Mayfield making his own legacy

CLOVIS — Every story has a beginning, middle and end. The differences between them is where the climax occurs. The impressive thing about Shad Mayfield, he doesn't appear to have reached his peak.

The 17-year-old Clovis native is the son of Sylvester and Joellen Mayfield. He and his sister, Shelby Mayfield grew up in a rodeo family and it's all they've ever known and wanted for themselves.

Their legacy and bloodline in rodeo began 30 years ago with Sylvester. He established himself as a rodeo man with two qualifications to the Wrangler National Finals in 1985 and 1987. In 1987, he took the Fort Worth Stock Show tie-down roping title and has continued since then teaching his children and members of the community horsemanship and rodeo skills.

The Mayfield kids were raised in the sport, and have taken the family business to a new level.

"These kids have always worked hard," Sylvester said. "We've never had to beg or bribe them to go out and ride and practice. They understand the importance of being self-motivated and getting out there for one more run."

The siblings first succeeded on the national stage together, winning the ribbon roping finals in 2013 at the National Junior High School Rodeo Finals.

Shelby went on to earn her own individual rights to the family name, winning the barrel racing title at the Cowboys of Color Rodeo earlier in January. She turned in a time of 16.90 seconds and earned $2,000 for her victory at the event. She is a member of the ENMU rodeo team and competes on the college rodeo circuit representing New Mexico.

She and Shad both are National Junior High School Rodeo Finals champions in their respective specialties. Shelby placed sixth in the poles in 2012 and Shad took the all-around and tie-down roping titles from 2013 to 2015.

Outside of his youth career, Shad is no stranger to the professional rodeo arena. He has competed against adults and renowned pros alike since he was a young teen. His successes fill a respectable resume, including winning an American qualifier in Clovis in May 2017, qualifying for the junior National Finals in Las Vegas, and winning the Cody Ohl Jr. World Championship in Sweetwater, Texas.

More recently, he qualified for the long go of the American Rodeo presented by RFD-TV, the richest one day rodeo of the year. The American was held Feb. 22 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Reaching the rodeo against seasoned veterans was impressive, even without considering Shad was the youngest tie-down roper to qualify for the preliminary rounds held in Fort Worth.

All indicators point to a successful future, but Shad's pretty concerned about the present.

"It's my goal to qualify for the Wrangler National Finals," he said. "You can go out and win these ropings and gain some good experience, but nothing will compare to making it to Vegas."

Making the NFR is a goal that requires and consistent excellence. For Shad to make it, he will have to compete at Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association rodeos, which he started with the American Rodeo, and finish the season among the top 15 competitors in the world.

His next opportunity is this coming weekend in Clovis, with the Curry County Events Center hosting the Ultimate Calf Roping Clovis Reunion event Friday through Sunday.

If there's a rodeo that matters, there's a good chance a Mayfield trailer is going to be there. There's a tradition to both uphold and extend.