George Strait photo courtesy of MCA Records

May 1, 2006 — If he had to make a choice between charting hit songs or winning roping competitions, superstar George Strait wouldn't need to think twice. "That's easy," he says. "It'd be roping, no question about it."

His George Strait Team Roping Classic is among the largest and most prestigious events of its kind. This year's classic drew 570 teams to San Antonio, many of whom will be shown as a part of the Great American Country airing of the competition Thursday, May 4, 9:30 p.m. (EDT) and again on May 8 and 13.

Team roping (also known as heading and heeling) involves a steer and two mounted cowboys with a window of opportunity of four to twelve seconds for a professional team. Strait's love of the sport led to the creation of his own event many years ago. "I started (the event) 24 years ago," he recalls. "I was into team roping, my career was getting pretty good and I loved the sport so much and thought 'Why don't we put on our own roping contest?' "

Strait's 24-year-old son, Bubba, also competes. "He (his father) was so into it and I would rather do other stuff. I don't know what finally made me get on a horse and do it," the younger Strait says. "I guess it's because that's all he wanted to do and I wanted to get out there and play with him.

"But it's just something that once you do it, you just get hooked. Some people compare it to golf — that one long drive gets you hooked," Bubba says. "You make that one good run and you're hooked."

This extra-curricular passion of country music's winningest star is not likely to make him quit his day job. First appearing at the top of the country charts in 1982, Strait has since amassed 51 No. 1 hit singles, 19 No. 1 country albums and has sold more than 62 million albums worldwide.

"I have to be realistic about it," the 53-year-old admits. "These guys do it for a living and I do it as much as I can. I love it and would love to win." And the honky-tonker finds that neither of his passions is without pressures and risks.

"It's (roping) totally different and can get to you. You have to block those things out and think 'This is nothing I haven't done before, it's just another run,'" Strait says. "You try to look at it that way and you steer as fast as you can. Going on stage I'm excited and pumped and the crowd pumps me up more so it's totally different.

"You rope with what you got and everything else will take care of itself."

This week's GACtv.com Country Q & A comes from Chris in Woodbridge, Va.:

Q: How does Toby Keith come up with all the ideas for his songs?

A: Toby Keith comes up with many of his songs by just paying attention to life. When something happens that he thinks is a good story, or idea for a song, he has the skill to write about it.

For instance, his first No. 1, "Should've Been a Cowboy," came about when Toby and some of his buddies went into a bar dressed in hunting gear. One of his buddies went up to a pretty girl in the bar and asked her to dance. She shot him down. As he walked away a cowboy walked up and asked her dance and away they went. When Toby's buddy got back to the group somebody said, "You shoulda been a cowboy."

Also, most people know Toby's "How Do You Like Me Now" was aimed at a couple of ladies who shot him down as well. Over the years, Toby has also begun co-writing with some of Nashville's best, including his buddy Scotty Emerick, Dean Dillon, Radney Foster, Chuck Cannon and others.

(Ronna Rubin, a 21-year veteran of the music industry, can be contacted at ronna@gacmusicbeat.com.)

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