Active Interest Media (AIM) has announced they will be hiring Karl Stressman as the president of the United States Team Roping Championships (USTRC). The announcement comes as Stressman officially wraps up nine years as commissioner of the PRCA at the end of this year.

AIM purchased the World Series of Team Roping in October 2015, and made the purchase of the USTRC earlier this year. AIM head of roping operations Denny Gentry founded the USTRC before moving on to found and grow the World Series in to the $11 million finals it has become.

“We’ve had a good six-month evaluation, and we think we know exactly what kind of product we’re handing over to Karl,” Gentry said in a video press release posted by the USTRC.

The two organizations will now work to complement each other moving forward into future roping seasons. With over 30,000 members, 100 national qualifying events, and several finals events in the USTRC, Stressman may not have the easy retirement that he thought he would have when he spoke of leaving his position at the PRCA.  

As an avid team roper himself, Stressman says he has a focus on the members' needs for his role.

“I think the most important issue, the agenda issue that I have is taking a look at the USTRC and creating the atmosphere that the contestants want to see, and we’ll go from there,” Stressman said in the USTRC video press release.

Stressman’s position at the USTRC will begin January 1, 2018, while his position as the commissioner of the PRCA will officially end December 31, a replacement has not yet been named for that position.

View the video press release posted by the USTRC in its entirety here: