Living up to the name

Monday through Friday Marco Sells and Lucius Sells live different lives.

Lucius works for a school in Rough Rock, Ariz., while Marco works as a security officer for Navajo Engineering and Construction Authority.

But on weekends, the two jump on their prize-winning horses - Marcos's Commander and Lucius' Slidder - and with ropes in hand become a team.

"Outside roping we're a little bit different from each other," Marco said. "When it comes to roping we're pretty much on the same page, that's one reason why we've been able to stick together and be successful this long."

The two cousins, whose fathers are brothers, spend their weekends traveling from rodeo to rodeo roping to big wins and living up to the Sells roping legacy.

This past weekend at the 89th Annual Gallup Inter-Tribal Indian Ceremonial rodeo, they wrangled another win by dominating the team-roping event with a time of 5.1 for a payout of a combined $2,907.

It was another performance they hope will get them back to the Indian National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas this November. They have won two INFR world titles in team roping in 2000 and 2002. They also won an International Indian Finals Rodeo title in 2007.

So far this season things have gone well.

Lucius said winning the Ceremonial rodeo was a big plus.

"We've been roping together throughout the whole season, been hitting the nickels here and there," he said. "To hit this is pretty big. Ceremonial to us is one of the bigger rodeos. People are more serious competition. We wouldn't pass that by, we got to be there."

They come from a prominent roping and rodeo family.

Lucius, 37, said he remembers carrying a rope the moment he started walking.

"I'd like to mention my nali from Crownpoint, Paul Arviso Sr.," he said. "Being around him when he was roping, I was around it all my life. It's a talent I got. It's just a gift from God that he gave to me. I guess they would say it's in the blood."

He had support of his father Pete Sells who brought the Sells rodeo legacy to where it is today. But the biggest support came from his parents as he moved up the chain from junior rodeos to Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association roping.

At the age of 18 in 1991, he won his first INFR title in team roping with another cousin, Reggie Sells.

Marco's family raised sheep, cattle and horses but his father, Larry Sells, wasn't into rodeo.

The 36-year-old said he just need a little push.

"Compared to Lucius I started off a little later," he said. "I guess it's just monkey see, monkey do type of deal. I got the itch to start doing it.

"When I really started competing was when I started high school," he said. "The thing that keeps me going that I always look forward to is the horsemanship side of it. There's a lot of horsemanship involved.

"You got to really take care of your horse," he said. "All the preparation, putting that together at a rodeo, when my horse works good, it all works out at the end."

"I guess we've got the right chemistry," Lucius said. "We've been doing it for so long, I know what to expect from (Marco)."      For Marco, it's all about watching and learning.

He said he likes to watch renown ropers and tries to use their methods.

"I think one of the big things is we watch some of the best ropers in the world and we try to take certain things from them," Marcos said. "Watching National Finals Rodeo ropers, all them big names, we try to watch and see what they do. It seems like we always agree on what kind of changes and new things to try, I think that's what makes us click a lot."

With all the titles, buckles, saddles and the big name to live up to, the two are most thankful to be part of the rodeo world.

"I'm enjoying rodeo. I love it. It's a bonus to do it and super bonus to be successful at what we're doing," Lucius said.

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