Northwestern Oklahoma State’s Tyra Tsosie won the goat-tying championship at the Kansas State University rodeo this past weekend in Manhattan, Kansas. The sophomore transferred to the Rangers rodeo team in the fall semester to join her twin brother, Tydon, who was already at Northwestern.
(PHOTO BY DALE HIRSCHMAN)

 

ALVA, Okla. – Tyra and Tydon Tsosie grew up together around the Navajo Nation.

Always competitors, they never backed down from a challenge. Rodeo has always been a way of life for the twins from Crownpoint, New Mexico. For a year, though, they separated. Tyra made her way to Eastern New Mexico University in Portales, along the state’s border with the Texas Panhandle. Tydon ventured to Northwestern Oklahoma State University, and the “Bulldogging Capital of College Rodeo” was perfect for the steer wrestling hopeful.

The twins were reunited last fall when Tyra Tsosie transferred to be part of the Rangers rodeo team. Her avenue to Alva paid off this past weekend, when she won the goat-tying title at the Kansas State University rodeo, the first of the next six events in the Central Plains Region that took place in Manhattan, Kansas.

She stopped the clock in 7.3 seconds to finish in a tie for third in the opening round, then sped to a 6.7-second run to win the championship round and the aggregate title.

“It’s a pretty cool start to the spring semester,” said Tsosie, a sophomore who also competes in breakaway roping for the Rangers. “My horse worked great. She did her job, but she always does her job.”

That’s Bit-O-Honey, a 13-year-old sorrel mare Tsosie has had since the animal was a filly.

“My mom named her after my grandpa’s favorite candy,” Tsosie said. “I grew up with her. She’s an all-around horse. I have taken her to junior rodeos. She wasn’t my first goat horse, but I’ve always had her. She ended up learning goats, and now she’s my main horse; she’s my breakaway horse, too.”

Familiarity is important. It’s why she rides a mare she’s ridden most of her life and why she opted to transfer to the Alva institution and sit out the first three rodeos of the season because of the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association’s transfer rules. The first Central Plains event in which she competed was the Northwestern rodeo in early November.

“I came here because my brother goes to school here,” she said. “I visited during my spring break last year, and I really like he practice facility, the coach, the team … just how they do things. I thought it’d be more fun with my brother here, too.”

Tydon Tsosie has already accumulated points for the Northwestern men, winning the first round in Stillwater last fall. His sister one-upped him in Manhattan.

“I just tried to be smooth and do my part,” Tyra Tsosie said. “I did it on my first run, and then the second run went really good.”

She led the way for the Rangers women. She was joined in the short round by fellow goat-tier Payton Dingman of Pryor, Oklahoma, and a quartet of breakaway ropers: River Hamaker of Leon, Iowa; Brylee Zook of Garnett, Kansas; Trista Regner of Apple Valley, California; and Maggie King of Granville, New York.

King, Regner and Zook all gathered points in Manhattan. King and Zook were each 2.5 seconds to finish the opening round in a four-way tie for fifth place. Both placed in the final performance and the aggregate – Zook was sixth in the short round and sixth overall, while King posted a 2.6-second run to finish second in both. Regner won the first round with a 2.2-second run.

A couple of cowboys from the Northwestern men’s team took top honors. Heeler Colter Snook of Ford, Kansas, won the rodeo while roping with header Dexton Hoelting of Western Oklahoma State College. They were third in the first round with a 7.3-second run and won the final round with a 7.5. Meanwhile, Nathan Duvall of Henryetta, Oklahoma, dominated bulldogging, sharing the first-round win and taking the second round to claim the overall prize.

Assistant coach Emmett Edler also garnered some steer wrestling points. He posted a 5.3-second run to finish fifth in the opener, then was 4.3 to place third in the short round and the aggregate. Payden Nusser of Alva was 5.2 to finish fourth in the first round, while Hazen Sparks of Talihina, Oklahoma, was 5.3 to finish fifth on Championship Sunday.

Tie-down ropers Carter Anderson of Merriman, Nebraska, and Kerry Duvall of Oakdale, California, were solid. Duvall placed in a tie for fifth in the long round, and Anderson took advantage of sneaking into the finals by placing fifth in the round and sixth in the average. Freshman Riley Smith of Poteau, Oklahoma, made the short round in saddle bronc riding and finished with two solid rides.

In all, 14 Rangers were part of the final performance. Northwestern finished second in the men’s team standings. It was proof to Tyra Tsosie that she made a good decision to transfer.

“Eastern was a lot smaller of a team,” she said. “I think there were about 15 or 20 girls on the team, but at Alva, there’s a lot more girls. We have good athletes in every event.”

That’s a testament to the tradition established years ago, one that continues under coach Cali Griffin, who was not in Manhattan while tending to other responsibilities.

“I didn’t really know Cali until I met her during my visit at spring break last year,” Tsosie said. “She’s a good coach, and you can see that from watching her during practice, during the rodeo and being there for the team. Since she wasn’t there, the team was there for each other, and we had Emmett (Edler) there with us, too. Everybody stepped up and helped.”

That’s what teams do.

“I’m really proud of them for stepping up and helping each other while I was gone,” Griffin said. “I’m lucky to have this group of kids.”