It’s no accident that professional team roper Jim Ross Cooper, 29, of Monument, N.M., is an elite roper. Rodeo and ranching are simply in his genes. Cooper and his twin brother, Jake, are the sons of 1981 world all-around champion and 2005 PRCA Hall of Fame inductee Jimmie Cooper. In 2007, the Cooper brothers became the first twins to qualify for the Wrangler NFR in team roping.
Cooper has won championships from Sheridan, Wyo., to Prescott, Ariz., and the all-around hand even notched a tie-down roping victory at the famed Pendleton Round-up in 2010. Cooper says that winning the Justin Boots Playoffs in 2013 with Brandon Beers ranks toward the top on his list of career highlights. He successfully teamed with Beers in June 2013where a third-place finish at the famed Bob Feist Invitational in Reno, Nev., placed them front and center in the national spotlight.
He will heel for Beers when The American hits AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on March 2, 2014.
“I’m really looking forward to seeing what the future of rodeo looks like,” said Cooper of qualifying to compete at the unique event. “I think having a good idea like this and trying to do something with it to offer more money for the sport of rodeo is awesome for us.”
Cooper plans to ride his horse “Z,” and as an athlete who enjoys watching other professional sports, he is looking forward to competing in the famous venue. As far as preparation goes, Cooper intends to stick to the routine that works for him, “nothing out of the ordinary.” The former Rookie of the Year in Team Roping (Heeling) will have his girlfriend, Jenna; brother, Jake; dad, Jimmie; mom, Sheryl; and sister, Jill Tanner, all rooting for him in Arlington.
