A little video intel followed by a quick phone call helped Beau Cooper come away with a much-needed victory over the weekend.
The Stettler, Alberta, cowboy replayed fellow tie-down roper Ty Harris‘ run during a first-go performance at the High Desert Stampede in Redmond, Oregon, on Thursday. Cooper noted that the calf Harris faced had ducked to the left after entering the arena. Cooper then called Harris to talk about the run as he was paired with the same calf on Friday.
The homework paid off as Cooper finished in 7.8 seconds, slightly ahead of Haven Meged‘s time of 7.9 seconds to win the rodeo and earn a $4,355 paycheck.
“Having a little knowledge of what your calf does prior can be beneficial, but at the same time you can’t make too many plans because they’ve got a mind of their own. Sometimes you’ve just got to react and go from there,” Cooper said. “Luckily, I just kind of got a good start on her before she got over there and that was it. Sometimes the fastest times seem to be the simplest runs.”
Cure for Cooper’s winter blues?
The win was a significant momentum boost for Cooper who is continuing to battle through a bit of winter adversity to stay in contention for his second straight berth to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo.
Cooper’s primary horse sustained an injury a few weeks back that has forced him to adjust on the fly. At Redmond, he used Cody Craig’s horse, “Badger,” to earn the victory. It’s a familiar partnership that has paid dividends in the past. Last season, Cooper and Badger earned money at both the Greeley (Colo.) Stampede and California Rodeo Salinas on the way to his first Wrangler NFR.
The win was Cooper’s first of the season, but his second big paycheck in the last month. He also earned a little more than $2,500 at the Rio Grande Valley Livestock Show & Rodeo back in mid-March, along with checks at San Antonio, Fort Worth and Houston.
“It’s been a pretty good winter for me. I’ve kind of had to rely on other people’s horses and my young horse,” Cooper said. “I’ve run some good calves and stuff has just been kind of lining up that way. It’s just kind of fell into place and I’ve made some good runs.”
Building NFR momentum
While he waits for his horse to heal, Cooper isn’t letting the recovery slow his progress. With a little more than $12,500 in earnings already in his ledger coming into Redmond, the up-and-coming PRCA competitor knows the importance of a good winter to set yourself up for the warmer months.
There’s still a long way to go between now and December at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, but Cooper still has his eyes on the ultimate prize—getting the money needed to get back to NFR.
“A guy has got to capitalize on his opportunities and try to rack up as much as you can in the winter,” Cooper said. “That’ll help come summertime when you’re running so much; it helps take some of the pressure off. But you’ve still got to do your job in the summertime. There’s so much money to win in the summer and everybody looks forward to it.”
More results from Redmond
Other winners at the Playoff Series Rodeo were all-around cowboy Brushton Minton ($4,217, tie-down roping, steer wrestling and team roping); bareback rider Garrett Shadbolt (87.5 points on Bridwell Pro Rodeos’ Ted); steer wrestler Levi Rudd (4.3 seconds); team ropers Cole Eiguren/Tyler Eiguren (5.3 seconds); saddle bronc rider Cameron Messier (88 points on Corey & Lange Rodeo’s Diamond Fever); barrel racer Hayle Gibson (16.32 seconds); and bull rider Luke Mast (87.5 points on Bridwell Pro Rodeos’ Hell No Roscoe).
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