For immediate release March 19, 2001

J.R. Cook Carries Away the Senior Youth Championship title while Alexandrea Landry Leads the Juniors

It was the one half-point separating J.R.Cook, of Ormond Beach, Florida from second-placed Tennessee Walker of Tehuacana, Texas that made all the difference in the Senior Youth Finals during the Chevy Trucks/NCHA Eastern National Championships at Jackson, Mississippi on Sunday, March 18.

Cook, an 18-year-old high school senior, scored 223 points riding Playful Son to capture his first Senior Youth Eastern National Championship; Walker, with 222.5 points was Reserve.

“My horse is so quick, it’s hard to tell sometimes how I scored,” said Cook. “I knew I had a good ride in the finals, but I didn’t know I had 223. With him, you can’t feel everything because he’s so quick.”

For the past two years, Cook has placed fourth in Top Ten Senior Youth standings, and this past February, he won the Youth Finals at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Cutting. Tennessee Walker was Senior Youth Eastern National Champion in ’98 and Junior Youth Champion in ’97.

Leading the Junior Youth Finals in the Eastern National Championships was Alexandrea Landry of Milton, Louisiana. Landry and her 8-year-old mare, Snip Of Wild, rode confidently to the herd during Sunday’s competition, cutting three cows that would bring them a winning 220.5-point score.

“My horse had been working really good,” said the seventh-grade student of her horse of two years, Snip Of Wild. “She’s consistent and I had really good cows, so it all came together.”

Alexandrea is the daughter of Donna and Paul Landry of Youngsville, Louisiana, and has been cutting for four years. During that time she has placed three times in NCHA World standings.

Sharing the Junior Youth Reserve Championship title with their 219.5-point scores are Morgan Middleton, of McComb, Mississippi, riding Dusty Tari and 2000 Junior Youth World Champion Courtney Sokol, of Brenham, Texas, riding Special Kory. While Sokol, 13, has been in the Top Ten standings several years and the Junior Youth Eastern National Reserve Champion in ‘95, this is the first title for ten-year-old Middleton.

The Chevy Trucks/NCHA Eastern National Championships competition will continue daily beginning at 8AM and culminate with the Non-Pro and Open Finals beginning at 8AM on Saturday, March 24. The competitors at this event have qualified to participate through the affiliates or regional cutting competition. More than 900 entries will be vying for more than $90,000 in cash and prizes.

For more information contact the NCHA media office at (601) 948-0511 or visit NCHA's website at www.nchacutting.com