Team Cavender’s Colee Cox

“I crave the rodeo environment,” said Colee Cox, Team Cavender’s athlete from Childress, Texas. Rodeo has consumed her life, from hometown rodeos to traveling across the country to some of the largest junior rodeos in the country.
As one of the newer members on Team Cavender’s, Colee has felt so honored the moment she got the call recruiting her to the team. “I have always hoped I’d get to be on one of these teams.” While Colee has had other friends on the team they invited her over to one of their events and soon she felt the connection with the team. She often gets to compete side by side other members across Texas. It is common to see these ladies sweep the rodeo taking home first, second and third. “I want to be able to win more titles and have Cavender’s on my shirt while doing that.”
Imagine the feeling of claiming a National Junior High Rodeo Finals breakaway champion title and the next year, heading into freshman year becoming a state champion goat tier. This unique conquest is the reality, for Colee.
After tieing a quick 6.6 seconds and a 7.1 at the start of the Texas State High School Finals Rodeo, the pressure and stress began to build. Colee had to wait a dreadful five days to see where she would place at the finals. She’d also been assigned as the goat-tying director, leaving her to stand in the arena and watch each girl tie in front of her. She returned in the short round sitting second behind a junior. “I was ecstatic I made it back and I was extremely nervous,” said Colee, “I chewed all my nails off before I even got to the back of the alley.” After tying a 7.2, she tied for the average and won the title of goat-tying champion as a freshman.
Being homeschooled has been a blessing for Colee. She trains day in and day out, working her horses no matter the Texas weather. “The truck said it’s 103 degrees, and I’m about to head out and practice,” said Colee. She has been working with her new horse, Ruby, which she bought a week before heading to the National Junior High School Finals Rodeo in Georgia in 2022. The gangley sorrel resembles a thoroughbred with hips that are taller than her shoulders making her look a little off balance.
“She [Ruby] has been just a blessing for me,” said Cox. “She’s not the prettiest confirmation-wise, but she can run fast and loves to do her job.”
While traveling the country competing in goat tying and breakaway Colee finds time to participate in her local youth church group and her other pastime, golf. She is on her local school district’s high school golf team. While traveling to rodeos you may spot her on the local greens before the performance. She also finds time to show pigs in 4-H since she was in third grade, while other hobbies have gone by the wayside. Her secret love is baking. She recently learned to make scones and says her family loves her homemade pecan pie.
Colee plans to work on getting her PRCA card and make it to the NFR for her rookie year competing in breakaway. She also hopes that one day the PRCA will allow goat tying in the contest. Although she has already competed with and against some of the biggest names in breakaway roping, she wishes to share the arena with big names like Lari D Guy and Lynn Smith.
Cox shares that she is a music lover and has a special playlist that she blasts before each run. Her favorite gallery is titled, “Hype Rodeo Playlist,” one of the number one songs on there is “The Champ is Here” by O Fresh. She’ll also be caught drinking lemonade before a run, which is her favorite drink while on the road traveling and warming up.
This year, Cox’s goal in the arena is to tie a five-second run. Her current personal best is a 6.1-second run, and she is still pushing to shave seconds. She would also like to qualify for the American in breakaway roping. The goal is to be fast and consistent to step up her level with Ruby in the goat-tying arena.