Ogden rodeo boss loves her job

Forgive Desiree Cooper-Larsen if she doesn't look very rough around the edges.

While she possesses all the toughness the sport of rodeo prides itself on, she shows none of the wear and tear.

Don't, however, mistake her soft smile, good manners and fashionable attire for weakness. She is, in every sense of the title, the head honcho of the Ogden Pioneer Days Celebration — including its rodeo, which is regarded as one of the state's best.

A professor of technical sales at Weber State University, Cooper-Larsen is the first woman to chair the celebration in its 75-year history.

Throw that fact at her and she politely and matter-of-factly deals with it, just as she does any problem that arises in the city's weeklong celebration.

"In the rodeo industry there are a lot of males directing different rodeo committees, so I guess it's kind of interesting," she said. "It's an honor."

Does she ever feel out of place among cowboys, horsemen and stock contractors?

"No," she smiles. "I was raised with the sport. I love the sport."

In fact, sometimes she sees her gender as an advantage when planning events to commemorate Pioneer Days.

"I think you need a woman's touch," she said. "We think differently than men. We see the emotional side, the customer's side."

For her, it is also a natural progression of her lifetime involvement in the sport.

"I was a Miss Rodeo Utah and on the committee for 11 years," she said. "So I've always been involved."

Shepherding the rodeo might be her most visible role but it is not her only concern.

She is the committee chairwoman for the entire celebration, which includes three parades, art exhibits, a film festival and the Miss Rodeo Utah pageant.

"It's 40 different events and activities," Larsen said. "It takes a total team effort and we have a great team. That's the only way this can happen."

And consider that she does it all on her own time without pay.

"It's a full-time job," she said, acknowledging she takes time off work to fulfill her duties. "I was raised in a rodeo family. My dad was a bareback rider. It was in my blood. Once it's in your blood, you're in the rodeo family."