Crownpoint native earns state team roping title
By Quentin Jodie
Navajo Times
LOVINGTON, N.M., May 30, 2013
(Courtesy photo – Pounding Hoovers Productions)
Brent Jodie TR.jpg
Crownpoint Middle School eighth grader Brent Jodie clinched his third consecutive state title during the 2013 New Mexico Junior High Finals Rodeo in Lovington, N.M. on May 25-26. Jodie will be competing at next month's national finals in Gallup.
F or most of the contestants, Sunday's championship round at the New Mexico Junior High Finals Rodeo in Lovington, N.M. was nerve-wracking and down-to-the-wire.
But for Mulholland Wells, N.M., cowboy Brent Jodie – it was beautiful.
The Crownpoint Middle School eighth-grader pulled off an amazing feat by winning his third consecutive team roping state title.
What's even more impressive is that he did that with three different partners. In 2011 he won his first title with older brother Avery Jodie in a come-from-behind win. The very next year he picked up where he left off, this time roping with Brimhall, N.M. cowboy Karlex Capitan.
This past year he partnered up with Blaine Garley of Los Lunas, N.M. and heading into the short round they had one last run to complete in order for him to clinch his third title.
"All we had to do was catch," Jodie said when asked about his thoughts going into Sunday's round.
But with the intensity increased ten-fold that was easier said then done as the pair had to jump through some hoops to do just that.
As it turned out, Jodie had to "fish" his loop onto the steer's horn before Garley had a chance to do his part on the heeling side. But after missing on his first attempt, Garley rebuilt his rope in the middle of the arena before they managed to stop the clock in 27.65 seconds, which included a five-second penalty.
"It was a little bit nerve wracking because I had missed him on my first loop," Garley said. "But it was all good when I roped him on my second loop."
Both cowboys told this reporter that usually each roper is given one opportunity to do his job but according to the rule books set by NMJHRA the short round competition allows "two loops."
Incidentally that rule benefitted both ropers as they finished the year-end standing with 60 points each, which was five more than the team of Colter Figg and Garrett Baldwin.
"We came into the finals ahead of them by more than 10 points but we got a no time in the first round," Jodie said. "But in the second round we won it and to win it we had to rope our short round."
When asked about why he teamed up with Garley, Jodie said it made sense to do so since the Los Lunas cowboy actively sought him out.
"Two other ropers asked me to rope with them but Blaine kept texting and calling me," Jodie said. "After a couple of days I talked to my family and it all worked out."
Garley, who also won the chute dogging title, said roping with Jodie was his first and only choice since his partner from last year moved up to the high school ranks.
"Both our partners moved up but I wanted to rope with him because he's done real good the last two years," Garley said of Jodie. "So I knew he was a good roper.
"He's a guy that goes out there and ropes them all the time," he added. "He gives me something that I can handle so it's fun roping with him."
As for nationals, both ropers agreed that the competition will be a lot tougher but they are going to embrace it.
"The steers are going to be a little bigger and a little bit stronger but it's nothing we can't handle," Garley said.
"We're going to take it steer by steer," Jodie added. "We just have to get them rope and knock them down."