Cooper Hoping to Add NWSS Tie-Down Roping Title to Resume
Tuf Cooper from Decatur, Texas is hoping to win his first championship at the National Western Stock Show Rodeo in tie-down roping. Cooper roped and tied his calf in 7.1 seconds on Thursday evening, the fastest of this year’s rodeo so far. His total on two runs also advanced him to Saturday’s Semi-Finals. NWSS photo by Greg Westfall/C Bar C Photography.
DENVER, Colo. – It’s probably been 15 years that Tuf Cooper has been competing in the tie-down roping at the National Western Stock Show Rodeo.
The Decatur, Texas, resident has won four world championships, qualified for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo on 15 occasions and added countless other rodeo wins to his resume, but the one in the Denver Coliseum has eluded him. He’s been close to earning that title several times but has never been able to close the deal. Cooper joined the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association in 2008 and has been here nearly every year since.
He’s hoping that 2024 will be the year that he takes home the buckle from Denver. He competed here on Thursday and roped and tied his calf in 8.0 seconds at the matinee performance. In a very fast set, that was good enough for third place. He came back that evening and stopped the clock in 7.1 seconds to have the fastest time at this year’s rodeo so far.
Cooper finished at the top of bracket 7 with a total time of 15.1 seconds. He now will be staying in the Mile High City until Saturday where he will compete in one of three Semi-Finals. There will be 8 competitors in each of the three performances on Saturday. The best four from each Semi-Finals will advance to Sunday’s Championship Finals.
Also looking to be there is Hailey Kinsel of Cotulla, Texas, who had the Denver fans on the edge of their seats Thursday afternoon. She was riding her great mare, DM Sissy Hayday, that fans know as “Sister.” After they made the final turn and ran back out of the arena, the time on the clock read 14.63 seconds, an arena record.
It was the second time that the arena record has been set at this year’s rodeo in the barrel racing. Chelsea Moore, from Rose Hill, Kansas first set the record during the eighth performance when stopping the clock in 14.68 seconds. The record had been held by Texan Tammy Fischer with a time of 14.69 since 2002.
Kinsel and Sister came back on Thursday night with a 14.78-second run. They are at the top of Bracket 7 by nearly two-tenths of a second with a total time of 29.41.
The brackets in this year’s tournament-style rodeo will be completed on Friday, January 18. Bracket 8 will have their first round at 1:30 and second round at 8 p.m.
DENVER, Colo. — The following are results from the PRCA and WPRA rodeo at the National Western Stock Show Rodeo. Semifinals qualifiers advance based on their total from two rounds.
13th Performance —
Bareback Riding: 1, (tie) Roedy O Farrell, Thermopolis, Wyo., on Cervi Brothers Rodeo and Weston Timberman, Columbus, Mont., on Cervi Brothers Rodeo’s Path Killer, 80 points each. 3, Mason Stuller, Veneta, Ore., 78. 4, Gauge McBride, Kearney, Neb., 70.
Steer Wrestling: 1, Stetson Jorgensen, Blackfoot, Idaho, 4.2 seconds. 2, Ryan Shuckburgh, Innisfail, Alberta, 4.5. 3, Gage Hesse, Keenesburg, Colo., 5.0. 4, Ty Bauerle, Jourdanton, Texas, 5.3.
Team Roping: 1, Coy Brittain, and Colton Brittain, Rockwall, Texas, 5.8 seconds. 2, Jase Staudt, Saguache, Colo., and Jayden Johnson, Casper, Wyo.,, 7.1. 3, Clay Bauer, Arcadia, Neb., and Butch Levell, Fort Calhoun, Neb., 9.1. 4, (tie) J.C. Yeahquo, Mandaree, N.D., and Buddy Hawkins II, Stephenville, Texas; and Bodie Mattson, Sturgis, S.D., and Cash Hetzel, Lemmon, S.D., 11.8.
Saddle Bronc Riding: 1, Kolby Wanchuck, Sherwood Park, Alberta, 87 points. 2, Ryder Wright, Beaver, Utah, 84 (reride from 10th performance). 3, Brody Wells, Powell, Wyo., 83. 4, Brody Cress, Hillsdale, Wyo., 82.
Tie-Down Roping: 1, Shad Mayfield, Clovis, N.M., 7.5. 2, Luke Potter, Maple city, Kan., 7.6. 3, Bodie Mattson, Sturgis, S.D., 7.8. 4, Tuf Cooper, Decatur, Texas, 8.0.
Women’s Barrel Race: 1, Hailey Kinsel, Cotulla, Texas, 14.63 seconds.* 2, McKenna Coronado, Kanarraville, Utah, 14.69. 3, Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi, Lampasas, Texas, 14.85. 4, Ashlyn Goven, Stephenville, Texas, 14.96.
Bull Riding: 1, Jax Mills, Montgomery, Texas, 84.5 points on Bailey Pro Rodeo’s Unjustified. 2, Ky Hamilton, Mackay, Australia, 83. 3, T Parker, Winnie, Texas, 77.
14th Performance —
Bareback Riding: 1, Taylor Broussard, Estherwood, La., 84 points on Legend Rodeo Stock’s Super Cat. 2, Roedy O Farrel, Thermopolis, Wyo., 79. 3, Gauge McBride, Kearney, Neb., 77. 4, Mason Stuller, Veneta, Ore., 76. (semifinals qualifiers) 1, Farrell, 159. 2, Stuller, 154. 3, Broussard, 150.
Steer Wrestling: 1, Joe Wilson, Martin, S.D., 3.7. 2, Nick Guy, Sparta, Wis., 4.2. 3, Gage Hesse, Keenesburg, Colo., 5.1. 4, Olin Hannum, Malad, Idaho, 5.5. (semifinals qualifiers) 1, Wilson, 9.6. 2, Hess, 10.1. 3, Stetson Jorgensen, Blackfoot, Idaho, 14.2.
Team Roping: 1, Clay Bauer, Arcadia, Neb., and Butch Levell, Fort Calhoun, Neb., 5.3. 2, Will jones, Allerton, Iowa, and Trey Justin Frank, Sioux City, Ia., 6.7. 3, Bodie Mattson, Sturgis, S.D., and Cash Hetzel, Lemmon, S.D., 13.5. 4, Zane Michael Huffman, Poolville, Texas, and Blake Ash, Aurora, Mo., 14.7. (semifinals qualifiers) 1, Bauer and Levell, 14.4. 2, Mattson and Hetzel, 25.3. 4, Huffman and Aash, 35.9.
Saddle Bronc Riding: 1, Statler Wright, Beaver, Utah, on Legend Rodeo Stock’s and Brody Cress, Hillsdale, Wyo., on Bailey Pro Rodeo’s Capone, 86.5 points each. 3, Brody Wells, Powell, Wyo., 85. 4, Ean Price, Leedey, Okla.,85. (semifinals qualifiers pending) 1, Kolby Wanchuk, Sherwood Park, and Cress, 168.5. 3, Wright, 168.
Tie-Down Roping: 1, Tuf Cooper, Decatur, Texas, 7.1 seconds. 2, Shad Mayfield, Clovis, N.M., 7.7. 3, Chance Thiessen, Elk city, Okla., 8.0. 4, Bodie Mattson, Sturgis, S.D., 8.4. (semifinals qualifiers) 1, Cooper, 15.1. 2, Mayfield, 15. 2. 3, Thiessen, 16.1.
Women’s Barrel Race: 1, Hailey Kinsel, Cotulla, Texas, 14.78 seconds. 2, McKenna Coronado, Kanarraville, Utah, 14.89. 3, Oceane Veilleux, St-Alfred, Quebec, Canada, 14.92. 4, Natalie Bland, Boyd, Texas, 14.93. (semifinals qualifiers) 1, Kinsel, 29.41. 2, Coronado, 29.58. 3, Tonozzi, 29.87.
Bull Riding: 1, T Parker, Winnie, Texas, 87 points on Cervi Brothers Rodeo’s Stinky Winky. 2, Braydan Kilcrease, Council Hill, Okla., 85.5. 3, Ky Hamilton, Mackay, Australia, 80. (semifinals qualifiers) 1, Parker, 164. 2, Hamilton, 163. Kilcrease, 85.5.