Gina Northover-Moore  Editor Indian Rodeo News.com 

Well, here is some information about me.  I am a former Miss Indian Rodeo of North America 1985, I represented the Indian National Finals rodeo and all Indian rodeo cowboys and cowgirls competing in rodeo.  When I crowned the Miss Indian Rodeo in 1986, I never forgot the words of advice given to me by Mr. Fred Gladstone,  he said, " don't forget all of us, the people who you rode for out there in the rodeos, in any way you can, continue to promote Indian rodeo and our youth".   That same day, Mr. Dean Jackson gave me some good advice about the  next step in my life, Dean told me " go out and get your degree, your education with carry you through for the rest of your life" .   

Since then, I earned my certificate in Travel and Tourism in 1986, I worked for the Airline Industry for 6 years.  In 1993, I graduated from the Art Institute of Seattle with my Associate of Applied Fine Arts in the Music/Video and Multimedia production and management.  

After 3 years of video production work, I decided to take my producing skills and venture in to the Mosaix world of the World Wide Web, Microsoft recruited me through the All Indian Tribes Foundation in Seattle Washington, since 1995 I have worked for the Microsoft Corporation as a contractor.   I started out as a developer working on web sites as MSN, TechNet, and the Microsoft Software Licensing groups.   I gained my E-Commerce web site marketing skills while working for start up companies, like Point.com and Conversational Computing, this is where I learned all about Venture Capitalists and what it takes to successfully start a web business like Amazon.

Through the years, with my technical experience, I still wanted to give something back to my people, so I volunteered with the Native American group at Microsoft,  with implementing their technical teens group at Technology Access Foundation in Seattle Washington.   At that time, I still wanted to see Indian Rodeo using technology.   It was great to see the INFR publish their first web site, but there was no other Indian rodeo news publication on the world wide web covering the Native cowboys and cowgirls or at least recognizing our youth in rodeo, horse programs and ranching.  The only other web site that was active in keeping their pages updated was the Prairie Indian Rodeo Association (PIRA).  

So with knowing this, 3 years ago, I launched Indian Rodeo News.com   and since then, it has slowly taken off.  But, now that everyone is becoming more familiar with this web site, I decided to "Kick it up a notch" and promote all Indian rodeos, recognize all Native youth competing in any rodeo, and supporting future Indian Rodeo Queens.  

In my youth, I grew up on a cattle ranch in Medicine Valley, which is North of White Swan Washington.  My 4 older sisters, and myself, helped my Dad manage 500 head of Hereford cross cattle, we also had about 300 horses as well, which were quarter horses and some cross bred with the mustangs that came from the rangeland close to our ranch. 

Gina with her Mom and Dad (Bill and Barbara Northover) at her graduation ceremony Art Institute of Seattle 94

 My Mother, made sure that all of us girls were active in the 4-H horse club, all of us were members of the White Swan Vaqueros, we learned the basics of horse care, horsemanship, sportsmanship, 
training, and how to work together as a team when competing at shows.   This experience carried me up to competing in the AJQHA horse shows in Washington state, I came very close in 1982 to qualifying for the AJQHA world finals.

Gina and Nina (Hobo's Satin Finish) winning again at a regional Quarter horse show in 82

  Because of my love for animals, I also showed Steers, my first year  as a member of the late Peggy Brisbois's 4-H club, and my first steer was a nightmare, he would not let anyone come close to his pen, or he would chase you down, I named him Spanky and he was Angus cross, I never thought I would get him to the Central Washington Jr. livestock show, but we made it, and that is where I believe he knew what was going to happen to him once I sold him, because by the time I got ready to show him in Toppenish, Spanky acted like the family pet, you could crawl all over that Steer and he didn't mind at all.  Of course I had to sell him, and my Dad, who owned the Toppenish Livestock Commission sale yard, bought him, Spanky ended up on someone's plate probably at the Black Angus restaurant!!  My experience in raising cattle, made me want to continue showing Steers, so I joined the Future Farmers of America at Toppenish High school, and every year, I took out a bank loan and bought my steers.   Besides myself, and  my childhood friend Charlotte Brisbois, we were the only female Native Americans raising and showing cattle at the livestock shows.  Sadly these days, I see very few if any Native Americans showing cattle at livestock shows, and if I can, I would like to change this, by calling out to ranchers in sponsoring Indian youth who want to raise and show cattle.   

I am a enrolled member of the Yakama Nation, I am also very proud to be a descendant to Yakama War Chief Owhi.   My Dad's mother, came from Duncan British Columbia, she was a member of the Cowichan band, therefore, I must write that I am proud of my Canadian heritage.  My Mom, who is now passed on, she was a enrolled member of the Yakama Nation and had Hawaiian lineage from her Mother.  

My husband Michael Moore, has really done a lot work on this web site, he has done all of the back end database programming and was the person who designed the "new look" of Indian Rodeo News.com, I have to mention that if it wasn't for Mike supporting my desire to continue to promote Indian Rodeo, this site would not be to where it is today.....

So now you all know a "little" bit more about the founder of Indian Rodeo News.com  I ask that you all please support us by giving us feedback about the site, what you would like to see more stories, articles and features on the site.  We intended this web site to be a resource for our youth, because they are our future, it's with our kids where Indian Rodeo, and being Native American begins, we are the first American Cowboy, if each and every one of us, do something to help our Indian children who want to work with animals, ranching, riding horses, or rodeo this will ensure the tradition we were all raised with.  Be kind to one another and remember our Creator, God, has a plan for us, we need to work together, not against each other, and thank your brothers and sisters for their efforts in making this world a better place to live, we are not perfect and we may not make everyone happy with what we are doing with this web site,  at least give us credit for our desire to do this work.  That is all I ask.  

Gina Northover  1985 Miss Indian Rodeo of
North America riding "Fiddle Gay"  in the grand entry at the Indian National Finals Rodeo 1986
Albuquerque New Mexico.