ProRodeo Sports News - November 17, 2023

HEBER CITY, UTAH

Cooke makes most of Wilderness event Proven RAM WILDERNESS CIRCUIT FINALS

BY ALEX RILEY, Special to ProRodeo Sports News N o excuses. on the task at-hand, no matter what. His draw featured solid bucking horses, but nothing he would have considered spectacular. Still, the Victor, Idaho, native made up his mind – he was going to win and win big. “I just told myself for about two weeks that I was going to clean sweep it no matter what – and it happened. So that was pretty good,” Cooke said with a laugh. Thanks to consistent efforts over three rounds of competition, Cooke came away with a trio of wins, culminating with 261 points on three head to easily claim the bareback aggregate title by 15 points over Mason Clements. Cooke set the tone from the first go with an 86-point ride on Powder River Rodeo’s Big Blue in the first round, followed by an 88-point ride on Legacy Pro Rodeo’s War Widow in the second. That set the stage for the third round, which pitted Cooke against a familiar foe. In mid-September at the Lion’s Dixie Roundup in St. George, Utah, Cooke drew Legacy Pro Rodeo’s Wooley, a young colt who he had no familiarity with. The ride didn’t go well, resulting in Cooke earning a re-ride option. This time around, he was ready. Cooke had to wait for his turn in the chutes as he ended up being the last bareback rider to compete in the final go. The anticipation proved to be worth it. “I wasn’t really sure on how that was going to go, but I just kind of kept a positive attitude throughout the whole thing,” Cooke said. “That horse took one jump, and I knew it was going to be phenomenal.” HIs 87-point effort ended up tying with Clements for the third-go victory, but the finish propelled him to the circuit title. All told, Cooke walked away from Heber City, with more than $9,800 toward his ledger for the 2024 season. Cooper came into the competition thinking he might take home half that amount at best, so it was a big swing of momentum for an up-and-coming competitor looking to crack the top tier of rodeo athletes. For the 2023 season, Cooke finished 21st in the PRCA | RAM World Standings, placing him just outside of reaching the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo for the first time. Thanks to his success at the Wilderness Finals, Cooke has some renewed confidence and a healthy start to the coming season, which is exactly what he was looking for. “I really liked this weekend because I just wanted to go out and show everyone that I can be at the Finals, I ride good enough to be at the Finals,” Cooke said. “I really thought last summer I had matured enough to make it, but there’s a few minor things that had probably set me back from that, which is fine. It’s just a learning curve. But this coming year is going to be really good. I feel really confident, I know what I’m doing now.” The moment bareback rider Cooper Cooke saw the horses he had drawn for the RAM Wilderness Circuit Finals Rodeo, he made the decision to focus

TOP SCORES

TOP MONEY EARNER Cooper Cooke ($9,820, bareback riding) BAREBACK RIDING

Cooke

1. Cooper Cooke .............. 261 pts. on 3 2. Mason Clements ......................... 246 3. Sage Allen ................................... 245 STEER WRESTLING 1. Stetson Jorgensen ...... 12.3 sec. on 3 2. Colton Mooney .......................... 12.5 3. Dirk Tavenner ............................. 13.2 TEAM ROPING 1. Pallesen/Kuttler .......... 16.2 sec. on 3 2. C. Kap/J. Fillmore ...................... 17.6 3. R. Anderson/Z. Lewis ................ 25.6 SADDLE BRONC RIDING 1. Spencer Wright ......... 256.5 pts. on 3 (Tie) Statler Wright .................. 256.5 3. Ryder Wright .............................. 254 TIE-DOWN ROPING 1. Chance Thiessen ......... 25.3 sec. on 3 2. Shane Hanchey .......................... 27.9 3. Colton Kofoed ............................ 28.2 BARREL RACING 1. Abby Phillips ............. 46.78 sec. on 3 (Tie) Savannah Bennett ............ 46.78 3. Amanda Butler ......................... 47.07 BULL RIDING 1. Josh Frost .................... 176 pts. on 2 2. Stetson Wright ........................... 174 3. Wylee Hurst ............................. 173.5

Complete results/Page 96

Amanda Dilworth photo

Cooper Cooke, split the round three win with an 87-point ride on Legacy Pro Rodeo’s Wooley. It was part of a dominant performance by Cooke, who also won the average.

ProRodeo Sports News 11/17/2023

ProRodeo Sports News 11/17/2023

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