Tonalea 17-year-old wins Young Bull Riders World Finals

It was 2006 when Tauchoney Slim III decided he wanted to ride bulls.

Slim had wandered off from his parents at the Chinle fair and was fascinated by the bull riders he saw at the rodeo.

The next day he told his parents he wanted to ride bulls.

"He wanted to get into it, it was an argument for the next 30 days. All we knew was that it was dangerous for him," Tauchoney's mother Sarah Slim said.

It was that kind of determination that got Tauchoney Slim and 13 other Navajo riders to the 2009 Young Bull Riders World Finals in Ft. Worth, Texas, Aug. 5 to 8.

The riders, from on and off the reservation, competed in five events at the finals, which was presented by Championship Bull Riding at the Will Rogers Coliseum.

They also represented the Northern Arizona Junior Bull Riding Association.

NAJRA promotes young bull riders, helping them to participate in events outside the reservation.

The athletes had to finish as champions or world champions from the association in 2008 to receive an invitation.

Tauchoney wasn't the only Slim who was given an invitation. His younger brother LeShoney Slim was also invited.

Tauchoney participated in the bull riding at the world finals and finished as the reserve champion.

LeShoney wasn't as lucky, but having just learned how to ride peewee bulls a little over a year ago, he has plenty of time.

As for the other riders, four made it to the top 10 - two in mutton bustin, two in peewee riding and one in open bull riding.

They included Sierra Farland, from Tonalea, Ariz., and Kailer Charley, from Winslow, in mutton bustin.

In calf riding, Kobe Yazzie, from Ganado, Ariz., Joshua Criss, from Chandler, Ariz., Christian Puente, from Hard Rock, Ariz., and Antonio Cortez, from Grey Mountain, Ariz.

In senior riding, Wyatt Betoney, from Cow Springs, Ariz.

In peewee bulls, LeShoney Slim, from Tonalea, Ariz., and Raylando Puente, from Hard Rock, Ariz.

In bull riding, Derrick Means, from Cameron, Ariz., Tauchoney Slim III, from Tonalea, Ariz., Terro Goseyun, from Flagstaff, Solomon Puenti, from Hard Rock, Ariz., and Emerson Foster, from Cameron, Ariz.

The Slim family is from Tonalea, about 21 miles east of Tuba City.

Neither Sarah Slim or her husband Tauchoney Slim Jr. come from rodeo families and the only ties to rodeo they have is horse racing which is common on Tauchoney Slim Jr.'s side of the family.

So, when their oldest child decided he wanted to ride they weren't quite sure what to do.

Their first reaction was to search for someone who could teach their son how to ride.

"We looked for an individual, Jimmy Black, a retired teacher from Black Mesa who devoted his time to teaching bull riding," Sarah Slim said.

His parents knew so little about rodeo that when the time came to buy his equipment they had to Google to see what type of equipment he might need.

Every weekend his parents took him to Black Mesa to ride about eight or 10 bulls, and he eventually picked up the sport and has been riding four about two years now.

He is a member of the Native American Junior Bull Riding Association and the Western Junior Rodeo Association.

But, most importantly, Tauchoney inspired his younger brother to ride.

LeShoney started competing about 13 years ago.

His parents didn't allow him to compete until last year because they felt he was too young. And when he could, they were ready.

"They have an exercise schedule that they go by, a lot of running, stretching," Sarah Slim said. "They have a bucking barrel, every chance they get they're on that barrel."

Tauchoney, 17, said when he first saw local riders compete he thought it was easy but at the same time difficult with the many talented riders.

"I figured it wasn't gonna be hard, it's competitive," he said.

He added that he enjoyed represented where he was from and leaving as a reserved champion.

"It makes me feel great and looking forward for next year," he said.

LeShoney saw the same concept in riding that his brother did.

"I used to watch him ride, watching him it just looked easy," LeShoney said. "Later on I never knew it was easy it was a lot of work."

LeShoney said he was surprised to receive an invitation to the world finals.

"I was kinda shocked because it was my first year riding, it was cool, fun," he said.

While the two practiced, their parents and the parents of the other athletes worked hard to make sure their travel plans went smoothly.

Sarah Slim said the families raised funds and sponsorship was key.

She said her sons were given sponsorship from three local businesses in Tuba City, a council delegate and the Navajo Nation speaker's office.

Sarah Slim said a lot of hard work from the entire family went into getting her sons to go but it was worth it.

"I know it's a family effort, it takes a lot of money, it's a lot of traveling," she said. "It's a very great feeling to be able to see your child excel to that point, being amongst those kids. Every one of those kids, they're a champion in their own rights. It's an awesome feeling to have a Navajo child participate at that level."

Back to top ^