ROCK SPRINGS — This weekend Rock Springs should be filled with cowboy hats, trucks, horse trailers, and ropes. The Sweetwater Events Complex is thrilled to be back in saddle again for big summer events and will host the 2020 World Series of Team Roping Qualifier at the grandstands June 26-28.

The World Series of Team Roping, founded in 2006, produces the richest team roping event in the World. Each year, WSTR produces over 140 qualification events, with the WSTR Finale located in Las Vegas, Nevada. The World Series of Team Roping Finals is the richest and most prestigious showcase for the sport. The WSTR Finals paid out $12.5 million cash and prizes.

During the season, WSTR paid contestants $34 million in cash purses. Team roping boasts the largest economical component of the recreational horse world producing $65 million in cash purses each year. These purses surpass all other horse events combined excluding horse racing. The finale was the second richest equestrian event in the world.

For the past, several years the World Series Qualifier, produced by Triple T Productions was held in Jackson, Wyoming. While the event was highly successful, the location caused problems for both the production team and ropers attending the event. Hotel rooms are very costly in Jackson Hole in the summer and the town simply is not very “hungry” to host events during their peak season.

Staff at the Sweetwater Events Complex reached out when the producers began looking for a new venue and the Events Complex has the facilities required, plus the I-80 location is a great asset. The 2019 Jackson event hosted approximately 460 ropers, and we expect more this weekend. Each roper brings and average of 2.5 family and friends. Last year’s event, only had nine Sweetwater County residents so out of county attendance could be upwards of 98 percent.

The Sweetwater Events Complex has this great event locked in for 2020, 2021 and 2022. We hope you will join us in welcoming the ropers and their families to Rock Springs. They will be spending money locally on fuel, dining, hotels and more. Using numbers supplied by Dean Runyan for the Wyoming Office of Tourism this event could drop over $350,000 into our local economy. The World Series Team Roping is also sponsored by the Sweetwater County Travel & Tourism Board.

For more information on this event or a full calendar of events please go to www.SweewaterEvents.com.