story by Lily Weinacht
Luke Jeffries of Maricopa, Ariz., is the GCPRA’s 2015 Year-End Tie-Down Roping Champion. He went into his third GCPRA finals leading the tie-down roping and clinched the title, while his arena record of an 8.0 from the 2014 finals still holds.
The 29-year-old is a third generation tie-down roper, originally from Idaho before he moved south to Arizona in 2013. “My grandpa did roughstock, though I think they rode mules back then instead of horses, but both my dad and my older brother are timed event guys. We’ve done some steer wrestling and team roping, but for the most part, we’re tie-down ropers,” says Luke. He started competing in junior rodeos at four years old, and he was breakaway roping in amateur associations by the time he was ten, also playing football and basketball until roping took top priority. Luke holds four titles with the ICA – three tie-down roping titles and an all-around – as well as a state tie-down roping title with the IHSRA. He spent a year at Southwestern Oklahoma State University before returning to Idaho, and later, transplanting to Arizona. “The weather and my work brought me here – I’m the first of my family to come to Arizona,” says Luke. “It’s dang sure hot, but we get seven or eight months of temperatures in the high 70s, so that’s why I’m here!”
Luke’s parents, Dallas and Mechelle, make their home in Oklahoma, but they came out in November to watch Luke compete in the finals. “I really look up to my dad. He’s the one who’s backed me through this whole thing,” explains Luke. “We’ve always had good horses around thanks to him, and he doesn’t compete anymore, but he still studies tie-down roping. That’s his thing.”
While Luke used to travel with his older brother, Joel, he mainly hauls with his fiancée, Kelsey, who is a breakaway roper in the GCPRA. “Since she’s always with me at the rodeos, I use Kelsey’s breakaway horse as a backup horse,” says Luke. “My main horse is an 11-year-old bay I call Hot Sauce. When me and my brother bought him, he was two and hauling wagons around. I made him myself, and he took to tie-down roping pretty naturally. He’s kind of like a big old pet to me now, I’ve had him so long,” Luke adds with a laugh.
Equipped with a roping arena and calves on his place outside of Maricopa, Luke practices at least several times a week. “The competition out here is pretty tough,” he says. “There’s not a whole lot of tie-down ropers around here, but they can sure rope!” When he’s not roping, Luke stays busy throughout the week installing septic tanks and building house pads. “We do a lot of construction jobs, plus I have a bunch of young horses that I ride. Right now I have nine head – some of them are outside horses. I used to hunt, but in the last three or four years, work and horses mainly keep me busy!”
Luke plans to increase his schedule even further by entering more rodeos on the Turquoise Circuit this year. He won the tie-down roping during the GCPRA’s rodeo in Durango, Colo., in 2015. “That was a pretty big win during Fourth of July and that’s probably been my favorite rodeo. It’s nice up there in Colorado,” says Luke. “I really enjoy competing and staying on top of wherever I’m at. I’d also like to repeat and win the Grand Canyon again this year. I like to win!”
