story by Lindsay King
Cooper White from Hershey, Nebraska, truly lives and breathes all things roping. Other than attending classes at Gillette College in Gillette, Wyoming, and working, Cooper rarely does anything not related to roping. “I don’t like to watch T.V. but I have a huge stack of roping DVDs that I will watch when I have time. And I like to look at X Factor roping videos and YouTube,” said the 21-year-old ag science sophomore. Cooper was all but born with a rope in his hands. Jeff White, his dad, used to ride bareback horses and bulls. “Once he retired he put on ropings at the house for a long time. I’ve always just roped, usually with my brother Tucker, 25.”
For the past three years, Cooper and Tucker have been team roping partners, both in the PRCA and at amateur rodeos. “Neither my brother or I have ever been to a roping school, we always tried to figure it out on our own. We have truly studied the sport. Tucker pushes me really hard and teaches me the finer details of rodeo while my dad always keeps us mounted on good horses with fresh steers to rope.” Cooper bought his first NSRA card as a high school freshman but did not make the finals until his junior year with Tucker. “My senior year I roped with Monte Jamison, we made the finals, won the finals average and were the year end runner up winners.” Cooper has seen amateur rodeos in multiple states but prefers the NSRA. “They are the best amateur rodeos there are. They pay well, but the crowds are good also. It is more or less like a pro rodeo because most guys entered have their pro card. If you can rodeo in Nebraska, you are killing two birds with one stone.”
Cooper bought his PRCA permit last year, making the Badlands Circuit finals as well as the permit finals. “I filled it last year, but I want to make the permit finals again this year. We won third in the first round of the permit finals and ended up second in the average. It was just neat to get invited.” At the circuit finals, Cooper had no luck until his fourth steer where he won second in the round with Tucker as his heeler. “Our goal for this year is to get into the finals with a good chance to head to Florida. We won the year end for the NSRA last year, but we would like to go to the finals with a good shot to win the whole deal.” Cooper is making his second appearance at the CNFR this year, heading for Logan Brown from Casper College. “My partner Riley Wakefield and I won the region last year and had a great CNFR together. I ended up fourth in the region this year but get to go to the CNFR on a team points deal with Logan.”
His current plans are to continue with school and rodeo, but Cooper intends to work for his family’s lawn fertilizing business through and after college. Roping at the college finals with one of his best friends has easily been Cooper’s favorite rodeo so far. “I have always wanted to enter the North Platte Pro Rodeo, my hometown rodeo. I will have to drive back and forth between it and the CNFR, but it is a rodeo I have always wanted to enter.” Cooper gives a lot of gratitude to his stepdad Dustin Jorgenson and mom Joni Jorgensen. “My mom is very supportive of us boys doing what we love to do. And my step dad is really supportive in going to all the rodeos to watch. I am very thankful for my parents and all they do to help propel my rodeo career forward, year after year.”
