Stroke and Poke competition was held in Belle Fourche. “We had a really good turnout, and we’re hoping to do it again,” said Birkeland.
Birkeland wanted to make sure the sponsors knew how much they were appreciated. Sponsors of the event were E&M Steel Products, Northern Car Brokers, Capital Builders, Pioneer Bank & Trust and Belle Chiropractic & Massage.
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