Volborg Cowgirl Ready To Rope NFR History

By Joe Kusek

For the Examiner

When Joey Williams was in junior high school, she wrote an essay for class on why the National Finals Rodeo should have breakaway roping.

It took a little more than a decade but Williams finally got her wish.

For the first time in Las Vegas, the NFR will include breakaway roping competition. Like the other events, only the top 15 in the 2021 WPRA world standings qualify.

The inaugural NFBR was in 2020 at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.

The 2021 NFBR will be Dec. 6-7 at Orleans Arena. Competitors will be competing for a share of the $200,000 purse. There will be five rounds of competition each day.

Not only did Williams get her wish of seeing breakaway roping at the NFR, she will be a participant.

Williams, a mother of three from Volborg, was reminded of the essay in a text from a friend.

Williams has gotten a lot of congratulatory texts since Oct. 1.

Williams finished 14th in the WPRA breakaway roping for 2021. She earned $25,112 at 40 rodeos, the fewest among the top 15 qualifiers.

"Not one little bit," said Williams with a good laugh if the accomplishment has sunk in.

What started as a local goal for the 2021 season became a world-class goal after a couple of successful weekends at opposite ends of Montana.

"Honestly, this year when we learned they were adding breakaway roping to the (Montana Pro Rodeo) circuit finals, that was the goal. To make the circuit finals," Williams said.

"The bigger finals, I didn't think that was an attainable having to haul young children."

The pursuit of the NFR was family effort. She hit the rodeo road hard in September with the encouragement of her husband Taylor and help from her mother Cindy.

Williams, formerly Painter, is originally from Buffalo, South Dakota. She competed for Black Hills State University, winning the College National Finals Rodeo national breakaway roping title in 2012. Along with graduating from BHSU with a degree in business she also earned her MBA from the University of South Dakota.

She and Taylor have been married seven years and have three children: sons Landon (5) and Carson (3) and daughter Shay (10 months).

It was less than a year ago that Williams was watching the WPRA breakaway roping finals on television while pregnant with Shay. "That seems a lifetime ago," Williams said.

Williams' goals changed with a sizzling August. She won at Couer D'Alene, Idaho, Big Timber and Missoula and placed second at high-paying Baker for $6,500. Williams earned more than $13,000 in August to put her firmly in NFR contention.

"After I won Missoula, I thought I could do this," she said.

Williams and her husband sat down to map out a potential plan.

However, there were some issues to discuss.

There were responsibilities at the family ranch to consider, horses that needed training and Taylor's hunting business in November. And not to mention three young children who needed their parents' attention. Landon began kindergarten this fall.

"You have to do this," Taylor Williams told his wife.

Taylor Williams put away his rope to take care of Landon and the family homestead. Taylor Williams is an accomplished team roper, having won the MPRC Finals twice with his brother-in-law Radley Day.

Joey Williams packed up Carson and Shay, her ropes and her horse. With her mother Cindy Painter in the passenger seat, the group entered rodeos all over the United States to chase the Las Vegas dream.

"We made it work. It was a lot of hard work," said Williams. "There was a lot of driving, a lot of juggling things around. We put a lot of miles on the truck."

Some of the stops included rodeos in Utah, the northwest and the Pendleton Round-Up in Oregon. "We drove to Texas twice," Williams said.

Williams, who was precariously on the bubble the final month, found herself in Fort Worth, Texas on the final weekend of the regular season.

"There were three of us competing for the last two slots," she said.

Meanwhile, more than 1,600 miles away, other breakaway ropers were trying to loop big money at the ProRodeo Tour Finale in Salinas, California.

"My husband said, 'Stop complaining. Go do what you can and it will work out in your favor,' " said Williams.

She didn't earn any money in Fort Worth but a share of first place in Amarillo worth $2,517 a week earlier proved to be the difference. Less than $700 separated the No. 14, 15 and 16 finishers in the standings.

"Amarillo, that's what got me into the top 15," Williams said.

She will be riding Baybe Bullet at the NFR, a 10-year-old bay mare trained by her husband. Taylor also uses Baybe as his team roping heeling horse.

"Baybe is really special to us," said Williams. "She scores so well. She runs and gets there so fast and gives me the quickest shot. These type of horses don't come along very often."

While the Williams continue to train horses to find another team roping horse for Taylor, the two will continue to share the star of the family.

"I know Baybe likes breakaway roping more than team roping," Williams said with another laugh.

Williams is practicing as much as she can, weather permitting. "It's tough to practice when there is a foot of snow in the pen," she said. "I know those girls down south are roping every day."

Eight of the 15 qualifiers have Texas addresses.

"It's really cool to qualify," continued Williams. "Never did in million years did I think I would accomplish this.

"I will try to get as prepared as I can. This is a whole new ballgame for me. I haven't been in big events like this.

"But I'm going to go down swinging."