Hometown cowboy wins
Eastern Navajo Fair all-around title

Posted by Quentin Jodie | Jul 31, 2025 | Rodeo |

CROWNPOINT

The short round of the Eastern Navajo Fair on Sunday afternoon had a topsy-turvy feel to it in the men’s timed events.

The steer wrestling had seven cowboys post no times while the open team roping had at least six teams miss including the high-call back team.

With those no times, Crownpoint cowboy Jeremiah Jodie catapulted to the top in the men’s all-around race. He moved up three spots in the team roping race and won the aggregate with his younger brother, Shane, as the pair roped two draws in 17.77 seconds, which included a first place run in the short round with an 8.12 run.

Navajo Times | Quentin Jodie
Brandon Bates jumps for his steer during the Eastern Navajo Fair Rodeo. Bates posted a 5.31 run and earned the average title on Sunday afternoon.

“The game plan changed, so all we had to do was rope,” said Jodie, who was awarded a trophy saddle. “I kind of knew it was gonna fall apart. Even the bulldogging fell apart.”

In that event, Jeremiah placed second in the average race with a 12.86 aggregate behind event winner Brandon Bates.

Bates won the steer wrestling straight across with a pair of first place finishes in the long go and short go with times of 4.6 and 5.31 seconds, respectively, for an aggregate of 9.91 seconds.

“I drew a good steer (on Saturday) and it was one of the best ones in the herd,” Bates said. “I had that steer in Dulce and I broke out to win Dulce. I let him a little further this time before I got out and I ended up winning the round.”

Bates, who captured his third overall win at the ENF, acknowledged that the bulldogging event fell apart with those seven no times during Sunday’s short round.

“It opened up a lot,” Bates admitted. “All I had to do is go out and catch. I just chased down my steer down the middle and I drew a decent steer. I just caught him, did my job and everything worked out.

“I knew everything would fall together if I caught him,” he added. “My horse worked good and I had a great hazer on the side with Jeremiah Jodie. He helped a lot.”

And although he grew up in Mexican Springs, New Mexico, Bates considers nearby Dalton Pass as his hometown.

“That is where my family is from and it’s good to win my hometown fair,” he said. “I’m happy that I won because it’s been a while.”

Get instant access to this story by purchasing one of our many e-edition subscriptions HERE at our Navajo Times Store.