Holyan takes over Diné College rodeo team
WINDOW ROCK
Nine-time INFR world champion Ed Holyan has made the leap into the coaching realm.
Holyan was hired to take over the Diné College rodeo team last month.
Submitted
Former INFR world champ Ed Holyan entered the coaching realm by taking over the Diné College rodeo team on Aug. 17.
“I’m very grateful and I thank the college for hiring me,” Holyan said. “I’m going to try my darnedest to do a good job. We’re going to take it one step at a time. I like to get the stakeholders’ trust back and get a foundation going for our program.”
Holyan said getting into the coaching realm was something he thought about for a long time.
“My kids are in college so nobody’s home so I thought this would be a good opportunity,” he said. “I still have some coaching left in me.”
He took over the job on Aug. 17, one day after the school in Tsaile closed registration for the 2021 fall term so he was unable to recruit.
Nonetheless, he landed a prize recruit with 2016 INFR world champion Cody Jesus joining the rodeo team.
“If I did anything right so far it’s signing up Cody,” Holyan said. “That’s a good start.”
Holyan will be coaching four other athletes, which includes Chinle bull rider Robbie Taylor Jr. Last month, Taylor won the Gallup Inter-Tribal Ceremonial Rodeo in his first try.
Other members include Keanna Dedman, Erynne Sells and Sanna Bob.
With his expertise, Holyan said he’s going to share his knowledge with his student-athletes as he’s hoping to get his athletes qualified for the College National Finals Rodeo.
“I’m going to do what I can to make our team better,” he said. “I’ll do what I can to give that edge, and it’s my goal to get an individual to the college finals.
“We’ll start from there and then we’ll work on getting the entire team there,” he said. “It’s been a long time since our team has made the finals.”
Diné College will compete in the Grand Canyon Region with the 2021 season opening on Sept. 25-26 in Douglas, Arizona at Cochise College.
Mesalands Community College in Tucumcari, New Mexico will host the next rodeo on Oct. 9-10 and the fall season will conclude when New Mexico State University will host a one-day rodeo on Oct. 30.
With a few weeks before the start of the season, Holyan said he like to help fine-tune his athletes in their respective events.
Holyan said the Diné College is not going to host a rodeo this fall due to COVID-19 concerns but he’s hoping things will get better next spring to possible host one.
“Because of the pandemic, there’s restriction on the Navajo reservation,” he said. “We’ll see about the springtime but we just don’t know yet.”
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