Texas woman wins breakaway roping title at South Point — PHOTOS
Kelsie Domer had completed successful runs through her first nine attempts at the National Finals Breakaway Roping.
She didn’t rope her last calf on her 10th and final run of the event, but she had done just enough to win the breakaway roping world championship Wednesday at the South Point Arena &Equestrian Center.
Domer won the average title of the event with a time of 22 seconds on her nine runs to help her clinch the world title. She earned an extra $16,914 by winning the average.
Domer finished with $168,758 in earnings in the world standings, finishing more than $3,000 ahead of second-place Martha Angelone.
“It’s been a grind all year,” Domer said. “The winter didn’t start the greatest. I didn’t rope terribly, just wasn’t the greatest. I just grinded all summer and had a pretty good end of the year.”
It’s Domer’s 10th world title. She won three straight breakaway roping titles from 2017 to 2019, is a four-time all-around champion and has won two tie-down roping titles in the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association.
Domer was quick to say that this title, her first since the 2021 all-around title, was her most satisfying.
“I worked hard for the other ones, too, but this one was different,” she said.
The Dublin, Texas, native said she wasn’t sure she had clinched the world title until she was presented the championship saddle after receiving the saddle for the best average.
Domer said a competitor congratulated her and called her “champ,” but she wasn’t going to celebrate until she heard her name announced on the loudspeaker.
“Those are the best kind of surprises,” Domer said. “I’m going to look back and wish I roped that calf the rest of my life. … We strive for perfection every single day, but we don’t necessarily get it. But I’ll take it this way, no doubt.”
After the first five rounds Tuesday, Domer entered the second day and final five rounds in sixth in earnings and the world standings, more than $11,500 out of the lead. Her only win was in the third round with a time of 1.9 seconds.
But Domer kept roping her calves as her competition missed and chipped away at the deficit. She claimed earnings in her first four runs Wednesday to take the lead in the world standings.
“The ropers make it exciting,” Domer said. “You watch every round and everybody is going off. I had to remind myself to stay my course. I can keep up and do my things, but I need to stay my course and do my job, and that’s what I was trying to focus on.”
Domer won three events this season and was the co-champion at five others. She celebrated Wednesday with her husband, Ryan, and their 2-year-old daughter, Oaklynn Rae.
The family has “affected it for the better,” Domer said. “It’s awesome that my family allows me to do this. It makes it even that much more special. It’s not just about me. It’s about supporting my whole family and hopefully showing my little girl that her mom worked her (butt) off.”
Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.