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LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL • FRIDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2013

Friday night festivitiesbefore, after NFR

PAGE 2NFR

C lay O’Brien Cooper is oldenough to be the father ofmany of his team roping peers.Yet Father Time still hasn’t

caught up to the 52-year-old, who iscompeting in his 27th National FinalsRodeo, his 23rd at the Thomas & MackCenter.

O’Brien Cooper made his first NFRin 1981, and he’s bagged seven worldchampionships in the past 32 years. Lastyear, he made another run at the teamroping title, working with Chad Masters.The two won the NFR average — thebest aggregate time over the 10 rounds— helping Masters win the header worldcrown as O’ Brien Cooper took second inthe heeler world standings, just $1,131short of the title.

O’Brien Cooper, a Gardnervilleresident, is back this year with a new

partner, Justin Van Davis, a 31-year-oldmaking his NFR debut. The two arehardly strangers, having known each

other for 15 years, but they’ve ropedtogether only a few times several yearsago, and Davis had never tried to rope

enough in a season to earn an NFRberth.

“When you start out the year, youhave the expectation of hopefullyhaving a good year,” O’Brien Coopersaid. “But somewhere along the line,each year is gonna present its obstacles.You just have to be committed to pressthrough.

“Our year started off where we didn’tdo really good at rodeos that countedtoward the NFR. But then we won atHouston, which was good even thoughthat one doesn’t count in the standings.Then we had a really good spring, andwe established ourselves in the top 15 inthe standings.”

It was a rough summer, and thetwo were in and out of the top 15 intheir respective standings, but didjust enough late in the season to hangon. O’Brien Cooper finished 14th with

It’s all about experienceO’Brien Cooper an old hat when it comes to team roping

NATIONAL FINALS RODEO

▶ SEE EXPERIENCE PAGE 4Going strong at 52

By PATRICK EVERSONLASVEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL

JOHN LOCHER/LASVEGAS REVIEW-JOURNALClay O’Brien Cooper, left, and Jake Barnes compete in the team roping event during the seventh round of the National Finals Rodeo at the Thomas & Mack Center on Dec. 9, 2008.

Event: Team ropingWorld standing/earnings: 14th, $65,643Residence: GardnervilleNational Finals Rodeo qualifications:

27 (1981-95, 1997-98, 2000-04, 2006-08,2012-13); seven world titles (1985-89,1992, 1994)

Noteworthy: O’Brien Cooper, a teamroping heeler, is still making hay at theage of 52, competing strongly enough toput himself in world title contention. In2012, O’Brien Cooper roped with ChadMasters and won the NFR average title,with a total time of 73.4 seconds for 10rounds, and he finished second in theworld standings with $189,666 — just$1,131 behind Jade Corkill. O’BrienCooper is roping this year with 31-year-old Justin Van Davis.

CLAY O’BRIEN COOPER

Page 2 • Friday, December 13, 2013 a Las Vegas Review-Journal

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NFR

Today’s Wrangler NationalFinals Rodeo events

FRIDAY, DEC. 13

Tip of the Day — More than 40 hotelproperties in Clark County show theWrangler NFR on live satellite feed.Viewing is in high definition at selectproperties.

NFR 9 – 58 a.m. — 27th annual Spurs & Spikes

Golf Tournament (ticket required)10 a.m. – 5 p.m. — Cowboy FanFest,

Las Vegas Convention Center10 a.m. – 5 p.m. — Cowboy Christmas,

Las Vegas Convention Center12 p.m. – 1 p.m. — Outside the Barrel

with Flint Rasmussen12 p.m. – 2 p.m. — Wrangler NFR

Autograph Session (Saddle BroncRiders), Las Vegas Convention Center

NFR IN ARENA6:45 p.m. National anthem singer —

Daryle Singletary7 p.m. Ninth Go-Round NFR

performance, Thomas & Mack Center

NFR AFTER DARK

6:30 p.m. – 4 a.m. — Rodeo Vegas 2013,The Mirage

8 p.m. – 2 a.m. — Gary Leffew’sLegendary Buck ’n Ball, Gold Coast

9 p.m. – 3 a.m. — Gold Buckle Zone,MGM Grand

10:30 p.m. – 11:30 p.m. — NationalFinals Tonight Show, Gold Coast

11 p.m. – Go-Round BucklePresentations, South Point

ENTERTAINMENT7 p.m. — Aaron Watson with Wolf

Creek, South Point7:30 p.m. — Shania Twain, Caesars

Palace8 p.m. — Brett Eldredge, Gold Coast8 p.m. — The Black Crowes, Hard

Rock

8 p.m. — Sinbad, The Orleans8 p.m. — JayZ, Mandalay Bay9 p.m. — Damsel, LoCash Cowboys

and Neal McCoy, 10 p.m.9 p.m. — Bill Engvall, Treasure Island10 p.m. — Merle Haggard, Golden

Nugget10 p.m. — Jerrod Neimann, The

Mirage10 p.m. — Rodney Carrington, MGM

GrandHighlight of the Day — Brett Eldredge

performs at Gary Leffew’s LegendaryBuck ’n Ball at Gold Coast. Admission isfree, doors open at 8 p.m.

For a complete listing of events,go to www.NFRexperience.com orfollow us on Facebook or Twitter at /LasVegasNFR #WranglerNFR.

Brett Eldredge

Bill Engvall

Jerrod Neimann

Sports fans love to yell at refereesand officials.

It’s a hobby for some, whoblurt out profanity-laced

diatribes like they’re going out of style.The practice is much more subdued inProRodeo, but the sport’s officials aren’timmune to the attacks.

At the Wrangler National FinalsRodeo, the 14 judges and pro officialswho don the black-and-white-striped-vests to decide scores in the roughstockevents and oversee the timed eventsreceive mostly good-natured ribbingwhen fans don’t agree with their marksor calls.

Highly trained and specially selectedby rodeo administrators, ProRodeojudges and officials are immenselyimportant to the $6.25 million event.

They decide whether they thinksaddle bronc riders miss their horsesout of the chutes, determine whetherroughstock cowboys make it to theeight-second whistle and determinewhether they think the timed-eventcontestants have broken the barrier.

Judges can’t miss the slightest detailor fail to see anything that happens inthe arena because tens of thousands ofdollars and gold buckles are on the line.

And they often draw the ire of someof the more than 17,000 fans filling theThomas & Mack Center each night.

“We’re going to get booed,” saidGeorge Gibbs, who has been a judge at27 of the 29 Wrangler NFRs held in LasVegas, including this year’s. “The crowddoesn’t completely understand ourscoring system 100 percent. Or, you’regoing to get booed in the timed eventsbecause they don’t know exactly whatwe’re looking for.”

It’s a high-pressure job that is asintense as they come.

“There is added pressure becausethe pace of the rodeo is so fast,” saidGibbs, who is judging the team roping,tie-down roping and bull riding this

year. “There’s stuff that happensthat’s minute that is going to make adifference between whether a guy winsa world championship or he doesn’t.”

Judging the Wrangler NFR presentsunique challenges.

“It’s the best against the best, andthere are so many similar animalsand rides,” said Steve Knowles, whois judging the Finals for the 15th time.“So, you have to decipher betweenthose and pick a winner, and that’s a lotmore difficult here. You don’t have thatcaliber of animals everywhere you go.

“You end up being bunched up more,but the best riders still end up comingout on top. It’s just a little harder to gothrough the process.”

The men in the stripes take their rolesin the world’s richest rodeo seriouslyand cherish their time in Las Vegas.

“This is the biggest thing in the rodeobusiness, and I’m just happy to havebeen a part of it for the years I have,”Gibbs said. “It’s a grand event.”

Most of the time, judges go unnoticed

while doing their work, unless they getrun over by an animal, make a tough orquestionable call or input a score thatpuzzles spectators. They are students ofthe sport who know its history, legacyand traditions and who often come froma long line of rodeo people.

First and foremost, Wrangler NFRjudges are huge rodeo fans who loveliving the Western way of life.

“You enjoy watching a great ridewhere an animal really bucks, or a greatrun in the team roping, tie-down ropingor steer wrestling,” Gibbs said.

Knowles, who is judging the barebackriding this year, is energized and excitedby the growth of the Wrangler NFR inLas Vegas.

“When I walk around this community,I see how big this (event) has become,”Knowles said. “Sometimes, I’ve justgot to stop and think, ‘Wow, I’m a partof this!’ I’m very proud to be a partof something that brings this muchrevenue and people to the area.”

Gibbs remembers when the decision

was made to move the Finals to the“Entertainment Capital of the World” inthe early 1980s.

“I was in Oklahoma City when theyannounced the Finals were moving toLas Vegas, and there were quite a fewpeople from Oklahoma at the table I wassitting at,” Gibbs said. “They said, ‘It’llnever work. You’ll be back here in twoto three years.’ And look where we’vegone now.”

The two veterans admitted that,even after all these years working theWrangler NFR, they still get butterfliesand an adrenaline rush from doing theirjob on the sport’s grandest stage.

“It’s very exciting,” Knowles said.“It’s the championship of the world, andit’s a lot of added pressure on all of us.The nerves are still there.”A freelance writer based in Colorado Springs, Colo., NealReid spent six years as editor of the ProRodeo SportsNews. His writing has appeared in USA Today, Newsday,Western Horseman,American Cowboy and the DenverPost, among other publications. Follow him on Twitter:@NealReid21.

Las Vegas Review-Journal a Friday, December 13, 2013 • Page 3

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autograph sessionsautograph sessions h sessionsautograp2013 NFR Saddle Bronc Riders - 12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.

FFFRIDAYRIDAYRIDAY, D, D, DECEMBERECEMBERECEMBER 1313 13

Alexis Bloomer LiveAlexis Bloomer LiveLiveAlexis Bloomer 10:30 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.Boyd PolhamusK.C. Jones

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ranch sortingranch sortingtingranch sor3:00 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.

rodeo live unpluggedrodeo live unpluggededrodeo live unpluggmorgan Leighmorgan Leighhmorgan Leig1:15 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Live acoustic set, plus hearMorgan’s inspiration for

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“outside the barrel”“outside the barrel”ide the barrel”“outswith flint Rasmussenwith flint Rasmussensenlint Rasmuswith f12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.

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December 6 & 13in the Treasure Island Theatre

Bill Engvall

NFR

Neal ReidINTHEARENA

Judges relish pressure-packed duty

NEAL REID/SPECIALTOTHE LASVEGAS REVIEW-JOURNALWrangler NFR judge Mike Todd is one of 14 men tasked with deciding scores and making calls at the 55th staging of the world’s richest rodeo.

JOHN LOCHER/LASVEGAS REVIEW-JOURNALBray Armes takes down a steer in the steer wrestling event on the third night ofthe 2013 National Finals Rodeo at the Thomas & Mack Center on Saturday.

Some fun facts about four-footed participants and two-footed spectators:■ Four-footed participants in the NFR will consume 60 tons of grain during the 10-day

event. Horses and cattle will devour 180 tons of hay and 70 tons of grass.■ It takes 1,200 tons of dirt — at a depth of 12 to 15 inches — to cover the arena

floor for the NFR at the Thomas & Mack Center.■ Rodeo fans attending the NFR will consume 75,000 beers and 11,000 hard-liquor

drinks during the 10-day run. So don’t forget the designated driver! But fans practicesome temperance, too, drinking 15,000 bottles of water and 26,000 sodas.

■ Over the course of the NFR, fans will purchase 5,000 pizzas, 4,500 orders of nachos,6,800 hot pretzels and 7,000 bags of popcorn.

■ Thirty-six Las Vegas Valley hotels are airing live coverage on satellite feeds.

Page 4 • Friday, December 13, 2013 a Las Vegas Review-Journal

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$65,643 among heelers, and Davis tookthe 15th and final spot among headerswith $60,936.

“With anyone, there’s a certain amountof time it takes to kind of get into theflow of knowing what the other guy isdoing, how things will set up and howyou react to that,” O’Brien Cooper said.“But that didn’t take long for us. I’veroped with him before and with otherswith similar styles.

But Davis, even at 31, didn’t have theexperience of most team ropers, letalone the veteran O’Brien Cooper.

“Justin’s kind of a rookie, in the sensethat he’s never really tried to make theNFR,” O’Brien Cooper said. “I gave himthe ins and outs of what we’ll face duringthe year, told him not to be worried bywhat others are doing, to trust in whatyou’re doing. That was my job, to haveus both on the same page.”

Davis’ job was to do what youngsterscan do.

“The thing the young guys bring isthe enthusiasm and the excitement ofthe challenge of making it to the NFRfor the first time,” O’Brien Cooper said.“Also, youth brings the athleticism,quickness and speed — the ability todo the job fast. This is a timed, speed-driven event. One partner needs tobe fast, the other consistent. Usuallythe good teams have both those

components.”And O’Brien Cooper would certainly

know the winning formula at this stageof his career. Yet anymore, reachingthe NFR isn’t necessarily the mostimportant achievement.

“It used to be that the NFR was whatit was all about,” he said. “But to me, theNFR is not the only focus and the onlygoal at this point of my life. I enjoy goingto good rodeos throughout the year, Ienjoy the camaraderie with my friends,and making friends with the youngergeneration.

“I’ve seen these kids grow up, I’veknown a lot of them since they wereborn, so I’ve got a friendship with kidsI’ve known my whole life. So that part ofit is really cool, as well.”

Also really cool is still being at the topof his game after so long — well afterathletes in most any other sport wouldhave to hang it up.

“I’m grateful and feel like God hasblessed me,” O’Brien Cooper said.“There are not too many 52-year-oldguys who get to compete in the sportthey’ve loved their whole life, and stillcompete with the best. I’m blessed bythe opportunity to have good partnersand good horses and still be able tocompete.

“I enjoy the thrill, the excitement andthe enthusiasm of competition. Life isfun when you can do what you want todo. To be able to make a living at it isicing on the cake.”

NFR

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

▶ EXPERIENCE: Going strong at 52 NFR FUN FACTS & FIGURES