More men go, their scores not that high, and I know it’s getting close for Cooper. I take Maize’s hand and lead her to where the rest of the riders are impatiently waiting for their turn. Cooper comes and stands next to me, and I let go of her hand so I can give him a pep talk.

“The scores on the board right now, you can beat them. You’ve got the upper hand. Stay out of your head. Keep focused, and you can win this and qualify. Guaranteed. Don’t be passive in that chute, Cooper. You gotta be aggressive and take control of that animal. If you need anything while you’re in there, you tell those guys who are helping you load.”

He nods and lets out a howl. “I think I’m ready.”

The man before Cooper gets ready to go, and the chute boss lets him know he’s next. Cooper waits to be situated on Troublemaker, a fire engine red bull who’s already pissed as hell. I never understood why and how they got names like this. Doesn’t make anyone feel good about getting on their backs.

Maize stands off to the side, and I shoot her a wink as I climb the metal railing and keep giving Cooper positive reinforcements. Safety is what I’m focused on right now because the last thing I want is for my rider to get hurt. We’ve practiced for months, and he’s got it as long as he doesn’t psych himself out when he climbs on.

“You’ve got this,” I tell him one last time, then go stand next to Maize, watching his every move.

Cooper puts on his helmet and mouthpiece, then gets in the bucket shoot. The guy who’s gonna be pulling on the rope to tighten it for him hands it over. He grabs the opposite side of the railing and puts his foot on the bulls back to let him know he’s there and is about to get situated. After a few seconds, he sits, putting his feet forward so he doesn’t break an ankle. Cooper starts loosening the rope and warms it up, then he asks for it to be tightened. The bull is already losing his mind, moving around and kicking the gate. A spotter holds on to Cooper, making sure he doesn’t fall or break something before they let him go.

I’ve done this process a hundred times, but my nerves are fucking wrecked because it’s all so unpredictable. Maize stands next to me, and I don’t think she’s taken a single breath.