Hometown skier…

Paula Cooper, formerly of Rio Blanco County, went through the Rio Blanco County 4-H program and honed her skills at sheep shearing during her 4-H years in the county. Cooper is currently in Italy, recently having competed at the Federation Internationale de Ski (FIS) Freestyle Junior World Ski Championships in Valmalenco, Italy. Above left, Cooper is standing atop one of the podiums in Norway, having taken the silver medal for the United States at the Junior Olympics in Oslo, Norway. When not skiing, she is still active in Rio Blanco and Moffat counties through family ranching east of Buford and north of Blue Mountain. She is also a member of Northwestern Colorado High School Rodeo Club.