Tie-down dominance raises Mayfield

Over the past several months, Shad Mayfield’s perspective has changed.

To be fair, he already admired the dominance of Trevor Brazile. From 2002-2018, Brazile won the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association all-around world title a record 14 times, including a string of 10 straight from 2006-15. He also picked up a combined 12 world titles in team roping (1), steer roping (8) and tie-down roping (3) during that two-decade span.

Mayfield remembers watching that success unfold as youngster, hoping to one day be in a similar position.

He just never envisioned how difficult getting there would actually be.

“This year, I learned a lot going for the all-around. It definitely made me gain more respect for Trevor Brazile and what he was doing,” Mayfield said. “With what we do, I would be in Calgary roping calves today and I needed to be steer roping in Cheyenne. A lot of things were over top of each other, and it’s hard to work. But if you can get it done, it’s dang sure special.”

As the 2024 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo gets underway, Mayfield is the front-runner to earn his first all-around world title, thanks to a dominant year in tie-down roping. The Clovis, N.M., native comes to Las Vegas with more than $224,400 in all-around earnings, putting him about $34,000 ahead of team roper Junior Nogueira. Team roper Coleman Proctor is approximately $5,000 behind Nogueira, while rookie bull rider Wacey Schalla sits fourth 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 concluded this year. Between the Texas Circuit Finals and significant paydays at rodeos such as Denver, Fort Worth and San Antonio, he piled up more than $76,500 in tie-down earnings by the end of February.

That success, combined with the absence of Stetson Wright as he recovers from injury, allowed Mayfield to think about competing for the all-around honor. Since Brazile announced his retirement after the 2018 NFR, Wright has been the torch bearer in the all-around race, winning five consecutive gold buckles as a roughstock competitor in bull and saddle bronc riding.

In mid-June, roper Jake Clay was the all-around leader, with more than $46,000 in combined earnings from team and steer roping. Once Mayfield cleared the $3,000 mark in steer roping to qualify for the all-around category, he was instantly miles ahead, with a $100,000 advantage on Clay.

The path to that moment was anything but easy.

With his primary focus on tie-down, Mayfield admits he had limited experience in steer and team roping. He bought a steer roping horse, took some time to practice, but largely learned on the fly while competing at events. More importantly, he listened to those around him, getting lessons he’s extremely grateful for.

“I’ve always wanted to start steer roping, but this gave me the time to say, ‘All right, it’s time to learn how to do it,’” Mayfield said. “I had a lot of people, a lot of steer ropers, dang sure help me. That’s a great community to be in. Everywhere I went, they would give me advice or help me.”

The turning point came in early June, when he placed second at the Coleman (Texas) PRCA Rodeo, earning a little more than $1,100. Later that weekend, he cashed again in Ponca City, Okla. Two weeks after that, a third-place finish in Prineville, Oregon, lifted Mayfield to the $3,000 benchmark needed to be in the all-around race.

And just for good measure, he and team roping partner Faron Candelaria also combined for more than $3,100 in earnings by the end of June. Winnings of at least $3,000 in each of two events are all that’s required to compete for an all-around title. Mayfield broke that barrier in three events.

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

This time, however, he has the chance to walk away with two world championships in hand: tie-down roping and the all-around. It’s an opportunity Mayfield wasn’t thinking about when the 2024 season began. But it’s a moment he’s fully embracing and ready to make reality.

“There’s more pressure this year with all this, being No. 1 and all that. But I like pressure. I feel like I can handle it,” Mayfield said. “I feel more ready than I ever have been coming into this NFR. With every year that I’ve come, I get a little more experience and get a better mental game and thought process. I think this one is going to be way different for sure.”