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Tilden Hooper pads world standings lead with win in Laughlin, NV

LAUGHLIN, NV – It doesn’t stink being Tilden Hooper.

Here’s a guy who is 23, single, personable and making his move to the top level of ProRodeo. Nice work if you can get it.

The April 1-3 weekend should give you an idea.



Hooper already led the bareback riding world standings when he arrived at the Laughlin River Stampede, a Wrangler Million Dollar Silver Tour rodeo presented by Justin Boots. Eight seconds’ work there earned him a win worth $5,194.

Add to that a second-place finish at the YMBL Championship Rodeo in Beaumont, TX, and Hooper had widened his lead in both the world standings and those for the Wrangler MDT.



His one disappointment of the weekend? He failed to enter the Atlantic City rodeo in time. That’s OK. He compensated for missing time on the Boardwalk by spending time on the Vegas Strip.

Instead of spending his Sunday on a bucking horse, he emceed a pool party at the South Point Hotel and Spa, where he sang a Bon Jovi song, “Living on a Prayer,” in front of an audience of 50.

“It was maybe the third or fourth time I’ve sung in public,” Hooper said. “I’m not really that good. It’s mostly been karaoke-type stuff. But I thought this went pretty well … probably the best performance I’ve had.”

There is no arguing about the level of his performance in the arena.

With $41,599 banked as of April 4, Hooper has more than twice as much as he did a year ago, when he was 13th in the world on this date, or in 2009, when he was 11th.

“This is the best start I’ve ever had, no question,” said Hooper, the 2007 PRCA Resistol Bareback Riding Rookie of the Year. “I’m pretty blessed to be in the position I’m in. It’s a confidence builder for the rest of the year. It comes down to drawing good horses, and I’ve been really fortunate in that respect the past few months.”

Case in point: At Laughlin, he drew the JS Rodeo horse, Lets Play, which he rode for 81.5 points in Round 7 at the 2009 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo.

This time, Hooper scored 86 points on Lets Play to edge emerging Canadian star Jake Vold by a point.

“He’s a big, showy horse, and I was excited to have him again,” Hooper said. “He was way better the other day (in Laughlin) than he had been in Vegas. He jumped and kicked the whole eight seconds; he was pretty fun to ride.”

Hooper nearly pulled off a weekend sweep at Beaumont. He finished second with a score of 82, one point behind Jared Keylon.

Combined earnings of $6,920 for the weekend gave him a bit of breathing room ahead of three-time World Champion Will Lowe and traveling partner Kaycee Feild.

Hooper wasn’t the only musically-inclined cowboy to earn a big check at Laughlin. There was also Jimmy Anderson, of Denton, TX, who writes songs, plays guitar and sings professionally when he is not climbing onto the backs of 2,000-pound bulls.

Even though he hasn’t fully recovered from a broken leg suffered at a Division 2 Xtreme Bulls event in Mercedes, TX, last month, Anderson had an 86-point ride on Bar T Rodeo’s Coffee Break to earn the $4,731 winner’s check.

“I’m going to take it easy and let my leg heal up the next few weeks,” Anderson said, “and then I’m going back to Laughlin for the XBulls event (April 16-17). I placed at the rodeo last year too, so I’ve had good luck there before. I’ve never gotten bucked off there. Maybe I’ll have to write a song about Laughlin.”

Steer wrestler Clayton Hass has been traveling with two-time World Champion Lee Graves this season and using his two horses. At Laughlin, he was on 2009 PRCA/AQHA Steer Wrestling Horse of the Year Jessie, and it paid off with a winning two-head time of 8.9 seconds and $4,201.

“This winter has been kind of slow,” Hass said. “I’ve just been kind of plucking along, so hopefully a really good win like this will get the ball rolling into a good spring and summer. You couldn’t ask for any better than Jessie.”

The other champions crowned at the Laughlin Arena were team ropers Derrick Begay and Cesar de la Cruz (9.2 seconds on two head), saddle bronc rider Cort Scheer (84 points), tie-down roper Cimarron Boardman (15.1 seconds on two head) and barrel racer Callie Chamberlain (31.42 seconds on two runs).

LAUGHLIN, NV – It doesn’t stink being Tilden Hooper.

Here’s a guy who is 23, single, personable and making his move to the top level of ProRodeo. Nice work if you can get it.

The April 1-3 weekend should give you an idea.

Hooper already led the bareback riding world standings when he arrived at the Laughlin River Stampede, a Wrangler Million Dollar Silver Tour rodeo presented by Justin Boots. Eight seconds’ work there earned him a win worth $5,194.

Add to that a second-place finish at the YMBL Championship Rodeo in Beaumont, TX, and Hooper had widened his lead in both the world standings and those for the Wrangler MDT.

His one disappointment of the weekend? He failed to enter the Atlantic City rodeo in time. That’s OK. He compensated for missing time on the Boardwalk by spending time on the Vegas Strip.

Instead of spending his Sunday on a bucking horse, he emceed a pool party at the South Point Hotel and Spa, where he sang a Bon Jovi song, “Living on a Prayer,” in front of an audience of 50.

“It was maybe the third or fourth time I’ve sung in public,” Hooper said. “I’m not really that good. It’s mostly been karaoke-type stuff. But I thought this went pretty well … probably the best performance I’ve had.”

There is no arguing about the level of his performance in the arena.

With $41,599 banked as of April 4, Hooper has more than twice as much as he did a year ago, when he was 13th in the world on this date, or in 2009, when he was 11th.

“This is the best start I’ve ever had, no question,” said Hooper, the 2007 PRCA Resistol Bareback Riding Rookie of the Year. “I’m pretty blessed to be in the position I’m in. It’s a confidence builder for the rest of the year. It comes down to drawing good horses, and I’ve been really fortunate in that respect the past few months.”

Case in point: At Laughlin, he drew the JS Rodeo horse, Lets Play, which he rode for 81.5 points in Round 7 at the 2009 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo.

This time, Hooper scored 86 points on Lets Play to edge emerging Canadian star Jake Vold by a point.

“He’s a big, showy horse, and I was excited to have him again,” Hooper said. “He was way better the other day (in Laughlin) than he had been in Vegas. He jumped and kicked the whole eight seconds; he was pretty fun to ride.”

Hooper nearly pulled off a weekend sweep at Beaumont. He finished second with a score of 82, one point behind Jared Keylon.

Combined earnings of $6,920 for the weekend gave him a bit of breathing room ahead of three-time World Champion Will Lowe and traveling partner Kaycee Feild.

Hooper wasn’t the only musically-inclined cowboy to earn a big check at Laughlin. There was also Jimmy Anderson, of Denton, TX, who writes songs, plays guitar and sings professionally when he is not climbing onto the backs of 2,000-pound bulls.

Even though he hasn’t fully recovered from a broken leg suffered at a Division 2 Xtreme Bulls event in Mercedes, TX, last month, Anderson had an 86-point ride on Bar T Rodeo’s Coffee Break to earn the $4,731 winner’s check.

“I’m going to take it easy and let my leg heal up the next few weeks,” Anderson said, “and then I’m going back to Laughlin for the XBulls event (April 16-17). I placed at the rodeo last year too, so I’ve had good luck there before. I’ve never gotten bucked off there. Maybe I’ll have to write a song about Laughlin.”

Steer wrestler Clayton Hass has been traveling with two-time World Champion Lee Graves this season and using his two horses. At Laughlin, he was on 2009 PRCA/AQHA Steer Wrestling Horse of the Year Jessie, and it paid off with a winning two-head time of 8.9 seconds and $4,201.

“This winter has been kind of slow,” Hass said. “I’ve just been kind of plucking along, so hopefully a really good win like this will get the ball rolling into a good spring and summer. You couldn’t ask for any better than Jessie.”

The other champions crowned at the Laughlin Arena were team ropers Derrick Begay and Cesar de la Cruz (9.2 seconds on two head), saddle bronc rider Cort Scheer (84 points), tie-down roper Cimarron Boardman (15.1 seconds on two head) and barrel racer Callie Chamberlain (31.42 seconds on two runs).