ProRodeo Sports News - June 28, 2019

81.5-point ride on Four Star Rodeo’s Lil’ Warrior, May 4. “I keep getting better with each ride,” Joaquin said.

saddle bronc riding at Indian rodeos growing up, and once I had the opportunity to try it, I stuck with it.” Joaquin was doing bull riding and saddle bronc riding until this past December. “I broke my right ankle at a jackpot rodeo, and I retired from bull riding,” Joaquin said. “I really enjoy saddle bronc riding because it dates back to the connection the Native Americans have with the horses they were using for their daily chores. That connection I have when I’m riding a bucking horse feels like we are one. It just feels amazing. It’s nothing like the bull riding, and bareback riding is a little more on the wild side. Saddle bronc riding is like poetry in motion to me.” This year, Joaquin wants to take the next step in his career and win the Turquoise Circuit. When he’s not rodeoing, he has a job as a welder or works on a ranch or fixes fences at home. “This has been a process for me, and if I qualify (for the RAMNational Circuit Finals Rodeo in Kissimmee, Fla.), that would be a big

“There are not a lot of Native Americans who are going down the (PRCA) road, especially in roughstock, who are trying to make the NFR like I am. I have respect for those who have tried in the past. I not only try and represent my tribe, but other tribes across the nation.” – JAY JOAQUIN

UNCHARTED TERRITORY

Joaquin is the first member of his family to

compete in the PRCA.

“My grandpa and his brother rodeoed quite a bit

in the Indian circuits,” Joaquin said.

“My dad (Albert) rodeoed for a little bit, and as I became of age I started getting more into rodeo. My dad helped me out and showed me the ropes.” Joaquin and his family, two younger brothers and two younger sisters, live at the Gila River Indian Community in Sacaton, Ariz., which is adjacent to the south side of Phoenix. Before moving to the Gila River Indian

Community, Joaquin and his family lived at the Tohono O’odham Indian Reservation by Casa Grande, Ariz., near Sonora, Mexico. Joaquin’s father is a member of the Tohono O’odhamNation. Representing the two Native American reservations in the PRCA is something that Joaquin relishes. “I’m 110 percent proud of what I’m able to do,” Joaquin said. “There are not a lot of Native Americans who are going down the (PRCA) road, especially in roughstock, who are trying to make the NFR like I am. I have respect for those who have tried in the past. I not only try and represent my tribe, but other tribes across the nation.” Joaquin was a saddle bronc riding champion at the 2017 Indian National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas. “I still love the Indian rodeos just as much as I love PRCA rodeos,” Joaquin said. What Joaquin is doing now in rodeo isn’t lost on his brother Skye, who travels with him. Skye, 21,

deal,” Joaquin said. To earn a bid to the RAMNCFR, Joaquin would have to win the year- end Turquoise Circuit title or win the average at the RAMTurquoise Circuit Finals Rodeo in Prescott, Ariz., Oct. 4-5. “That would be awesome if Jay could make it to Kissimmee,” Skye said. Jay, meanwhile, is keeping things in perspective. “I just want to keep doing my best every time, and hopefully one day I will make it to the NFR,” Joaquin said.

competes in bull riding and saddle bronc riding and plans on getting his PRCA permit soon. “It’s exciting to go with Jay,” Skye said. “I have gotten to see a lot of places that I’ve never been to before. He has come along way from where he started. To see him winning (PRCA) rodeos is crazy and cool. I want to try to follow in his footsteps, and he always tells me I don’t need to follow his footsteps, I need to be better than him. He is one of my biggest inspirations.” Like many cowboys, Joaquin had hopes of being a PRCA bull rider. “I started out riding calves and steers and worked my way to bulls,” Joaquin said. “By high school I was getting pretty decent. Then my freshman year of high school, my dad asked me if I wanted to try saddle bronc riding. I always liked watching BULL RUSH

Photo courtesy Jay Joaquin Saddle bronc rider Jay Joaquin, left, spends a family moment with his mother, Fay, center, and brother Skye at Horseshoe Bend near Page, Ariz. Jay is in his second year competing in the PRCA, and Skye hopes to follow in his brother’s footsteps.

ProRodeo Sports News 6/28/2019

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