The Founder and Owner of RopeSmart, John McCarthy grew up in Billings, Montana. He joined the US Air Force and started his career in the medical field which he served in the middle east. He then transferred into the AF intelligence community and was stationed in San Antonio. Since his retirement from the Air Force, he has owned and operated his own companies. He met his wife Rebecca through there common love of the western lifestyle and the sport of team roping. They have a family of 5 and 15 years later still rope, ranch, fish, and hunt as a family.
John’s technical background spans from his early years of inventing, engine building, fabrication, and digital mechanical design. After his time in the US Air Force, he first operated a successful commercial photography and video studio. Unknown to him at the time, this was to be the link to what eventually became the foundation of how the RopeSmart tools would be developed.
“Without proper fundamentals you can only hope for random success, with the proper fundamentals you are your only limitation.”
-John McCarthy
His love and passion for the western lifestyle, was grounded in ranching and the sport of team roping. When it came to the sport of team roping he went through the same challenges everyone else did. John put in the time and effort into other training products, instruction, and theory, but didn’t get the results he desired nor a clear understanding of what the “correct technique” was. With many of the great ropers/instructors contradicting one another and instruction varying in opinions everywhere he turned it left him at the crossroads of possibly ceasing to compete.
Out of frustration, he turned to his tools in the video industry to analyze what the greatest ropers did vs taught or thought they did. He was able to isolate some common denominators amongst these gifted ropers, (angles planes, etc). From this John designed tools and roping dummies that would force a person to develop the proper fundamentals of swings and deliveries for the foundation of their practice. All of this was based on what the great talents had in common that gave them the fundamentals to rise to the level they had.
RopeSmart Releases its first Science-Based Training System In 2009.
The Science Behind The Products
RopeSmart is known for the blue dummy “with the pole”. The Smart One is one of the best selling roping dummies on the market today. This dummy helps erase the wave offs, flat loops, early deliveries, and split horn misses that plague ropers of all levels. It also includes collapsible spring-loaded legs, a realistic heel loop opening(based off the underbelly of a steer), allows roping turning, dragging on hard surfaces, and includes position alignment features! It shapes a ropers loop angles, planes, heights and positions to help an individual unknowingly. This all from the ground, while developing and maintaining the fundamentals that are needed from horseback roping.
Not just for team ropers….
The Smart One is known for its diversity. Heading, heeling and calf roping, not just for team ropers. This dummy has additional length horns, and a removable calf head that stores underneath the body for easy loading to be able to practice anywhere.
The calf roping head attachment is proven to develop the same loop angles on the ground that are needed from horseback. Unlike other dummies that have heads high, and have a realistic head that has its head down and forward just like a hard running calf. (Bonus feature: The smooth slick surface doesn’t allow for poor loop build to catch!)
Needless to say what John designed has solved an age-old problem and is here to stay. It has risen from its release of the first science-based training system, being riddled with question and skepticism, to a top-selling and time tested and proven science-based training system. Our number one reason for sales is word of mouth and others watching others improve. We welcome you to join our family of customers.
Rope – Real – Win!
