Meet the Member Sean Arellano
story by Ruth Nicolaus Sean Arellano loves riding bulls. When he started his Colorado Junior High School Rodeo Association competition a year ago, he said, […]
Cooper practicing with sister Josey - courtesy of the family
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.”
story by Ruth Nicolaus Sean Arellano loves riding bulls. When he started his Colorado Junior High School Rodeo Association competition a year ago, he said, […]
story by Siri Stevens Wesley Lammers is the National Junior High School Rodeo Association president. “I ran for president last year in Des Moines Iowa, […]
By Lindsey Fancher Fifteen gallons of chocolate milk is what fueled Joshua (Jimmy) Love to Junior High Nationals all the way from Eaton, CO to […]
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September 27, 2020
BARREL RACING
1 Cassidy Evans 81.00
2 Jolene Rhyne 52.00
3 Savanah Roberts 48.00
4 Aspen Autry 47.00
5 Jaycee Yonkers 44.00
6 Adalie Hansen 42.00
7 Ashley Anstead 39.00
8 Brylee Brehm 34.00
9 Shaylee Spaid 29.00
10 Rivers Hill 22.00
BOY’S BREAKAWAY
1 Traven Sharon 69.00
2 Chance Knez 33.00
3 Stran Lechman 33.00
4 Wesley Lammers 29.00
5 Mason Neese 23.00
6 Brayden Betsworth 17.00
7 Tucker Canty 17.00
8 Nolan Reardon 14.00
9 Hogan Kelley 8.00
10 Travis Canty 8.00
BOY’S GOAT TYING
1 Traven Sharon 89.00
2 Nathan Lammers 65.00
3 Cash Evans 64.00
4 Wesley Lammers 63.00
5 Cactus Barnes 50.00
6 Brayden Betsworth 42.00
7 Chance Knez 33.00
8 Nolan Reardon 16.00
9 Tucker Canty 16.00
10 Foster Krempin 12.00
BULL RIDING
1 Logan Durham 50.00
2 Tucker Jacobson 28.00
3 Benjamin Sittler 28.00
CHUTE DOGGING
1 Cash Evans 82.00
2 Nathan Lammers 75.00
3 Cactus Barnes 67.00
4 Jack Pankey 26.00
5 Ryan Pankey 21.00
6 Coltyr Goss 20.00
7 Nolan Reardon 16.00
8 Foster Krempin 15.00
9 Logan Stillings 5.00
GIRL’S BREAKAWAY
1 Cassidy Evans 56.00
2 Roan Spencer 34.00
3 Luci Bruchez 23.00
4 Aspen Autry 23.00
5 Brylee Brehm 19.00
6 Shylene Drumm 18.00
7 Adalie Hansen 17.00
8 Shaylee Spaid 16.00
9 Jolene Rhyne 10.00
10 Savanah Roberts 8.00
GIRL’S GOAT TYING
1 Blake Coors 72.00
2 Cassidy Evans 63.00
3 Shylene Drumm 62.00
4 Jolene Rhyne 50.00
5 Brylee Brehm 49.00
6 Shaylee Spaid 46.00
7 Jaycee Runner 35.00
8 Aspen Autry 29.00
9 Ava Dole 19.00
10 Roan Spencer 15.50
POLE BENDING
1 Cassidy Evans 64.00
2 Jolene Rhyne 55.00
3 Savanah Roberts 45.00
4 Roan Spencer 45.00
5 Ashley Anstead 43.00
6 Aspen Autry 43.00
7 Olivia Betsworth 32.00
8 Brylee Brehm 29.00
9 Grace Landwehr 28.00
10 Merica Van Pelt 25.00
RIBBON ROPING
1 Nathan Lammers 61.00
2 Jolene Rhyne 61.00
3 Cactus Barnes 60.00
4 Cash Evans 60.00
5 Cassidy Evans 60.00
6 Jaycee Yonkers 60.00
7 Blake Coors 57.00
8 Hogan Kelley 57.00
9 Traven Sharon 28.00
10 Josey Mcclain 28.00
RIFLE SHOOT
1 Dalton Groom 81.00
2 Wesley Lammers 74.00
3 Jack Pankey 64.00
4 Logan Stillings 49.00
5 Ryan Pankey 48.50
6 Foster Krempin 30.00
7 Nolan Reardon 11.50
SADDLE BRONC-STEER
1 Cash Evans 67.00
2 Traven Sharon 29.00
3 Wyatt Bartel 17.00
TEAM ROPING
1 Nathan Lammers 40.00
2 Wesley Lammers 40.00
3 Cash Evans 39.00
4 Cassidy Evans 39.00
5 Traven Sharon 20.00
6 Hogan Kelley 20.00
7 Cactus Barnes 9.00
8 Jack Pankey 9.00
9 Ryan Pankey 9.00
10 Stran Lechman 9.00
TIE DOWN ROPING
1 Nathan Lammers 68.00
2 Cash Evans 60.00
3 Cactus Barnes 53.00
4 Coltyr Goss 31.00
5 Foster Krempin 23.00
6 Hogan Kelley 16.00