Rodeo delights exceptional kids
ABOVE:Cody Hayes tries his hand at roping a 'calf' while Keith Johnston watches on during Thursday's annual Exceptional Children's Rodeo. Thursday was the annual Ashkii Happy Kids Day. BELOW: Aeron Begay hangs tight on a bucking bull ride during Thursday's Exceptional Children's Rodeo. Thursday was the annual Ashkii Happy Kids Day.. — © 2008 Gallup Independent / Brian Leddy

Copyright © 2008
Gallup Independent
By Karen Francis
Diné Bureau

WINDOW ROCK — The smiles on the faces told the whole story why volunteers flock to the Navajo Nation Fair’s Exceptional Children’s Rodeo every year.

This year was no different as the volunteers showed up in droves at the Dean C. Jackson Memorial Arena on the Navajo Nation Fairgrounds to help out with the rodeo for children with disabilities.

A few hundred special needs children turned out for the event which is held annually in their honor. Because the children have disabilities, extra care and assistance is given to them as they make their way around the courses — which makes the use of many volunteers necessary.

Some volunteers man the stations and others make new friends as they pair up with children and take them around the rodeo arena for activities like the Bucking See Saw, the Pony Express Ride, Giddy Up and Go Horse Racing, Sticky Goat, Lickity Split Barrel Racing, Scoot and Scram Pole Bending, Brush and Shine Horse Grooming and Kidz Kowboy Roping.

Kids were given T-shirts, bandannas and straw cowboy hats, and had the opportunity to take photos with well-known cowboys and cowgirls from the Navajo Nation.

“I think it’s a wonderful turnout. There’s so many people here, and a lot of our children who are in need of encouragement are here today,” Miss Navajo Nation Jonathea Tso said on Thursday.

The most participants most likely came from Ganado Unified School District. Some 50 students came to Window Rock either as participants or as volunteers. Peter Yazzie said the district brought four buses to the rodeo.

“We come every year,” Lucy Brown, special education teacher at Ganado, said.

Yazzie said that the activities are hands-on, rather than just having the children look at displays.

“It’s just the perfect thing for them,” Brown said. They enjoy all the activities, Yazzie and Brown said.

“The whole look on their faces says it all,” Candace Yazzie, another Ganado district employee, said as the rodeo started.

“They get the chance to be with an animal, get close,” Peter Yazzie said pointing out the Pony Express Ride which took children for a round on a horse and the Brush and Shine Grooming Station which allowed children to groom a Shetland pony.

Daughter of the late Dean Jackson, Deborah Dennison, made her first visit to the exceptional rodeo held at the arena named after her father.

“It’s kind of emotional to see (them) just enjoying themselves and understanding that there’s all kinds of opportunities that they can be involved in as they grow older,” Dennison said.

“My dad was a very strong, well-known educator, still today, even though he’s been gone for 16 years now, and I know he would be very proud,” she added. “Just to see these beautiful children out here enjoying themselves and learning about the different events that are out there at rodeo ... I think that’s so complementary to his legacy.”

Miss Indian Rodeo Vonna Victor showed up early and began helping the kids tie on their bandannas as they waited to march in the grand entry. Later she helped out at the horse racing station.

“As a future educator I believe that it is important for us to give back to the community and help out,” Victor said. It was her first time at the annual exceptional rodeo, and she was doing a few last appearances before her reign ends in October.

Jeffrey J. Jim brought out 10 students from the agriculture class at Red Mesa High School for the exceptional rodeo’s first-ever Red Mesa Trail Ride. The participants and volunteers alike had huge smiles on their faces as they rode their wooden horses in the mock trail on the east side of the arena.

“With the exceptional rodeo we just want to help out with the youth, and the high school kids — it’s a good opportunity for them to help out their community as well as the Navajo Nation. They get to mingle with and meet a lot of people,” Jim said.

High school students from Red Mesa, Ganado, St. Michaels and other schools were all over the rodeo arena.

It was the first year that high school student Marcello Roanhorse volunteered. He helped to accompany a child around the rodeo grounds to try out each activity.

“It’s giving the kids more advantage that they don’t get to see everyday,” Roanhorse said.

Another student volunteering was Nizhoni LaFrance. She said, “It’s amazing ... It’s really nice how they got everything together.”

It was LaFrance’s first time at the exceptional children’s rodeo. She came with the Ganado High School agriculture class and was taking participant Jessica around to the various activities.

Shelbi Begaye, Lynette Hardy, and Chantelle Garcia from St. Michaels High School helped out at the Scoot and Scram Pole Bending and the Old Fashioned Wagon Ride.
Begaye said, “It’s pretty awesome. I think each child has a chance to shine out here.”

Hardy said, “It’s a fun event seeing everyone smiling, everyone happy.”

Begaye said it is “pretty cool” that the kids got a chance to participate and not be isolated.

One of the volunteers who comes back every year since the beginning is well known on the rodeo circuit — Wilbur Murphy.

“Everything’s the same except what’s really touching is emotional. The exceptional rodeo, those little kids, boy, it hits right here,” he said touching his heart.

“Rodeo is my life,” he added. “Maybe it’s just in the blood. I just come back over here. With all the cowboys that I know, I like to see them — the fellowship.”

Current Miss Navajo Tso and the four women running for Miss Navajo 2008-2009 stopped by the rodeo to pose for photos with the children and show support for the event.

They also marched in with a wheelchair parade along with Vice President Ben Shelly.

“Our students need special support,” Tso said. “It helps our students with their social skills so they will be able to hold jobs in the future, so they will be able to help in our community with community service events.”