Local cowboy rides toward his dreams

A Green River cowboy has been chasing his dreams and is now gaining attention at the national level.

Jacob Cook, a 2024 Green River High School graduate, has been involved with rodeo for most of his life. This week he is competing with Team Wyoming during the National High School Finals Rodeo.

The 76th National High School Finals Rodeo kicked off on Sunday at the Sweetwater County Events Complex. Primarily held in Rock Springs, with shooting competitions held in Green River, this is the seventh time the NHSFR has been hosted in Sweetwater County, which is slated to host in 2025 as well. Wyoming itself has hosted the NHSFR more than any other state, hosting over a dozen times since 1961. This year Team Wyoming is comprised of contestants from Boulder, Buffalo, Big Horn, Gillette, Cheyenne, Yoder, Huntley, Rozet, Torrington Green River, represented by Jacob Cook.

Cook is one of the only contestants from Green River to ever represent Wyoming on a national stage. He started out riding sheep in "Mutton Busting" competitions around age five and has been rodeoing on a more competitive level since age eight. He has participated in several events over the years including bull riding and saddle bronc riding, with his sole focus now being bare back riding.

Growing up, rodeo wasn't Jacob's only sport. After years as a competitive wrestler and even a stint on the high school golf team, he found that his true love was rodeo.

"I have always been around rodeo," Cook said. "My dad did it and I can remember always wanting to be a cowboy when I was younger. It's always been my dream. I got to the point when I decided rodeo was all I wanted to do, mainly because of the culture that surrounds rodeo. You always have a friend; there's always a helping hand and enemies are few and far between."

With an impressive resume over many years that includes a top-four finish last year at the Junior Worlds Rodeo, Cook qualified for this years' NHSFR with his second-place finish as a bare back rider at the Wyoming State High School Rodeo Finals in June.

This year Cook competed as an "Independent" as rodeo is not currently a sanctioned sport at Green River High School. He has previously competed as part of the Sweetwater County Rodeo Club which includes members from Green River, Rock Springs, Wamsutter, Farson/Eden, Superior, Granger, McKinnon and Point of Rocks.

When asked about the many different aspects of rodeo, such as what training consists of and his biggest hurdles, Cook didn't hesitate to run down his rigorous training regimen.

"People instantly think of the riding part of rodeo, but it goes so far beyond just riding," he explained. "I train a lot physically and mentally. My brother use to rodeo along side me and we would run and bike ups to 12 miles daily to improve our stamina and agility, and I really focus on my core strength."

In addition to the fitness side of his training, Cook also pointed out how conquering the mental side of his sport has been paramount to his success.

"A lot of times before your ride you can get really worked up and nervous and make yourself sick and then make a big mistake," he said. "For me after a lot of years of fighting the head game I finally adopted the method of running through the basics in my head before each ride. I really believe that when I started keeping it simple, I started winning."

The years of hard work have recently paid off in a very big way. Cook has just committed to the University of Wyoming rodeo team beginning in the fall, where he will major in Wildlife, Fishery and Biology Management.

It was important to Cook that he recognize and thank his family and sponsors.

"I really want my family to know how grateful I am for everything they've done to support me," he said. "We have spent weeks on the road every year and every single one of them always show up and never complain. I know I'll always hear them cheering me on and it has meant the world to me." 

Cook also mentioned how his rodeo career wouldn't be possible without his many sponsors including American Hat company, whom he also is a student ambassador for, as well as Barstow Pro Rodeo, Fenoglio Boot Company, Rank Western Wear, Cowboy Revolution and Rasp Spurs.

Cook is currently in the top 10 for bare back riding in this week's National High School Finals Rodeo, sitting at seventh place, and he competes again on Saturday morning. Overall team Wyoming is currently in fifth place on the boy's side and second place on the lady's side.