ProRodeo Sports News - Oct. 18, 2024

WACO, TEXAS

PERMIT FINALS

Legacy Continued

Kooper Heimburg keeps Missouri Valley relevant BY ALEX DODD T he Missouri Valley College rodeo program has developed a reputation in the PRORODEO world, mainly due to its knack for producing top-level bareback riders. Distinguished Viking alumni include three-time world champion Tim O’Connell, 2022 champ Jess Pope and eight-time National Finals Rodeo qualifier Tanner Aus. Another Missouri Valley College phenom may be on the horizon in PRORODEO after Kooper Heimburg earned the bareback riding title at the PRCA Permit Finals on Oct. 6 in Waco, Texas, with 247.5 points on three head. “My coach (at Missouri Valley College) Ken Mason is a really good guy and he’s really good on the bareback riding,” Heimburg told the ProRodeo Sports News . “And I have to thank him for a lot of the ways that I think.” Heimburg earned $15,060 on his permit to qualify for the culminating event from Oct. 4-6 at the Extraco Center. The Marshall, Mo., cowboy said college rodeo at Missouri Valley College and the mentorship provided by some of PRORODEO’s best prepared him for the ups and downs of his permit season. “Jess (Pope), Tim (O’Connell) and Tanner Aus came out of (MVC) and I got really close with them by going to school there,” Heimburg said. “They’re always by my side if I need anything, and they taught me a lot along the way too.” Heimburg opened the permit finals with a Round 1 win thanks to an 84.5-point ride on Cervi Championship Rodeo’s R. Watson’s Scarlette to pick up $1,042 out of the gate. He followed with a 78-point ride in Round 2. In the final go-round, Heimburg delivered an 85-point trip to earn an additional $782 and clinch the average title. “It was really exciting,” he said of the event. “It was a really cool rodeo that they put on for us. And I was out most of the summer due to an injury, but I’m glad that I was able to come here and dominate when I could.” Heimburg’s average win bested second-place finisher Tuker Carricato (246.5 points on three head) to earn $1,535. Winners at the PRCA Permit Finals also received an automatic bid to compete at RodeoHouston from March 4-23, 2025. The upcoming edition of the event will pay out more than $2.5 Million. “It’s a really big deal,” Heimburg said. “I’ve always dreamed of riding there. And the PRCA giving us that opportunity is a really big deal, and it’s really exciting to me.”

TOP SCORES

TOP MONEY EARNER Bailey Small ($4,377 in saddle bronc riding) BAREBACK RIDING

Small

1. Kooper Heimburg ..... 247.5 pts. on 3 2. Tuker Carricato ........................ 246.5 3. Darien Johnson .......................... 242 STEER WRESTLING 1. Tyler Mann .................. 18.7 sec. on 3 2. Jacob Wang ............................... 19.8 3. Jake Shelton .............................. 22.4 TEAM ROPING 1. Johnson/Lansing ........ 18.3 sec. on 3 2. Jayse Tettenhorst/Mason Bice ... 19.5 3. Cole Smith/Gus Mosley ............. 17.3 SADDLE BRONC RIDING 1. Bailey Small ................. 247 pts. on 3 2. Skinny Parsons ........................... 245 3. Jett Williams ............................... 231 TIE-DOWN ROPING 1. Tyler Calhoun .............. 34.3 sec. on 3 2. Cash Fuesz ................................ 35.9 3. Sam Lewis .................................... 38 BULL RIDING 1. Lane Vaughan ........... 243.5 pts. on 3 2. Hudson Bolton ......................... 237.5 3. Dalton Rudman ..................... 86 on 1

Complete results/Page 48

James Phifer photo Kooper Heimburg matched Cervi Championship Rodeo’s Guardian Angel for an 85-point trip to clinch the average win at the PRCA Permit Finals on Oct. 6 in Waco, Texas.

ProRodeo Sports News 10/18/2024

ProRodeo Sports News 10/18/2024

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