Global Handicaps is the independent classification system behind team roping's numbering — the mechanism that assigns each roper a number reflecting their skill level so competitors of similar ability can be matched into balanced divisions. The number system itself traces back to 1990, born alongside USTRC's founding, and evolved from a subjective committee-balloting process in the '90s into the objective, data-based TRIAD system adopted in 2000. Today's Global Handicaps grew out of a full rewrite of the sport's event software — the Global Event Management System (GEMS) — which for the first time set up a dedicated IT and data center to run classifications independently of any single roping association. Global Handicaps now handles classifications for WSTR, USTRC, and numerous other associations and arenas, meaning a single classification card and number follow a roper across organizations rather than requiring separate handicaps for each.
Global Handicaps
Global Handicaps is the data-driven handicap system behind USTRC, WSTR, and other roping associations. It assigns every roper a number based on skill, using national par times as a common benchmark, so ropers of different abilities can be paired into fair, competitive teams.
Rating System
General
Behind the scenes, the system continuously reprocesses a roper's performance data — catch ratios, money won versus spent, win-to-enter ratios, speed per win, and par times — evaluated across rolling 12-, 24-, and 36-month windows, so numbers shift up or down over time based on actual results rather than a fixed rating. Proof of membership and classification is handled digitally through Globalhandicaps.com and the Global Handicaps app, which also powers "Time Tracker" so ropers and fans can follow runs live as an event progresses. A roper's classification isn't guaranteed to stay the same all year — it can be adjusted based on ongoing performance — and Global Handicaps reserves independent authority over classification decisions and appeals, including the right to revoke tie-on permissions. The system also offers a discounted Junior Global Card for ropers 15 and under, and functions as the entry point for newcomers: anyone without a WSTR, USTRC, or other existing classification can visit Globalhandicaps.com directly to purchase a membership and be assigned their first number.