‘Iron sharpens iron’: Crownpoint tie-down roper wins aggregate race despite facing pressure
Special to the Times | Reginald Chee
Crownpoint cowboy Allen Charley starts to tie his calf in the short round in the tie-down event at the 2026 Kayenta 4th of July Rodeo on Saturday, July 4. Charley placed first in the round with a 9.70 effort, as he won the average title with a total of 20.31 seconds.
KAYENTA
The pressure was on for Crownpoint tie-down roper Allen Charley.
Special to the Times | Reginald Chee
Crownpoint cowboy Tylon Tsosie throws his rope in the tie-down event at the 2026 Kayenta 4th of July Rodeo on Saturday, July 4. Tsosie tied his calf in 10.54 seconds and placed second in the short round.
Before his short round run, Tylon Tsosie took over the driver’s seat in the aggregate race by producing a fast 10.54 run on Saturday night at the 2026 Kayenta 4th of July Rodeo.
Coupled with his second place run of 10.99 in the long go round, Tsosie led the aggregate with a 21.53 effort on two heads.
But as the last cowboy remaining, Charley produced a much faster run of 9.7 seconds, which ended up being the rodeo’s fastest run. That colossal effort catapulted Charley into first place with a 20.31 aggregate with Tsosie finishing second.
“It’s just a lot of fun when you have good cattle like that,” Charley said when asked to reflect on his triumphant win. “With good cattle everybody is going fast, and it makes you want to go faster.
“You know, Tylon made a good run and iron sharpens iron,” he added. “Everybody made a good run tonight, and I guess I had to make a good run, too.”
To read the full article, please see the July 9, 2026, edition of the Navajo Times.
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