Rodeo stars put on a show for loud crowd

It was rodeo at its finest.

The crowd was loud, the action was packed and the best of the best rode and roped in some big wins at the 63rd Annual Navajo Nation Fair Indian Rodeo.

And Sheila Sells was a name known to all as the six-day rodeo came to an end Sunday afternoon.

Sells entered three events - ladies breakaway, team roping and barrel racing.

In team roping, she wrangled in $3,200 in payout and outlasted 600 teams in the event. She won the average in team roping, along with a saddle.

"It felt really good. It's still a shock, I'm still shocked about it. I knew I could do it, but I didn't think I would come out on top," Sells said.

The 23-year-old full-time student lives in Kayenta, Ariz., where she attends Diné College majoring in accounting.

Sells said she's had a very good season so far and hopes it will continue.

"It's been going pretty good. Been winning all-arounds here and there," she said. "So far I won four saddles."

But even with four new saddles under her belt, she wishes she was more successful in her favorite event - breakaway roping.

"I'm happy, wish I would have drew a little better. It just happened," she said.

She placed sixth overall in the breakaway.

Although she didn't do as good as she wanted to in her No. 1 event, her entire performance was an improvement from last year.

Sells said she plans to continue winning and hopefully on her favorite horse, Jet.

Jake Blackrock from Ganado, Ariz., also made headlines as the youngest team roper at the rodeo.

Not only was he the youngest, but he was also good at what he did. He teamed up with three different people, his dad and two friends.

As the youngest team roper and making his first appearance at the rodeo, Blackrock said he was a little nervous.

"I roped with them before at different rodeos, I just felt I had to go there and do my thing," he said. "I felt pretty good, I roped pretty good, my first year going there I was a bit nervous with the crowd, how big it was going to be with the noise."

But the crowd loved him.

In the short-go, Blackrock and his teammate Chris Begay had a perfect effort, roping in a time of 5.3. But another team roped in a lower time and Blackrock and his partner won second in the short-go and fifth in the average.

Blackrock is a sophomore at Ganado High School and has always wanted to rope with his father. He said his father, Nate Blackrock, taught him how to rope.

"I started riding a horse when I was five, before I just started swinging a rope and I just started roping," he said. "I've always wanted to rope with my dad when I was smaller. I finally got to rope with him at a couple rodeos this year. He talks to me, tells me stuff, I tell him how I want the steer handled."

Blackrock said the highlight of his first-ever week at the rodeo was during the short-go on Sunday.

"I did pretty good," he said. "I turned a 9 flat with dad and a 5.3 with Chris," he said.

He said having a good draw helped him get a good time.

Blackrock said the steer his dad had Saturday was the same steer he roped for second place on Sunday.

"I knew how he ran, he was a really good steer, I had a good draw," he said.

His knowledge of steers and roping at a young age have observers convinced he will go far. And Blackrock likes the idea of it.

"That's one of my goals I want to accomplish, to get out there in the pros, just be a better roper and win a lot," he said.

Someone who is no stranger to the rodeo or the spotlight is Justin Tsosie Jr.

Tsosie has been going to the largest Indian fair rodeo since 1998. He's a tie-down roper who won the event about four or five years ago.

And this year, Tsosie won the event again.

"It feels good," he said. "Lately I haven't been doing good, it was good to do good at the Navajo Nation Fair rodeo."

Tsosie roped a 9.4 on Tuesday, an 11.8 on Saturday and a 8.4 in the short-go on Sunday.

He moved on to the final four where he missed his calf but luckily, the clock wasn't working so he got a re-rope. On his second try he won the final four in 10 seconds flat.

Tsosie said he made the final four last year but broke the barrier.

Tsosie said he did everything to make sure he made it to the fair rodeo.

"It's one of the biggest rodeos, you have to be there," he said.

Kassidy Dennison knows that all too well. She won the all-around saddle on Sunday and paid out in two events.

The 17-year-old barrel racer, breakaway roper and team roper has always wanted to win the all-around title at the rodeo, especially because the rodeo is held in the arena named after her grandfather.

"It's actually a great honor, it being my grandpa's arena, first time winning all-around, I always wanted to walk away with all-around champion," she said.

Last year Dennison was fifth in breakaway but this year she has improved.

"It's going good, things are starting to pick up," she said. "My family got together and we went to Tucson, then we came back for Shiprock then to the fair. This past weekend was busy for us."

Dennison has already qualified for the Indian National Finals Rodeo in barrel racing and breakaway.

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