1. Elder Cooper brother ties up late holiday gift

            MESQUITE, Texas – Clint Cooper clearly doesn’t mean to miss another Las Vegas reunion with his younger brothers.

            Two weeks after watching Tuf and Clif compete without him at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo for the first time in three years, Cooper got just the sort of confidence boost he was seeking with a win at the Dec. 28-29 Winter Classic in Mesquite Arena.

            Cooper’s time of 7.9 seconds in the tie-down roping was four-tenths of a second faster than another former Wrangler NFR qualifier, Timber Moore, and earned him $1,405.

            “It was fun pulling for my brothers (at the NFR), but it felt wrong not being in the arena with them … it was hard,” Cooper said. “It’s brought me into this season with a little more motivation.”

            Before the win in Mesquite, Cooper split first place with Ryan Jarrett at the Texas Stampede in Allen, and won the Fort Bend County Fair & Rodeo in Rosenberg, Texas.

            That’s three wins in three tries, taking him into this weekend’s SandHills Stock Show & Rodeo in Odessa, Texas, fourth in the 2013 world standings, despite choosing not to count Mesquite as one of his 75 official PRCA rodeos.

            “I got off to a great start last year, too,” Cooper said, “but things kind of slipped away at the end. It seemed like if I didn’t have a calf kick, I was breaking a barrier. I just didn’t have any luck, and I went back (home to Decatur, Texas) early. I stopped after Pendleton (Ore.).”

            Cooper, the eldest son and namesake of eight-time World Champion Roy Cooper – he was christened Roy Clint Cooper – ended up winning four PRCA rodeo titles in 2012 and finished 27th in the world.

            He went to Las Vegas to support his two brothers – Tuf successfully defended his world title and Clif finished 15th – and also to oversee the care of two-time AQHA/PRCA Tie-Down Roping Horse of the Year Sweetness, owned by Spur Resources and Cooper.

Shane Hanchey placed in all four rounds that he rode Sweetness and Fred Whitfield, Hunter Herrin and Houston Hutto all competed in a couple of rounds on the horse.

            “After the NFR I kind of decided to give Sweetness a vacation, just turn him out for a while and let him rest,” Cooper said. “I borrowed Timber Moore’s horse at Mesquite and it went pretty well for the first time. Sweetness will be back in Odessa.”

            Cooper and Moore traveled together in 2011 and are back in the truck this year after Moore missed much of 2012 with a blown-out knee.

The other winners in the $34,312 Winter Classic were 39-year-old bareback rider D.V. Fennell (75 points), steer wrestler A.D. Davis II (3.9 seconds), team ropers Tyler Waters/Nick Rowland and Brandon Vaske/Chase Boekhaus (4.5 seconds), saddle bronc riders Wyatt Barstow and Sterling Crawley (80 points each) and bull rider Bayle Worden (87 points).

For Fennell, a Wrangler NFR qualifier in 2009-10, it was the first win in a PRCA rodeo since the Gary Hardt Memorial in Payson, Ariz., 19 months ago.

 

2. News and notes from the rodeo trail

            Chase Tryan was named Male Athlete of the Year by the Helena (Mont.) Independent Record after completing the best season ever by a ProRodeo cowboy from that area. Tryan finished fourth in the team roping (heeling) world standings with earnings of $166,189. Bareback rider Cody DeMers had held the previous records by finishing seventh in 2003 and 2005 with earnings of $141,237 in 2003. Tryan’s Wrangler NFR earnings of $68,759 also surpassed DeMers’ total of $49,856 in 2011. Tryan and header Keven Daniel finished second in the NFR average standings and the only Helena cowboy to top that was Marvin “Butch” Joyce, who won the saddle bronc riding average title in 1972. “Making the Finals was the ultimate highlight,” Tryan told the Independent Record. “It was cool to be there, to be able to rope in that same arena that I’ve watched on TV – it was a dream come true. And to share the experience with my whole family there was just unbelievable.” … The Sept. 11-15 West Texas Fair & Rodeo turned a profit of $149,000 according to a report in the Abilene Reporter News, despite three days of rain which certainly hindered attendance … The Redding Rodeo Association handed out 75 free bicycles last month to children selected by Shasta County teachers. The seventh annual Christmas giveaway is assisted by Restoration Enterprises and the Chain Gang Bike Shop in Redding, says Rick Williams, the RRA’s bicycle chairman … The Oregon Trail Rodeo in Hastings, Neb., made a donation of $2,183 to the Morrison Cancer Center last month to purchase an automatic blood pressure cuff. The device will help nurses monitor a number of chemotherapy patients at one time … Organizers of the Tarleton State University Rodeo Hall of Fame are accepting nominations for its second induction class through Jan. 14. For more information, call 254.968.9187.

 

3. Next Up

Jan. 2       National Western Rodeo Timed-Event Qualifying Rodeo, Denver, begins

Jan. 3       Ram Texas Circuit Finals Rodeo, Waco, begins

Jan. 4       SandHills Stock Show & Rodeo, Odessa, Texas, begins

 

4. 2013 PRCA WORLD STANDINGS

Through Jan. 2, 2013

 

Bareback Riding

1.    George Gillespie IV, Placerville, Calif.                           $5,263

2.    Matthew Smith, Leesville, La.                                          4,999

3.    Jake Brown, Hillsboro, Texas                                            4,273

4.    Orin Larsen, Twin Falls, Idaho                                          3,611

5.    Chris Harris, Itasca, Texas                                                 3,444

6.    Tray Chambliss III, Waller, Texas                                     2,913

7.    Casey Breuer, Mandan, N.D.                                            2,386

8.    Tanner Aus, Granite Falls, Minn.                                      2,362

9.    Steven Anding, Athens, Texas                                          2,272

10.  Clint Cannon, Waller, Texas                                              2,251

       Casey Colletti, Pueblo, Colo.                                            2,251

12.  Jared Smith, Cross Plains, Texas                                       2,217

13.  D.V. Fennell, Lake Charles, La.                                        2,190

14.  Chase Erickson, Helena, Mont.                                         2,138

15.  Tyson Thompson, Bradley, Calif.                                      2,048

16.  Winn Ratliff, Leesville, La.                                               2,020

17.  Taylor Price, Huntsville, Texas                                          1,948

18.  Teddy Athan, Livermore, Calif.                                        1,938

19.  Dustin Smith, Rome, Ga.                                                  1,671

20.  Jake Halverson, Decatur, Texas                                         1,603

 

Steer Wrestling

1.    Shayde Etherton, Borden, Ind.                                       $4,844

2.    Derek Stewart, Hearne, Texas                                           4,163

3.    Justin Thigpen, Waycross, Ga.                                          3,050

4.    Riley Duvall, Checotah, Okla.                                           3,033

5.    Jason Miller, Lance Creek, Wyo.                                       2,936

6.    Ethen Thouvenell, Napa, Calif.                                         2,801

7.    Ty Erickson, Helena, Mont.                                               2,753

8.    Juan Alcazar Jr., Kissimmee, Fla.                                      2,530

9.    Bill Pace, Stephenville, Texas                                            2,417

10.  Brad McGilchrist, Marysville, Calif.                                 2,413

11.  Jason Schaffer, Broadus, Mont.                                        2,394

12.  Hank Hollenbeck, Molt, Mont.                                         2,297

13.  Chris Berry, Valley View, Texas                                       1,929

14.  Brad Johnson, Reva, S.D.                                                 1,818

15.  Wade Kunze, Beggs, Okla.                                               1,799

16.  Chance Howard, Cedarville, Ark.                                     1,784

17.  Jarrett Rasmussen, Valentine, Neb.                                   1,768

18.  Weston Taylor, Perryton, Texas                                        1,721

19.  Cody Cabral, Hilo, Hawaii                                                1,670

20.  Teddy Johnson, Checotah, Okla.                                      1,528

Cooper Shofner, Huntsville, Texas                                    1,528

 

Team Roping (header)

1.    Justin Van Davis, Madisonville, Texas                            $5,168

2.    Bradley Massey, Perry, Fla.                                               4,505

3.    Zayne Dishion, Bishop, Calif.                                           4,183

4.    Clay White, Shandon, Calif.                                             3,876

5.    Clayton Hass, Terrell, Texas                                              3,762

6.    Justin Lovell, Grapeland, Texas                                        3,736

7.    Turtle Powell, Stephenville, Texas                                    3,365

8.    Coleman Proctor, Pryor, Okla.                                          3,135

9.    Blaine Vick, Dublin, Texas                                                3,106

10.  Charly Crawford, Prineville, Ore.                                     3,010

11.  Tyler Wade, Terrell, Texas                                                 2,944

12.  Jake Cooper, Monument, N.M.                                         2,807

13.  Nathan McWhorter, Telephone, Texas                              2,767

14.  Tyler Hinton, Dayton, Texas                                             2,686

15.  Brad Hamilton, Pollok, Texas                                           2,664

16.  Blaine Linaweaver, Irvine, Calif.                                      2,591

17.  Calvin Brevik, Durango, Colo.                                          2,526

18.  Colby Lovell, Madisonville, Texas                                    2,327

19.  Tyler Waters, Collinsville, Texas                                       2,309

20.  Chris Lawson, Hempstead, Texas                                     2,097

 

Team Roping (heeler)

1.    Kory Koontz, Sudan, Texas                                            $5,168

2.    Shane Hester, Lakeland, Fla.                                             4,505

3.    John Chaves, Los Alamos, Calif.                                      3,876

4.    Ryan Motes, Weatherford, Texas                                      3,762

5.    Michael Fortenberry, Groveton, Texas                              3,736

6.    Jhett Johnson, Casper, Wyo.                                             3,504

7.    Randall Richards, Bedias, Texas                                       3,491

8.    Jake Pianalto, Rose, Okla.                                                 3,135

9.    Jim Ross Cooper, Monument, N.M.                                  3,010

10.  Twister Cain, Gonzales, Texas                                          2,767

11.  Zak Richardson, Westville, Fla.                                        2,733

12.  Trey Carter III, Pasadena, Texas                                       2,686

13.  Chad Agner, Greenville, Fla.                                             2,668

14.  Bret Gould, Lufkin, Texas                                                2,664

15.  Jake Twisselman, Santa Margarita, Calif.                          2,591

16.  Kyle Crick, Lipan, Texas                                                   2,508

17.  Tyler McKnight, Wells, Texas                                           2,371

18.  Ryan Zurcher, Torrington, Wyo.                                       2,334

19.  Travis Woodard, Stockton, Calif.                                     2,160

20.  B.J. Dugger, Center Point, Texas                                      2,097

 

Saddle Bronc Riding

1.    Spencer Wright, Milford, Utah                                       $5,482

2.    Tyrel Larsen, Inglis, Manitoba                                           4,345

3.    Mert Bradshaw, Eagle Point, Ore.                                    3,436

4.    Heith DeMoss, Heflin, La.                                                3,271

5.    Dean Wadsworth, Ozona, Texas                                       2,881

6.    Cody Wright, Milford, Utah                                             2,704

7.    Chuck Schmidt, Keldron, S.D.                                         2,603

8.    Nick Laduke, Livermore, Calif.                                        2,540

9.    Cole Elshere, Faith, S.D.                                                   2,533

10.  Mike Johnson, Adair, Okla.                                                2,292

11.  Brady Nicholes, Hoytsville, Utah                                     2,079

12.  Louie Brunson, Interior, S.D.                                             2,076

13.  Eddie Parlier, Johnson City, Tenn.                                    1,983

14.  Bryan Hammons, Victoria, Texas                                      1,826

15.  Curtis Garton, Kaitaia, New Zealand                                 1,805

16.  Tol Cawley, Crockett, Texas                                             1,716

17.  Ryan MacKenzie, Homedale, Idaho                                 1,618

18.  Jeremy Melancon, Huntsville, Texas                                 1,519

19.  Michael Maher, warwick, queensla                                    1,488

20.  Samuel Kelts, Millarville, Alberta                                     1,441

Jesse Kruse, Great Falls, Mont.                                         1,441

 

Tie-down Roping

1.    Caleb Smidt, Yorktown, Texas                                       $5,616

2.    Barrett Threadgill, Hallettsville, Texas                              4,564

3.    Justin Maass, Giddings, Texas                                          4,449

4.    Clint Cooper, Decatur, Texas                                            4,088

5.    Blake Hirdes, Turlock, Calif.                                             3,668

6.    Boe Brown, Harrold, S.D.                                                 2,910

7.    J.D. Kibbe, Portales, N.M.                                                2,734

8.    Justin Macha, Needville, Texas                                         2,646

9.    Dakota Eldridge, Elko, Nev.                                             2,374

10.  Tim Pharr, Resaca, Ga.                                                      2,309

11.  Jade Conner, Iowa, La.                                                     2,262

12.  Ryan Jarrett, Comanche, Okla.                                          2,180

Tuf Cooper, Decatur, Texas                                              2,180

14.  Tyler Thiel, Belle Fourche, S.D.                                        2,166

15.  Cedric Martin, Wharton, Texas                                         2,160

16.  Ryle Smith, Oakdale, Calif.                                              1,964

17.  Zeb Chapman, Lafayette, Ga.                                           1,961

18.  Don Coffell, Iredell, Texas                                                1,902

19.  Bryce Barnes, Las Vegas, Nev.                                         1,818

20.  Justin Scofield, Volga, S.D.                                              1,709

 

Steer Roping

1.    Cody Lee, Gatesville, Texas                                            $4,934

2.    Chet Herren, Pawhuska, Okla.                                          4,232

3.    Joe Wells, Cisco, Texas                                                     3,292

4.    Bryce Davis, Ovalo, Texas                                                2,894

5.    Coy Thompson, Whitewood, S.D.                                    2,838

6.    Vin Fisher Jr., Andrews, Texas                                         2,215

7.    Walter Priestly, Robstown, Texas                                     2,212

8.    Rod Hartness, Pawhuska, Okla.                                        2,169

9.    Neal Wood, Needville, Texas                                            2,106

10.  Mike Outhier, Utopia, Texas                                             2,037

11.  Kim Ziegelgruber, Edmond, Okla.                                    2,022

12.  Shane Suggs, Granbury, Texas                                          2,005

13.  Will Gasperson, Decatur, Texas                                        1,747

14.  Scott Snedecor, Fredericksburg, Texas                             1,411

15.  Landon McClaugherty, Tilden, Texas                               1,233

16.  Jason Evans, Huntsville, Texas                                          1,084

17.  Slick Ellis, Alvin, Texas                                                        842

18.  Brady Garten, Claremore, Okla.                                           758

19.  Dan Fisher, Andrews, Texas                                                710

Chris Fleet, Axtell, Texas                                                     710

 

Bull Riding

1.    Scottie Knapp, Albuquerque, N.M.                               $14,175

2.    Kanin Asay, Powell, Wyo.                                               10,685

3.    Cooper Davis, Jasper, Texas                                              8,204

4.    Ardie Maier, Timber Lake, S.D.                                        6,076

5.    Reese Cates, Monticello, Ark.                                           5,147

6.    Bobby Welsh, Gillette, Wyo.                                            4,628

7.    Blaine Skaggs, Hubbard, Ore.                                           4,487

8.    Cole Echols, Elm Grove, La.                                             4,208

9.    Ty Clearwater, LaCygne, Kan.                                          4,153

10.  Jeff Askey, Martin, Tenn.                                                  4,116

11.  Friday Wright II, Moss Point, Miss.                                  4,067

12.  Shane Proctor, Grand Coulee, Wash.                                 3,975

13.  Ty Wallace, Collbran, Colo.                                              3,937

14.  Cody Rostockyj, Hillsboro, Texas                                      3,696

15.  Cody Teel, Kountze, Texas                                               3,279

16.  Parker Greenwood, Big Piney, Wyo.                                3,088

17.  Neil Holmes, Houston, Texas                                            2,712

18.  Brant Atwood, Fort Worth, Texas                                    2,680

19.  Chandler Bownds, Lubbock, Texas                                  2,620

20.  Dallee Mason, Weiser, Idaho                                             2,539

*2013 Barrel Racing (through Jan. 2, 2013)
Barrel racing standings, provided by the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association (WPRA), are unofficial, subject to audit and may change. Unofficial WPRA Standings are published by the PRCA as a courtesy. The PRCA is not responsible for the verification or updating of WPRA standings.

1. Fallon Taylor, Whitesboro, Texas                          $11,159

2. Carlee Pierce, Stephenville, Texas                             6,874

3. Brittany Pozzi, Victoria, Texas                                  5,727

4. Jane Melby, Burneyville, Okla.                                  5,412

5. Kelley Carrington-French, Boston, Ga.                     4,152

6. Kassidy Dennison, Tohatchi, N.M.                           3,298

7. Rainy Graham, Gardendale, Texas                            3,272

8. Jenna Marie Moore, Johnson City, Texas                  3,227

9. Jaime Hinton, Ceres, Calif.                                        3,166

10. Sherry Cervi, Marana, Ariz.                                     3,151

11. Cassie Moseley, Cedar Lane, Texas                        2,996

12. Tana Renick, Kingston, Okla.                                  2,819

13. Linda Vick, Hesperia, Calif.                                    2,710

14. Megan Williams, Daingerfield, Texas                      2,668

15. Lee Ann Rust, Stephenville, Texas                          2,461

16. Sheena Robbins, Fresno, Calif.                                2,448

17. Savanah Reeves, Cross Plains, Texas                      2,405

18. Mary Walker,  Ennis, Texas                                     2,313

19. Sidney Forrest, Gun Barrel, Texas                           2,201

20. Rachel Primm, San Luis Obispo, Calif.                   1,891

 

5. 2013 PRCA Xtreme Bulls Standings

Unofficial through Jan. 2, 2013

1.    Scottie Knapp, Albuquerque, N.M.                                $11,944

2.    Kanin Asay, Powell, Wyo.                                               10,594

3.    Blaine Skaggs, Hubbard, Ore.                                            8,353

4.    Cooper Davis, Jasper, Texas                                              4,750

5.    Ardie Maier, Timber Lake, S.D.                                        4,659

6.    Bobby Welsh, Gillette, Wyo.                                             4,628

7.    J.W. Harris, Mullin, Texas                                                 3,969

8.    Tim Bingham, Honeyville, Utah                                        3,335

9.    Shane Proctor, Grand Coulee, Wash.                                 2,345

10.  Cody Samora, Cortez, Colo.                                               2,336

11.  Corey Navarre, Weatherford, Okla.                                    2,319

12.  Tyler Smith, Fruita, Colo.                                                   1,842

13.  Josh Koschel, Nunn, Colo.                                                  1,657

14.  Trevor Kastner, Ardmore, Okla.                                         1,608

15.  Ty Clearwater, LaCygne, Kan.                                           1,524

16.  Caleb LaFrance, Athens, Texas                                          1,281

17.  Dakota Beck, Nesa, Wash.                                                 1,116

18.  Tag Elliott, Thatcher, Utah                                                    906

19.  Bart Miller, Oshkosh, Neb.                                                    398

       Cody Teel, Kountze, Texas                                                   398

 

The PRCA, headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colo., is the largest and oldest professional rodeo-sanctioning body in the world. The recognized leader in ProRodeo, the PRCA is committed to maintaining the highest standards. The PRCA, a membership-based organization, sanctions approximately 500 rodeos annually, and there are nearly 30 million fans in the U.S. The PRCA showcases the world’s best cowboys in premier events through the Wrangler Million Dollar Tour presented by Justin Boots, the Justin Boots Playoffs and Championships, the PRCA Xtreme Bulls Tour and the world-renowned Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. Action from PRCA-sanctioned rodeos and its premier events appears on Great American Country (DISH Network 165, DirecTV 326) and Pursuit (DISH Network 240, DirecTV 604). Each year, PRCA-sanctioned rodeos raise more than $26 million for local and national charities. www.prorodeo.com