Coopers Pack 1-2 Punch at Fort Worth’s World’s Original Indoor Rodeo®

by Susan Kanode
for the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo

FORT WORTH, Texas — Last year, Tuf Cooper made history as the first member of his legendary roping family to win a championship at the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo.

He earned the tie-down roping championship in the historic Will Rogers Coliseum, something that his father, eight-time world champion Roy Cooper, had never done. Neither had his older brothers, Clint or Clif Cooper, who are both Wrangler National Finals Rodeo (NFR) qualifiers. All of the family calls Decatur, Texas, home.

After the Friday matinee performance, it is likely that there will be a Cooper in contention for a 2019 championship. Most of the tie-down ropers had their first round during preliminary competition known as slack. The youngest of the Cooper brothers finished at the top of the leaderboard. Tuf had the fastest time at 8.0 seconds. Clif was right behind at 8.2. Together, they have already earned $11,989 here.

When it was time to rope in the second round at the Friday matinee performance, Tuf went first and stopped the clock in 9.1 seconds. That combined with his first-round time gave him the overall lead at 17.1 seconds. Then it was Clif’s turn. When he put his hands in the air after completing his run, the clock had stopped at 8.7. Clif now has the overall lead with 16.9 seconds. He is also tied for third in the second round with the oldest of the trio, Clint.

Sydni Blanchard, from Pueblo, Colo., took the lead in the barrel race Friday afternoon. Riding her 10-year-old mare, Famous Heartbreaker, they made a big move with a 16.22-second run. Jennifer Sharp from Montgomery, Texas is now in second place with a 16.48. The first round of barrel racing will be completed at the Tuesday night performance. Then the 70 with the fastest times will advance to a second round. Both women will get to run again here but will be anxiously waiting through the rest of the competition to see how much money they earn in the first round.

Bull rider Dustin Bowen became the fifth man to be successful on two rides. He had his first-round bull during the matinee performance and while a 72-point score won’t get him any money, it gave him an opportunity.

The native of Fredericksburg, Pennsylvania, was the only man to last eight seconds and all he needed was another ride to move into the overall standings. He rode his second bull Friday night and that is exactly what happened. He improved on his earlier score, got an 83 on United Pro Rodeo’s bull named Wilder, and now is fifth overall with a total of 155 points. The two-time NFR qualifier has struggled with injuries, but is now healthy and looking for a trip to Las Vegas to compete at rodeo’s championships next December. A big win here would certainly help pave the way.

The World’s Original Indoor Rodeo® continues with three performances on Saturday at 10 a.m., 2 and 7:30 p.m.

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The following are unofficial results from Friday’s performances of the World’s Oldest Indoor Rodeo® at the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo, February 1, 2019.

Eleventh Performance

Bareback Riding: 1, Pascal Isabelle, Okotoks, Alberta, 84 points on Silver Creek Rodeo’s Plastic Fantastic. 2, Logan Patterson, Kim, Colo., 82. 3, Lane McGehee, Victoria, Texas, 81. 4, Wyatt Bloom, Bozeman, Mont., 80.

Steer Wrestling: 1, Blake Knowles, Heppner, Ore., 4.6 seconds. 2, Cameron Morman, Glen Ullin, N.D., 4.9. 3, Dakota Stermer, Pilot Point, Texas, 7.3. 4, Ace Campbell, Whitesboro, Texas, 11.5.

Team Roping: 1, Caleb Smidt, Bellville, Texas, and Will Woodfin, Marshall, Texas, 5.4 seconds. 2, Kal Fuller, Bozeman, Mont., and Travis Woodard, Huckabay, Texas, 5.5. 3, Garett Chick, Salado, Texas, and Ross Ashford, Lott, Texas, 6.2. 4, Nick Sartain, Yukon, Okla., and Austin Rogers, Crescent, Okla., 6.9.

Saddle Bronc Riding: 1, Shane Proctor, Grand Coulee, Wash., 80 points on Big Rafter Rodeo’s Who Knows. 2, Garrett Buckley, Craig, Colo., 75. 3 (tie), Garrett Uptain, Craig, Colo., and Tegan Smith, Winterset, Iowa, 74 each.

Tie-Down Roping: 1, Clif Cooper, Decatur, Texas, 8.7 seconds. 2, Tuf Cooper, Decatur, Texas, 9.1. 3, Blair Burk, Durant, Okla., 10.0. 4, Cooper Raley, Brenham, Texas, 11.2.

Barrel Racing: 1, Sydni Blanchard, Pueblo, Colo., 16.22 seconds. 2, Kylar Terlip, Frontenac, Kan., 16.65. 3, Halyn Lide, Stephenville, Texas, 16.91. 4, Mindy Goemmer, Battle Mountain, Nev., 16.93.

Bull Riding: (one ride) 1, Dustin Bowen, Fredericksburg, Pa., 72 points on Rafter G Rodeo’s #480.

Twelfth Performance

Bareback Riding: 1, Austin Foss, Terrebonne, Ore., 82 points on United Pro Rodeo’s Happy Hour. 2, Lane McGehee, Victoria, Texas, 76. 3, Hunter Brasfield, Delta, Colo., 75. 4, Wyatt Bloom, Bozeman, Mont., 74.5.

Steer Wrestling: (three times) 1, Clayton Hass, Weatherford, Texas, 3.6 seconds. 2, Dakota Eldridge, Elko, Nev., 5.4. 3, Cody Cabral, Hilo, Hawaii, 6.2.

Team Roping: 1, Nick Sartain, Yukon, Okla., and Austin Rogers, Crescent, Okla., 5.0 seconds. 2, Kal Fuller, Bozeman, Mont., and Travis Woodard, Huckabay, Texas, 5.8. 3, Garett Chick, Salado, Texas, and Ross Ashford, Lott, Texas, 8.7. 4, Caleb Smidt, Bellville, Texas, and Will Woodfin, Marshall, Texas, 13.0.

Saddle Bronc Riding: (three rides) 1 (tie), Tegan Smith, Winterset, Iowa, on United Pro Rodeo’s Poke-a-dot and Aaron Lide, Odessa, Texas, on United Pro Rodeo’s Devils Wish, 78 points each. 3, Shane Proctor, Grand Coulee, Wash., 76.

Tie-Down Roping: 1 (tie), Ty Harris, San Angelo, Texas, and Jordan Ketscher, Squaw Valley, Calif., 12.1 seconds each. 3 (tie), Cooper Martin, Alma, Kan., and Case Swor, Winnie, Texas, 12.3.

Barrel Racing: 1, Michelle Alley, Madisonville, Texas, 16.67 seconds. 2, Kellie Collier, Hereford, Texas, 16.76. 3, Suzanne Brooks, Seminole, Okla., 16.83. 4, DeAnna Critton, Jensen, Utah, 16.91.

Bull Riding: (two rides) 1, Dustin Bowen, Fredericksburg, Pa., 83 points on United Pro Rodeo’s Wilder. 2, Laine Vicaro, Hammond, La., 75.

Current Leaders

Bareback Riding: (first round) 1, Kaycee Feild, Genola, Utah, 87.5 points on Rafter G Rodeo’s Biscuit. 2, Casey Colletti, Pueblo, Colo., 85.5. 3, Tyler Johnson, Burneyville, Okla., 83.5. 4, Winn Ratliff, Leesville, La., 82. 5, Waylon Guy Bourgeois, Church Point, La., 79.5. 6 (tie), Trey Moore III, Anniston, Ala., and Wyatt Bloom, Bozeman, Mont., 77. (second round) 1, Pascal Isabelle, Okotoks, Alberta, 84 points on Silver Creek Rodeo’s Plastic Fantastic. 2 (tie), Kaycee Feild, Genola, Utah, and Leighton Berry, Weatherford, Texas, 83.5 each. 4, Tristan Hansen, Dillon, Mont., 82.5. 5, Logan Patterson, Kim, Colo., 82. 6, Lane McGehee, Victoria, Texas, 81. (third round) 1, Casey Colletti, Pueblo, Colo., 84 points on Dakota Rodeo’s Sunrise. 2, Austin Foss, Terrebonne, Ore., 82. 3, Waylon Guy Bourgeois, Church Point, La., 81.5. 4, Tristan Hansen, Dillon, Mont., 78.5. 5 (tie), Travis Chapman, Bastrop, La., and Trey Moore III, Anniston, Ala., 78. (total on three) 1, Feild, 245 points. 2, Winn Ratliff, Leesville, La., 235. 3 (tie), Foss and McGeHee, 233.5 each. 5, Moore, 232. 6, Bloom, 231.5

Steer Wrestling: (second round) 1, Baxtor Roche, Tremonton, Utah, 3.5 seconds. 2, Tyler Pearson, Louisville, Miss., 3.6. 3, Ryan Lewis, Hineston, La., 4, Bubba Boots, St. Anthony, Idaho, 4.0. 5, Cade Austin Goodman, Waelder, Texas, 4.1. 6, Tom Lewis, Lehi, Utah, 4.2. (total on two) 1 tie), Jace Melvin, Fort Pierre, S.D., and Marcus Theriot, Poplarville, Miss., 8.6 seconds each. 3, Jesse Brown, Baker City, Ore., 9.0. 4. Lewis, 9.2. 5, Boots, 9.3. 6, Brandon Harrison, Port Arthur, Texas, 9.9.

Team Roping: (first round) 1, Jeff Flenniken, Caldwell, Idaho, and Jake Minor, Ellensburg, Wash., 5.0 seconds. 2 (tie), Matt Sherwood, Pima, Ariz., and Tyler Worley, Berryville, Ark.; and Caleb Smidt, Bellville, Texas, and Will Woodfin, Marshall, Texas, 5.4 each. 4, Kal Fuller, Bozeman, Mont., and Travis Woodard, Huckabay, Texas, 5.5. 5 (tie), Garrett Rogers, Baker City, Ore., and Cesar de la Cruz, Tucson, Ariz.; Dustin Egusquiza, Mariana, Fla., and Kory Koontz, Stephenville, Texas; and Brye Crites, Afton, Okla., and Jake Clay, Sapulpa, Okla., 5.8. (second round) 1, Marcus Theriot, Poplarville, Miss., and Coleby Payne, Lipan, Texas, 4.7 seconds. 2, Joshua and Jonathan Torres, Ocala, Fla., 4.8. 3, Aaron Macy, Post, Texas, and Jason Johe, San Luis Obispo, Calif., 4.9. 4, Nick Sartain, Yukon, Okla., and Austin Rogers, Crescent, Okla., 5.0. 5, Riley and Brady Minor, Ellensburg, Wash., 5.1. 6, Matt Sherwood, Pima, Ariz., and Tyler Worley, Berryville, Ark., 5.2. (total on two) 1, Sherwood and Worley, 10.6 seconds. 2, Kal Fuller, Bozeman, Mont., and Travis Woodard, Huckabay, Texas, 11.3. 3, Riley and Brady Minor, 11.4. 4, Levi Simpson, Ponoka, Alberta, and Cole Davison, Stephenville, Texas, 12.1. 5, Ty Bach, Millsap, Texas, and Trey Johnson, Weatherford, Texas, 13.3. 6, Brandon Gonzales, Seboyeta, N.M., and Steve Northcott, Odessa, Texas, 13.8.

Saddle Bronc Riding: (first round) 1, Kole Ashbacher, Arrowwood, Alberta, 84.5 points on Rafter G Rodeo’s Golden Glow. 2, Zeke Thurston, Big Valley, Alberta, 84. 3, Colt Gordon, Comanche, Okla., 83.5. 4, Dawson Hay, Wildwood, Alberta, 82, 5, (tie) Joey Sonnier III, New Iberia, La., and Sterling Crawley, Stephenville, Texas, 81.5. (second round) 1, Sterling Crawley, Stephenville, Texas, 86.5 points on Andrews Rodeo’s Rock Bottle. 2, Thurston, 84. 3 (tie), Bradley Harter, Loranger, La.; Wyatt Casper, Pampa, Texas, and Colt Gordon, 82.5. 6, Dawson Hay, Wildwood, Alberta, 82. (total on two) 1 (tie), Crawley and Thurston, 168 points each. 3, Gordon, 166. 4, Hay, 164. 5 (tie), Sonnier and Casper, 160.5.

Tie-Down Roping: (second round leaders) 1, Sterling Smith, Stephenville, Texas, 7.5 seconds. 2, Alex Caudle, Livingston, Ala., 8.3. 3 (tie), Clint Cooper and Clif Cooper, Decatur, Texas, 8.7 each. 5, Justin Brinkerhoff, Corinne, Utah, 9.0. 6, Tuf Cooper, Decatur, Texas, 9.1. (total on two) 1, Clif Cooper, 16.9 seconds. 2, Tuf Cooper, 17.1. 3, Caudle, 19.1. 4, Smith, 19.8. 5 (tie), Monty Lewis, Hereford, Texas, and Taylor Santos, Creston, Calif., 20.0.

Barrel Racing: (first round) 1, Sydni Blanchard, Pueblo, Colo., 16.22 seconds. 2, Jennifer Sharp, Montgomery, Texas, 16.48. 3, Jill Wilson, Snyder, Texas, 16.49. 4, Tiany Schuster, Krum, Texas, 16.53. 5 (tie), Ilyssa Glass, Tatum, N.M., and Ivy Conrado, Nowata, Okla., 16.58.

Bull Riding: (first round) 1, Dallee Mason, Weiser, Idaho, 89 points on Rafter G Rodeo’s King Herod. 2, Jeff Askey, Athens, Texas, 83. 3, Dalan Duncan, Ballard, Utah, 82.5. 4, J.T. Moore, Alvin, Texas, 80.5. 5, Bayle Worden, Charleston, Texas, 77.5. 6, Aaron Williams, Pismo Beach, Calif., 78. (second round) 1, Boudreaux Campbell, Crockett, Texas, 87.5 points on Rafter G Rodeo’s Johnny Cash. 2, Tyler Taylor, Stephenville, Texas, 84.5. 3 (tie), Trey Kimzey, Strong City, Okla., and Dustin Bowen, Fredericksburg, Pa., 83 each. 5, Moore, 82. 6, Cullen Telfer, Thonotosassa, Fla., 81. (total on two) 1, Moore, 162.5. 2, Askey, 160. 3, Duncan, 158. 4, Aaron Williams, Pismo Beach, Calif., 156.5, 5, Bowen, 155. (on one) 6, Mason, 89.