Ropers flock to Lukachukai for fair invite

LUKACHUKAI, Ariz.

With an invitation to the Navajo Nation Fair, the Lukachukai Stampede Rodeo had an influx of No. 9 team ropers last weekend.

The rodeo committee offered to pay the top ropers from this rodeo a paid entry fee to this year’s annual fair, which is scheduled for Sept. 3-9 in Window Rock.

The committee took the top 5 teams in the No. 9 roping and had a rope off to determine the winner. The team of Chaz Samuel and Larren Kayonnie were quickly dialed in as they won the rope-off with a 10.55-second run at the Central Navajo Rodeo Association-sanctioned event.

“We didn’t know what kind of steers that were going to come out,” Samuel said. “We didn’t know if it had the bigger rack or the shorter one. We just went out there and made a run.”

By turning in the rodeo’s fastest time, the pair was the last team to rope as they saw three other teams record no times. And the time they had to beat was a 19-second run.

“I just knew that we had to get him down,” Kayonnie said. “I knew my partner was not going to do anything silly and basically we made a business-man run.”

Kayonnie added that they drew a runner but they made the best of it by roping the animal in the middle of the arena.

“It wasn’t the best steer in the herd but once Chaz roped it, it came off clean and it hopped real nice,” he said.

Kayonnie said this will be his second attempt at the Navajo Nation Fair and in his debut last year he turned in a 7.0 run in the slack performance for a top 20 finish.

“We made it back Friday night but we had a hard runner so we didn’t do anything,” he said.

As for Samuel, this will be his third trip to the fair and in one of his previous tries his team went out with multiple penalties. And while they are going to compete with the big dogs, the Chinle cowboy says anything can happen.

“I think we have a chance,” he said. “My horse (Kelly) has been doing really good and she’s explosive at the box. It all depends on what kind of draws we have.”

In the rodeo performance, the pair won the event with a 6.34 run.

“I want to thank my partner,” Kayonnie said. “He turned two good steers from me and I am glad we capitalized on them today.”

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