Schmidt and Cox Trust Team Roping Run to Win Laramie

With a slow start to the Pro Rodeo season, Kolton Schmidt and Wyatt Cox earned $2,151 each, after their win at the 2021 Laramie Jubilee Days rodeo.

Kolton Schmidt and Wyatt Cox have endured a slow start to the 2021 Pro Rodeo season after igniting their partnership with winning 2021 Bob Feist Invitational on June 21, 2021, until winning the Laramie (Wyoming) Jubilee Days rodeo.

Schmidt and Cox won the Laramie rodeo, held at the Albany County Fairgrounds, with a 4.7-second run, worth $2,151, held July 9–11, 2021.

“Laramie was a nice hit,” Schmidt said. “It made last week bearable, anyways. It gave us confidence going into this week.”

After talking to Cox before the run, Schmidt came up with a game-plan strategy that proved successful for the team.

“I kind of stopped helping Wyatt as much in the turn and got out of his way,” Schmidt said. “I let my horse do his deal. I was more aggressive with everything after I threw my rope and allowed the timing to stay more fluid within the run. It wasn’t such a round corner. [Wyatt] didn’t have to ride through his throw to find another one. The steer hit and opened up to allow him to put his rope on the ground.”

Kolton Schmidt and Wyatt Cox get tight on the black steer to win the Laramie Jubilee Days rodeo. Riding for the Brand Photography/Tanya Hamner

Schmidt was on his 11-year-old bay gelding named Rebel, who is excelling in the jackpot setups.

“He’s a little bit green to everything else that we’re asking for him out here, but he’s getting better every single steer,” Schmidt said. “I think he has a bright future. I just think it’s going to take a little bit of time to get him to that perfect spot.”

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Schmidt is currently 44^th in the 2021 Pro Rodeo heading standings with $12,007.40. Cox is 43^rd with $13,531.05.

“I’ve had better, and I’ve had worse years,” Schmidt said. “I don’t like to make going home a habit, so I’m staying out here and staying hooked. We’re entering everything. You never know, it’s not over until Oct. 1. We’re giving it everything we’ve got, giving it a fair chance and staying after them.”

After their BFI win, the summer run hit a slowdown for the Canadian and Californian team until hitting big at the Laramie Jubilee Days rodeo.

“There’s nothing to complain about and noting to write home about,” Schmidt said. “I feel like we’re getting some things going our way. It’s getting better and better with every steer that we run, so we’re just going to keep running them.”

They are working on trusting each other and trusting their run.

Separating Practice and Jackpotting with Kolton Schmidt

“Our run is fine when we make it. It’s just trusting it,” Schmidt said. “There are times when we’re both being a little bit cautious or stepping away from our game plan. Every time we trust our run and do what we practiced, it goes well. When I’m roping well, I feel like I’m in a good lane. When it hits the horns, the steer is doing something. I feel like it is snappy when I’m doing it right. There are not many dead spots. I would definitely go away from it and that is something that I need to work on and keep reminding myself to do. When I’m doing things right, I feel like there is a lot of momentum to the run.”

Because Schmidt doesn’t shy away from getting the help he needs to perform at an elite level, he works with mental performance coaches to help him excel in and out of the arena and on the road. Their program is one thing that has been a game changer for Schmidt’s run.

“The biggest thing that they worked on is the way we talk to ourselves after the run,” Schmidt said. “I try to be positive and find the good stuff out of every run. I only pick one thing out of every steer to fix for the next, rather than the to-do list that you could come up with. I find the one thing that needs to be worked on and fix that one thing.”

Schmidt, who is one of the many roping coaches at Roping.com,—the online video platform now powered by The Team Roping Journal—works diligently to bring everything that he personally learns to anyone that subscribes to Roping.com.

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“I just try to bring my whole program to the platform,” Schmidt said. “Everything that I’m working on and everything that I’m going through, I try to share it with them. Not necessarily to teach them, but to hopefully learn with them. I share my experiences with what I’m going through to open their eyes and let everyone know that everybody goes through stuff. Hopefully, my experiences will make a short cut for everybody else.”

At Roping.com, you have access to learn from the top team ropers with the click of a button.

“Roping.com as a whole is full of outstanding coaches,” Schmidt said, “We’ve got everyone from 26-time World Champion Trevor Brazile to Matt Sherwood to the Champ (Clay O’Brien Cooper). The list goes on and on. The guys that are on that site are amazing. They made this industry what it is. Then, we have the younger generation like myself, Hunter (Koch) and Levi (Lord), that bring a different perspective to it. I feel like Roping.com is wide-ranged. It touches all bases of roping.”