Cooper James is only 19-years-old and has had a fantastic start to his ProRodeo career.
He has made $148,623 already and is currently No. 10 in the World Standings and No. 3 in the Resistol Rookie Standings after a win in Round 2 at the Pendleton Xtreme Bulls Finale. It is very likely James is heading to Las Vegas alongside fellow first-year cowboys Wacey Schalla and Jeter Lawrence.
“At the start of this year, I was just kind of rodeoing where I could,” he said. “I bought my card for a reason and knew I had a shot (to make the NFR). It’s so crazy watching it come into reality. It’s just a dream come true.
That Go-Round win on Monday paid him more than $8,000, which greatly helped the young cowboy’s confidence.
“It feels awesome, but you don’t want to let the highs get too high and the lows get too low,” he said. “Riding that confidence, that momentum definitely helps, especially this late in the season. We’re all sore, all banged up.”
James is no stranger to tough competition, he competed often against No. 1 ranked rookie Schalla and No. 2 rookie Lawrence growing up, since the three of them were getting on steers.
“It’s just cool to have them be a part of this as well,” he said. “It’d be awesome (to have the Rookie of the Year race come down to the NFR), we’re all looking forward to it. I think it’s going to keep us riding even better through the Finals.”
