Tuf Cooper’s final two weeks of the regular season were go, go, go.
Sitting squarely on the bubble for the first time in his career the three-time World Champion tie-down roper had to hustle harder than ever to make his 15th NFR.
(quote) “I got to go everywhere, I had to do it the hard way, got a lot of advice from my brother Cliff. I got to go to a lot of great rodeos that I’ve never been to before, got to see a lot of the country I’ve never seen before,” he said. “It was a lot of fun, honestly, I really enjoyed all of it.”
During the last two weeks, he was entered at 14 rodeos, got on multiple flights and rode several different horses to make sure no stone was was left unturned because he did not qualify for the Cinch Playoffs Governor’s Cup in Sioux Falls. That included a trip to Cumberland, Maine to in the final weekend of the season, just like fellow tie-down roper Taylor Santos had done a few years prior.
“My goal was to get to 13th or 14th (in the PRCA World Standings) and see what happened. As much money as Sioux Falls paid, it was possible that anybody could jump up,” he said.
By the time that hectic stretch was all said and done, it was well worth it as Cooper pulled in around $13,000 on eight total checks.
“I got back home and after it was over with and my dad said, ‘you know how rodeoed those last two weeks,’ I said, ‘yeah,’ he said, ‘I did that all year.’”