10-year-old steals the show

This year at the 64th Navajo Nation Fair rodeo, 10-year-old Faith Holyan stole the show.

Holyan won the average in the women's barrel racing Sunday afternoon with a time of 17.12 and earned an extra $2,000 when she won again in the final four with a time of 17.30.

The victory itself was a big accomplishment but winning in the arena named after her grandfather made it a million times better.

"I've been preparing for a long time," she said smiling. "It just felt so amazing in my grandpa's memorial arena and I give God, Jesus Christ all the praise and glory."

Holyan is the daughter of Ed Holyan and Carole Jackson-Holyan and granddaughter of rodeo legend Dean C. Jackson and Stephanie Jackson.

She is also a cousin to newly high school National Finals Rodeo breakaway winner Kassidy Dennison.

Holyan said she knew it was an important event and was happy to share it with her new barrel horse, London.

"It just felt so cool. I just felt great and I was excited but a little nervous, but God helped me through all this," she said. "My God is an awesome God and he blessed me, he blessed me with my horse London and a great run today."

It was a special day and event for the Jackson, Holyan and Dennison family as they rode, roped and ran in Dean C. Jackson's memory. But it was even more heartwarming for Faith's mother Carole.

Carole Holyan was 11 years old, close to Faith's age, when she won her first championship and remembers the feeling.

"I can remember being that age, I can remember hearing the crowds going, because you're so little and you automatically have the momentum of the fans," Carole Holyan-Jackson said, laughing.

"Afterwards Kassidy was saying 'Dang I'm old now, I remember when I used to get that cheering and now it's Faith, I have to move over,' she said. I said well now you know how it felt."

Rodeo runs in the family and it's not different for little Faith Holyan.

Both Carole and Ed competed in rodeo and have lived the life so it's only natural that Faith fell into it.

"We live it every day," Holyan-Jackson said. "It's just been many, many years of rodeo that our dad started us in. It's a good livelihood, you know, it teaches our kids a lot about responsibilities being a good citizen and caring for animals. It's just great."

Faith Holyan spent a lot of time preparing for her run especially when she bought her horse London from the Store family.

She was named the barrel-racing champion at the fair but the 10-year-old has also qualified for the Indian National Finals Rodeo, something her mother is very proud of.

Carole Holyan-Jackson said watching her daughter win this weekend was an indescribable feeling.

"It's better than anything I can ever remember or recall, to watch your own child out there and to watch her win in her grandpa's arena," she said. "And to do it here with her grandmother here, it was just really overwhelming, very special.

"Every time we come here we feel his presence and there's just really no doubt that he's here," she said.

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