story by Lindsay Humphrey
Spending time with family and friends is just a fringe benefit of competing in rodeo for Phillip Jiron from Isleta, New Mexico. “The best part about rodeo is traveling because I get to bond with my family. My sisters (Nyah, 15, and Myranda, 11) and my parents (Phillip and Leona) all go with and sometimes my grandparents, aunts and uncles will come watch when they can,” said the 14-year-old. Fresh out of quarantine, Phillip reflected on his NMJHSRA career and the spring season that never actually happened. “I was really upset when our season got canceled, but it gave me more time to practice and get some stuff figured out for my roping.”
Using his extra time at home to improve his consistency also taught Phillip how to deal with his misses. It’s much easier to learn how to shake off a disappointing run when there is no roaring crowd or a giant clock announcing your miss. “They also canceled school, so I had to work online this spring. That wasn’t bad, but it was boring to just stay home and do schoolwork. That did give me more time to rope.” Not only is Phillip an avid team roper in the NMJHSRA, he also took up chute dogging in the last year.
“I watched kids at my first rodeo chute dog and I thought it was interesting enough to give it a try.” Phillip is making the metaphorical and literal jump to steer wrestling when he begins high school this fall. “It’s been hard to learn; it hurts if you miss. And if you can’t find the right technique, you’re still going to go down.” Phillip enlisted the help of Brady Reno to get him on the right track for steer wrestling. “I took a few lessons with Brady early last year, just before the spring rodeos started. That really helped me a lot.”
Originally, it was Phillip’s dad who put a rope in his hand and sent him down the path of heading. “My dad was always bugging me to go rope with him. He got me started off riding horses. We raise our own cattle, so we had to learn how to rope so we can doctor them. When I got older, I started team roping and fell in love with the sport.” When Phillip was younger, he went to many team roping jackpots with Faron Candelaria Junior. “He’s always been a good roper, but he’s given me some pointers on my swing and the delivery.” Although Phillip can rope both ends, he prefers being a header. “Heading is more consistent than heeling; you’re always going to get the change to throw your loop. And you get to decide how fast you want to be.”
Phillip might’ve gotten his namesake and love for roping from his dad, but his mom is his encouragement. “My sisters make me rope harder; they joke around with me when I miss and that makes me want to practice more.” Phillip’s time in rodeo has taught him a lot about learning to see the bigger picture. “I’ve had some rodeos where I didn’t do so well, but I still had a good time with my friends and family and that was the bigger picture for me.” Phillip took that lesson and used it again this summer as he began looking forward to rodeoing in the fall in the NMHSRA. “I’m just working towards making good runs and giving my heeler good shots so we can be fast.” One of Phillip’s most memorable wins was at the Lazy B Arena with his dad. “Winning with my dad is probably my biggest accomplishment. We always talked about going out to rope together and winning a jackpot. As soon as the flag dropped, we were both smiling real big at each other because we knew we had won.”
