Despite heavy schedule Crownpoint cowgirl wins Iron Cowgirl Challenge

CHURCH ROCK, N.M. – It’s been a busy week for Kadin Jodie.

The Crownpoint cowgirl made the trip up north to take part in a pair INFR Tour Rodeos in South Dakota and Montana over the weekend. She then drove to Lovington, New Mexico, for a WPRA rodeo as she was set up to compete in Wednesday’s slack performance.

After completing her run, she hit the road again to make the seven-hour drive to Red Rock Park to compete in the 102nd Annual Gallup Inter-Tribal Indian Ceremonial Iron Cowgirl Challenge Wednesday night.

That whirlwind of week didn’t seem to faze the 19-year-old cowgirl as she was crowned the Iron Cowgirl champion, which was buoyed by her first-place wins in the tie-down and breakaway events.

“I had pretty good runs tonight,” said Jodie, who was awarded the $500 prize money. “I just wanted to get times on all of my events because the all-around is based on times. My horse (Piggy) worked good for me, and I just did what I know how to do.”

Jodie topped the breakaway field with a sizzling 2.64 run as she edged Coyote Canyon’s Odessa Yazzie for the title with Yazzie turning in a 2.78 run.

The two cowgirls had another epic battle in the tie-down roping with Jodie winning the event in 14.62 seconds while Yazzie posted a 20.33 run.

In addition to winning the tie-down and breakaway events, Jodie ended up fifth in the barrel racing, an event that she normally doesn’t compete in.

“I was one (placement) of the money, but she ran pretty good,” Jodie said of her horse. “When I used to junior rodeo, I used to barrel race off of her, so she kind of knows the pattern already.”

The accomplished all-around champion is scheduled to compete in today’s slack performance at the Ceremonial Rodeo. After she completes her run, Jodie is headed to Idaho for another INFR Tour Rodeo on Saturday.

And if she does well enough during Thursday’s slack performance, she will be right back here at Red Rock Park for Sunday’s short round.

“The short round is always fun here,” Jodie said. “I definitely want to be here for that.”

In the barrels, Beshbetoh, Arizona, cowgirl Jareth Curley corralled another crown, winning the event in 16.3 seconds with her trusted horse, True Grit.

“I’m very pleased with how he ran tonight,” Curley said. “We’ve been on the road for the past couple of weeks. We made the long trip back from South Dakota and Montana, so he had a good two days of rest.

“To ask him to run again just shows how much he likes it and how much he wants to run, even though he might be tired or sore,” she added. “He just gives it 110 percent.”

In the final event of the Iron Cowgirl Challenge, the team roping competition proved to be a challenge as only two teams caught out of 33 teams.

Rough Rock, Arizona, cowgirls Reneill Sells and Autumn Sells won the event with a 19.45 run despite being penalized with a broken barrier. The aunt/niece duo beat out the team of Alondra Robbins and Jocelyn Con’Sen’Nei’Sey as the latter team posted a 25.45 run.

“Anything can happen,” Reneill said. “I missed my heading (in my earlier run), so I told my niece to get out there and rope, and I’ll take care of the rest. I just wanted to catch, even if I caught a leg we were still in the money.”

In her earlier run, Reneill waived off her steer for heeling partner Heather Rogers. Nonetheless, she regrouped and came up big for her niece.

“I’ve been roping for quite a while now, so my mentality is to come back and catch my next one,” Reneill said. “I try not to dwell on that. That’s what I’m trying to teach my niece, Autumn, that. It’s OK to brush it off and move onto the next one.”

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