Shad Mayfield expands his game to achieve all-around honor | National Finals Rodeo | sport

In recent months, Shad Mayfield’s perspective has changed.

To be fair, he already admired Trevor Brazile’s dominance. From 2002 to 2018, Brazile won the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association all-around world title a record 14 times, including 10 consecutive times from 2006 to 2015. During that two-decade span, he also won a total of 12 team roping world titles (1), Steer roping (8) and tie-down roping (3).

Mayfield remembers watching that success as a youth and hoping to one day be in a similar position.

He simply never imagined how difficult it would actually be to get there.

“This year I learned a lot in the all-around competition. It definitely gave me more respect for Trevor Brazile and his work,” Mayfield said. “With what we’re doing, today I’d be in Calgary roping calves and I’d have to be steer-roping in Cheyenne. A lot of things were on top of each other and it’s hard to work. But when you do it, it’s definitely something special.”

Heading into the 2024 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, Mayfield is the leading candidate for his first all-around world title thanks to a dominant year in tie-down rope. The Clovis, New Mexico native comes to Las Vegas with all-around earnings of over $224,400, putting him about $34,000 ahead of team player Junior Nogueira. Team roper Coleman Proctor is about $5,000 behind Nogueira, while rookie bull rider Wacey Schalla is in fourth place with nearly $168,000 in all-around winnings from the regular season.

Mayfield’s sixth straight NFR qualification was almost guaranteed before the PRCA’s winter schedule ended this year. Between the Texas Circuit Finals and major paydays at rodeos like Denver, Fort Worth and San Antonio, he amassed more than $76,500 in winnings by the end of February.

This success, coupled with the absence of Stetson Wright as he recovers from injury, gave Mayfield the opportunity to consider challenging for the all-around title. Since Brazile announced his retirement after the 2018 NFR, Wright has been the torchbearer in all-around racing, winning five straight gold medals as a roughstock competitor in bull and saddle bronc riding.

As of mid-June, roper Jake Clay was the all-around leader with total earnings of more than $46,000 from team and steer roping. After clearing the $3,000 mark in steer roping to qualify for the all-around category, Mayfield was immediately miles ahead, with a $100,000 lead over Clay.

The path to this moment was anything but easy.

Because he focuses primarily on roping, Mayfield admits he had limited experience in steer and team roping. He bought a steer roping horse, took some time to practice, but mostly learned on the fly in competitions. More importantly, he listened to those around him and received lessons for which he is extremely grateful.

“I’ve always wanted to get into steer roping, but this gave me the time to say, ‘Okay, it’s time to learn how to do this,'” Mayfield said. “I had a lot of people, a lot of helmsmen that definitely helped me. This is a great community. Everywhere I went they gave me advice or helped me.”

The turning point came in early June when he placed second at the Coleman (Texas) PRCA Rodeo, earning just over $1,100. He cashed again later that weekend in Ponca City, Oklahoma. Two weeks later, a third-place finish in Prineville, Oregon, brought Mayfield to the $3,000 mark required to compete in the all-around race.

And for good measure, he and his team roping partner Faron Candelaria had a combined profit of more than $3,100 by the end of June. To compete for an all-around title, all you need is winnings of at least $3,000 in two events. Mayfield broke this barrier in three disciplines.

That brings Mayfield back to the Thomas & Mack Center with a chance to do something special. In 2020, he won his first tie-down roping gold buckle. He has since been on the verge of his second title, finishing second in 2022 and third last season.

This time, however, he has a chance to walk away with two world championships in hand: tie-down roping and all-around. It’s an opportunity Mayfield didn’t think about at the start of the 2024 season. But it’s a moment he fully embraces and is ready to make it a reality.

“This year there is more pressure to be number 1 and so on. But I like pressure. I feel like I can handle it,” Mayfield said. “I feel more ready than ever going into this NFR. Every year I’m here I gain a little more experience and get a better mental game and thought process. I think this one will be very different for sure.”