Joey Williams is on the phone talking about life on the road with her youngest child, Shay, when the little girl loudly interrupts the conversation. She wants her mom's attention. Now.
“Of course she does this when I get on the phone …” Joey says with a laugh, her voice trailing off as she tends to Shay.
For this two-time NFR qualifier, being a mother and maintaining her ranking in the world standings is a juggling act that is especially hectic this time of the breakaway season. This weekend, she’s in Puyallup, Washington competing in the WPRA Playoff Series. While the end-of-the-season frenzy presents challenges, she is making it all work with the help of her family.
“Obviously, it's a little difficult to be gone for this long,” Joey says. “But I’ve got lots of help from my family.”
For the past few weeks, husband Taylor has been tending to their sons, Landon and Carson, who are now in school. All three are joining her and Shay this weekend in Puyallup.
Joey qualified for the Puyallup Rodeo because she was one of the top 24 ropers in the Playoff Series standings - grabbing a chance to compete for a shot at the Governor’s Cup in Sioux Falls in late September. The top four finishers in Puyallup along with the top eight finishers in the Playoff Series will vie for huge prize money at the South Dakota rodeo. It’s the last push to qualify for Las Vegas.
With a spot in the Playoff Series standings and #6 spot in the world standings, Joey has an excellent chance of competing in her third consecutive NFR in December.
“I feel like I'm in a good position, but there are quite a few rodeos and a lot of money to be won these last few weeks,” she says. “I would obviously like to do well - just finish out the year on a good note and try to get a little bit more money rounded up going into the finals. It helps to get into Puyallup. I still have a bit of work to do to try to get into the Governor's Cup. So hopefully I have a little luck these last couple of weeks and can go to Sioux Falls as well."
Back in her hometown of Volborg, Montana this summer, she took some time off to be with her husband Taylor, a team roper, and her kids. After three months, she got back into the swing of things when she won the Cheyenne Frontier Days in July.
The Daddy of ‘Em All was a huge accomplishment for Joey. Her three kids, who were on hand to watch their mom, weren’t as impressed as the rest of the rodeo world.
“It's kind of funny, because I don't think that they really even realized what was happening,” she says. “I'm sure someday when they're a little older, they'll be like, ‘Wow, my mom won in Cheyenne.’ But right now, I’m just mom.”
