story by Lily Weinacht
Colorado native Cooper McClain rode his first bull this spring and joined the CJHSRA shortly after, qualifying for the NJHFR in Lebanon, Tennessee, with just a dozen rides under his belt. Prior to that, the 13 year old from Cortez won the first round of the CJHSRA state finals and earned his first buckle, clinching his second buckle a week later when he won the youth bull riding at the San Luis Valley Fair. “It was great coming in third for Colorado and taking that buckle home,” says Cooper, who chose to ride bulls like his dad, Jason McClain. “Dad’s a six-time qualifier for the NFR, and after going to his rodeos, I thought it would be great to compete. He took me to a junior rodeo and I did pretty well, and I’ve kept on doing it since. I want to be like my dad someday.”
Jason has also competed in the PBR and CBR, but he’s taking time off to let a wrist injury heal. “Hopefully he’ll get better and be able to rodeo with me again,” says Cooper. “He teaches me everything he knows, and we practice on the barrel and go to Bo Pittman’s to get on practice steers and bulls. That keeps me tuned up for the next rodeo. Rick and Garrett Uptain help me out a lot in the chutes, and I’ll send videos of my rides to Charley Blackmer and he’ll tell me what I did right and what I need to work on. I love having friends that know what they’re doing who help me out. They motivate me to do good, and I’d like to say thanks to my friends and my family for helping me and keeping me going.”
The McClain family also raises bucking bulls, which Cooper hopes to start practicing on in the future, along with taking care of their three horses and several dogs. His eight-year-old sister, Josey, loves to ride, and competed in barrels and poles during the gymkhana the CJHSRA Ute Mountain Rodeo Team organized in October. The brother and sister and their parents, Jason and Laurie, live outside of town, making it easy for Cooper to go hunting with his family and friends. His dad also guides hunting trips for the nearby ranch he works for, while Laurie is a beautician.
An eighth grader at Mancos Middle School, Cooper played football for the school this fall and the team went undefeated. “I’m not a big school guy,” he admits, “but if I chose a favorite subject, it would be math. We’ve been working on some two step equations.” Cooper also played baseball for several years, but decided this year to focus his energy on bull riding. “I love what I do, and I love the people I hang out with rodeoing. It’s a great feeling to know you’re doing good, and my family keeps on motivating me. My grandparents and cousins have also watched me compete, which is pretty fun.”
As soon as the school bell rings, Cooper heads home to practice on his barrel, or if there’s a rodeo that weekend, he helps pack. “We usually leave a day early so we can hang out at the rodeo before the weekend. Some of my goals in rodeo are riding at least 75% of my bulls and working up from there. My main goal this season is going back to the National Junior High Finals and winning it.”
