First in his college rankings. Former world champion. Top-10 finish last time he competed at the World finals.
Armstrong cowboy Jaret Cooper鈥檚 confidence is, like his 2021 performance in saddle bronc, riding large.
Cooper heads to Las Vegas this week for the Junior World Finals Rodeo, part of the National Finals Rodeo event. It will be his fourth World Championship event. He鈥檒l compete in saddle bronc with his first ride set for Friday, Dec. 3, and he gets back in the saddle Sunday, Dec. 5. If he makes the top-10, Cooper will compete in the short-go on Dec. 6.
鈥淚鈥檓 pretty excited,鈥� said the soft-spoken Cooper, 18. 鈥淢y confidence is pretty high.鈥�
Cooper, a Vernon Secondary grad, returned home to the North Okanagan for a few days to spend with family and to enjoy mom Karen鈥檚 home cooking before heading south. He鈥檚 been honing his skills inside and outside the rodeo ring at Olds College in Olds, Alta., where he is part of the Broncos鈥� rodeo team, and is studying in the school鈥檚 farrier science certificate program (makes horse shoes and applies them to horses鈥� hooves).
In the rodeo arena, 2021 has been a great year for Cooper.
He currently leads the Canadian Intercollegiate Rodeo Association鈥檚 saddle bronc standings with 395 points, 20 more than Jared Solomon of the Southern Alberta Intercollegiate Rodeo Team. Cooper collected his points with a win in the first go (performance) at the Lakeland Fall Classic in Vermillion, Alta., scoring a 66, and was third in the second go with a 65. He was third in the second go at the Broncos鈥� home rodeo with a 66 and capped off the first half by finishing fifth (62) and fourth (64) at Fort McLeod.
Cooper also competes in college in tie-down roping. He sits sixth in the standings with 270 points, which includes winning the first-go at Fort McLeod with a time of 10.9 seconds.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been a pretty good first half,鈥� said Cooper. 鈥淐ollege life is alright. I don鈥檛 eat as much food anymore.鈥�
Cooper鈥檚 pre-college career is what attracted the attention of Olds College.
Dating back to 2018, Cooper put together a serious resum茅 as he was named the 2018 Canadian Junior Roughstock Champion in saddle bronc and the 2020 BC High School Rodeo Association saddle bronc champion. In addition to these wins, Cooper also finished third at the 2019 Canadian High School Finals in calf roping, second at the Canadian High School Finals in steer wrestling, and was a qualifier for the National High School Rodeo Association (NHRSA) Finals in saddle bronco, calf roping, and steer wrestling in 2019 and 2020.
Internationally, Cooper finished first and was named World Champion at the 2019 World Junior Finals (15-18 year olds) in Las Vegas competing in saddle bronc. He followed up his 2019 successes with a sixth place finish in saddle bronc at the 2020 World Junior Finals in Fort Worth, Texas.
Olds College rodeo team is continually working towards improving their team while maintaining academics. Practices are offered four nights a week in a heated indoor arena as well as scheduled riding time on the weekends. Coaches are committed to coming in at every opportunity and helping members learn so they can excel in each event. In addition, there are outdoor pens for students to board their horses on campus.
Last year the team celebrated its 50th year and is incredibly proud with the achievements of the team to date, however Olds Rodeo knew they could offer more opportunities. This year Olds College Rodeo held tryouts and now, for the first time, has a varsity team of 14 athletes.
READ MORE: Top-10 result at world finals rodeo for Vernon cowboy
READ MORE: Vernon cowboy captures world championship buckle
roger@vernonmorningstar.com
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