NFR’s top cowboys flying high in return to Vegas
Shad Mayfield is a tie-down roping champion in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. All you really need to know about tie-down roping, in this conversation, is Mayfield routinely wrestles steers weighing up to 600 pounds to the dirt. He ties ‘em up, ideally, then hears the cheers.
Mayfield is the top contestant in the world, in this sport. He is fearless in this sport. But Tuesday he took his first helicopter ride. This was a bumpy tour over the Strip, and out to Red Rock Canyon. Seriously, someone in our craft shouted, “Yee-haw!” during this adventure.
At one point, Mayfield, seated shotgun at the front of the aircraft, turned to fellow cowboys Stetson Wright (the PRCA’s top all-round cowboy and bull rider) and Jacob Elder (world champion steer wrestler) and mouthed a three-word question. The first was, “What!”
His eyes were wide. He was excited. He was also, apparently, scared spitless.
“(Expletive) this!” Mayfield said after a particularly jarring turn of the craft.
At the Red Rock lookout, the ‘copter’s first destination, I asked Mayfield how he could handle several-hundred-pound steers, but was thrown for a loop (figuratively) on this helicopter flight.
“It’s all about control,” he answered, “and I can’t control this.” The others agreed. Every one of the five PRCA champs on this trek, including bareback champ Kaycee Feild and saddle bronc champ Ryder Wright, who is Stetson’s brother and part of the Wright family’s saddle-bronc dynasty, were on their first helicopter ride.
They were impressed, obviously, at the sites of the Las Vegas set up by Las Vegas Events in the first promotional event for the upcoming National Finals Rodeo running Dec. 2-11 at the Thomas & Mack Center. The adopted theme is, “There is only one NFR. There is only one Vegas.
In this whirlwind tour of VegasVille, the guys also enjoyed dinner at Circa’s Barry’s Downtown Prime, with team-roping champ Paul Eaves also in the mix. They were later hustled to Fremont Street Experience’s Main Street Stage for a special video welcome on the FSE Viva Vision canopy, and finally headed to Legacy Club at Circa to check out the view from the open deck.
The D and Circa co-owner Derek Stevens welcomed the crew to Barry’s, saying, “When you were here a couple years ago, this wasn’t built. This is a brand-new view for everybody … I’m telling you, we’re really excited about having you back in December.”
The contestants are ready to buck out the stock in Vegas once more.
“I’ve competed here for all 10 rounds of the NFR since 2003, and I always enjoy it,” Stetson Wright said during the stop at the Fremont Street Experience. “Honestly, it’s kind of hard for me to explain, but Vegas is just better. That’s about all I can say. I just love coming to Vegas.”
.@moneymayfield12 https://t.co/kgg3aEtcg1
— John Katsilometes (@johnnykats) May 26, 2021
Wright is the two-time defending all-around champ, and the PRCA’s reigning bull-riding champ. He is also the cowboy who provides such sage advice as, “Guys, we shouldn’t have bought cigars before going on a helicopter ride!”
The NFR, Las Vegas’ annual rite-of-winter event took a year off in 2020 for a road victory in Arlington, Texas. But the show is back at the Mack, and certain to sell out the arena as it has for every go-round since 1987, covering 330 straight nights.
#TheScene Cowboy up w/ the champs @LasVegasNFR #RJNow @reviewjournal @CircaLasVegas @legacyclubvegas pic.twitter.com/MdrvlZC3uZ
— John Katsilometes (@johnnykats) May 26, 2021
The premier rodeo will also overtake several Vegas hotel-casinos, including the D Las Vegas and its Downtown Las Vegas Events Center (where watch parties have previously been staged) and Michael Gaughan’s South Point (home of the nightly buckle award ceremonies). Cowboy Christmas, a gluttony of cowboy commerce, is being staged at the new Las Vegas Convention Center South Hall.
And, Miss Rodeo America is back at South Point. Fremont Street Experience is the site of the nightly downtown hoedown of country-music action on all three FSE stages. More than 20 watch parties, including Rodeo Vegas at the Mirage sports book, are planned for on and off the Strip.
.@moneymayfield12 https://t.co/kgg3aEtcg1
— John Katsilometes (@johnnykats) May 26, 2021
The stars will be out, too. We’ve already previously reported Carrie Underwood premiering at Resorts World Las Vegas, Shania Twain back at Zappos Theater during NFR. In years past, Reba McEntire and Brooks & Dunn have also headlined at the Colosseum during the NFR, though those dates have not been announced.
Feild takes seriously his role as one of the sport’s ambassadors.
“I had a blast coming here, and have seen a lot of behind-the-scenes stuff about how much work it takes to put on one of these events,” said Feild, who has won five world bareback titles since 2011. “The people here love it, and they’re really glad it’s coming back. As cowboys, we’re glad it’s coming back, too. There’s nothing like it.”
John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. His “PodKats!” podcast can be found at reviewjournal.com/podcasts. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on Twitter, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.
