Cowgirl Up!
Women take dominant role in annual rodeo

ABOVE: Tami Root grooms her palomino while waiting to compete in the barrel races at the Grants Rodeo. BELOW: Barrel racers Brooke and Kasey Eaves, of Grants, sit astride their horses on Saturday during the 83rd Wild West Days Rodeo in Grants. [photos by Jim Tiffin / Independent]

By Jim Tiffin
Cibola County Bureau

GRANTS — This past weekend the Grants Rodeo Association held its 83rd Wild West Rodeo.

Usually it is the cowboy, the bull rider, the team roper, the men who receive all the recognition at rodeos.

This year women, female teens and youth (numbering in the hundreds), who compete in barrel racing in the arena talked about why they do what they do and what draws them to it year after year.

Tami Dean of Bloomfield is a barrel racer who has been in the sport for more than 20 years. She said even though the price of gas is high this year, she will still compete, but a lot closer to home.

“Bonding with my horse and riding fast are two of the reasons I do it,” she said. “The other is the competition, that’s what really drives me.

“There is a real sisterhood out there for women who compete in rodeo events,” she said.

World championship

“I intend to beat all the girls there,” Cherrice Garcia of Grants, said. She was referring to competition at the National Barrel Horse Association World Championship in Jackson, Miss., July 22-27.

Garcia, 15, won nine barrel races, nearly every one she entered in her age division last year, which qualified her to go to the championship competition this year.

“I’m not intimidated,” she said, brimming with confidence. “If I can go this far here, I can go farther there.”

Garcia’s mother, Tina Barajas, who works in the Cibola County Assessor’s Office, said being a single mother and raising a daughter with an expensive sport is challenging.

“I wanted her to be around horses,” she said. “I was raised with horses and it helps teach you responsibility,” she said.
Brooked and Kasey Eaves, 11 and 8 respectively, said they like riding fast and competing.

Brooked is also going to the world championship in her age group.

Kasey said she likes her big sister but demonstrated a competitive spirit.

“I like beating her,” she said, while smiling broadly and laughing.

The sisters practice at home separately at times and together at other times.

It is during these practice sessions that Kasey likes to beat her big sister while running barrels.

Good people

Tamara Root of Albuquerque trains horses and had accompanied Emma Fries, 12, also of Albuquerque, to the Grants Rodeo this past weekend.

Root said she trains horses for people who compete in rodeo.

“This (rodeo people) is a good crowd of people,” she said. “A lot of rodeos have church on Sunday and are really patriotic.
“It is a real family atmosphere and good for kids and young people. It keeps them out of trouble,” she said.

Emma Fries was talking to her 8-year-old horse, Corona, for a few minutes.

“When I get into the saddle and barrel race, I get a rush,” she said.

“I never want to get off the horse, I want to keep doing it.”
Emma said she would like to be closer to her horse and really likes to win.

Sarah Brogdon, 13, also of Albuquerque, said she just started about a year ago, the same time as Emma.

“I don’t have a horse right now, I ride my friend’s horses,” she said.

“I like to try different things, and I wanted to give this a shot.
“I like to ride barrels because it is not complicated. It seems in the circuit you get closer to people and develop some real friendships,” she said.

Tanya Ott, who works the gate at the rodeo every year for the past 26 years, said rodeo is all about the kids.

Her children are grown and living away from home, yet she still does this because of the family atmosphere.

“This is what being an American is all about,” she said, referencing the fact that the rodeo was held on the Fourth of July holiday weekend, “It is about having the freedom to do these kinds of events.”

Perhaps Root summed it all up when she said: “You learn right from wrong, you learn morals and how to be a good person here. If you are really good, you can put yourself through college and make a living at this.”

On the net: www.grantsrodeo.com

To contact reporter Jim Tiffin call (505) 285-4560or e-mail: jtiffin.independent@yahoo.com.