Team roper Mike Pivetti, above, and his teammate Mike Christensen have made the Dodge National Circuit Finals Rodeo, which is scheduled for April in Pocatello, Idaho.
Mike Pivetti considers this his rookie year of professional rodeo, but he's had more turns in his career than most - some even he can't explain.
The Hollister roper had been competing with a handful of different partners since graduating from Fresno State about five years ago, each with some success here and there. He roped with heeler Mike Christensen in college, competed with Justin Wood and John Wiersma of Hollister, and most recently was teamed up with Andy Holcomb of San Juan Bautista, among others.
But trying to find that comfortable bond between header and heeler can often be the most difficult part of team roping, with some ropers changing partners as frequently as every year.
"If you're not working with one guy, you'll switch to someone else," Holcomb said. "Someone will work eventually."
And that's where Pivetti's roping story takes a different turn than most.
A San Benito High graduate of 1999, Pivetti reverted back to his college days earlier this year when he and Christensen, his old roping partner at Fresno State, teamed up once again to hit the circuit after a five-year layoff.
And ironically, despite the lengthy downtime, the duo's success has been much greater the second time around.
"Team roping has a lot to do with chemistry," Pivetti said. "Mike and I just kind of got on a little roll this year and just kind of went to winning."
Case in point, after each narrowly qualified to the Dodge California Circuit Finals Rodeo last month in Norco, Pivetti (header) and Christensen (heeler) roped three head in a circuit-best time of 21.5 seconds to take first place, and will advance to the Dodge National Circuit Finals in April as a result.
How's that for chemistry?
"Roping chemistry is so hard to explain; it's either there or it's not," Pivetti said. "I don't know how to describe it. We both have the same philosophies; we want to rope as fast as we can and win as much as we can."
Pivetti and Christensen, though, had limited success at the college level, or at least not enough success to continue roping together after graduation. Christensen moved to Nevada and Pivetti returned home to Hollister following their time at Fresno State, eventually leading to a five-year layoff between the two ropers.
And this is where Pivetti's story takes yet another turn.
At Fresno State, Pivetti and Christensen roped opposite ends of the steer than they do today - Pivetti was the heeler and Christensen was the header. But while staying with friends in Texas shortly after graduating, Pivetti began to learn roping the other end of the steer. It took two and a half years for him and his horses to convert to being headers.
"Mike and I didn't have much (success) at all back in college," Pivetti said.
"He was heading for me, which is probably why we didn't have a whole lot of success back then."
While Pivetti, 28, has been a header for the past three years now, it wasn't until April that he finally rejoined Christensen on the California circuit.
"Things weren't working out with our partners, so we decided to get back together," said Christensen, who currently resides in Bakersfield. "We've both made improvements through the years, and the switch has definitely been a plus. It's going forward, not backward."
The switch made even more sense once Christensen's header horse suffered an injury.
"I had a good heeling horse, so I started heeling," he said. "But [Pivetti] scores well, he catches the majority of his steers and he handles them. He makes it easy for the heeler."
Teaming up in August, the two took second place at their very first rodeo in Santa Barbara, and were from then on entered in some rodeo every weekend until October. With more than 200 miles separating Hollister and Bakersfield, though, Pivetti and Christensen would rope with different partners during the week for practice, then rope together in the practice pen before their go-round.
"We rodeoed for a year and a half or so, but we didn't win a lot," said Holcomb, who partnered with Pivetti last season and still practices with the Hollister header. "Sometimes it's your day and sometimes it's not.
"But [Pivetti and Christensen] drew some good steers, roped really good and took advantage of it, did a heckuva job."
Pivetti and Christensen entered in about 12 different rodeos this season and placed in more than half of them, "which in rodeo is a pretty high percentage," Pivetti said. Prior to this season, however, Pivetti found success through small, local "jackpot" rodeos - nothing like the national event he'll experience in April.
"It's as good as it gets," Pivetti said.
For one more improbable twist to their story, Pivetti and Christensen will test their hand at the Dodge National Circuit Finals Rodeo, scheduled for April 7-10 in Pocatello, Idaho. The two will be up against 24 of the best roping pairs in the country.
Not bad for the second time around.
"There is an unknown chemistry there," Pivetti said. "But it definitely helped as our skill sets, with him being the heeler and me being the header, improved that chemistry."
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The Dodge National Circuit Finals were held in Norco on Nov. 20-22. Team Roping - 1, Mike Pivetti/Mike Christensen, 21.5 seconds on three head, $1,596 each; 2, Daniel Green/Todd Hampton, 27.8, $1,197; 3, Paul Mullins/Rhett Kennedy, 29.9, $798; 4, Blaine Linaweaver/Brandon Bates, 34.3, $399.
Andrew Matheson Andrew Matheson is a sports writer for South Valley Newspapers. He can be reached at 831-637-5566 ext. 334 or at amatheson@svnewspapers.com.
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