Local invited to national rodeo

CLOVIS - In his first season as a professional rodeoer, Shad Mayfield is learning you don't need to be the best roper every single time you show up at an event.

You just need to be a professional, defined as somebody who gets paid for what they do.

Big checks, little checks and everything in between added up, and they secured Mayfield an invite to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo scheduled Dec. 8-14 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Mayfield, who lives south of Clovis, was of course excited to make the cut in tie-down roping. But that wasn't the most powerful force at work in his mind as he kept a watchful eye on the earnings list.

"It was more relief," Mayfield said. "I'd been on the bubble right there the last few weeks battling it out. That last one, just to be able to place there, was a release. I've been biting my fingernails the whole time."

Mayfield was in Omaha, Nebraska, where he'd just placed third at the River City Rodeo, when he found out he made the final 15. He'd hovered around the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association top 25 for a few weeks before his big showing at the Cheyenne Frontier Days.

"I won over $10,000 in Cheyenne, and that moved me to 15th," Mayfield said. "That made me boost my confidence, and made me realize I had a chance. It made me realize for the rest of the year I had to work to stay there."

A win at the Cowboy Capital in Stephenville, Texas, did help, but Mayfield said every time he got third place instead of 10th, fourth place instead of not placing, made the difference.

"Going in, I thought I had to win first place everywhere," Mayfield said. "But I realized getting those checks is what gets you there, and being consistent is important."

A community celebration for Mayfield is set for 6 p.m. Wednesday at K-Bob's Steakhouse in Clovis. The Curry County Chamber of Commerce is promoting the event, but Executive Director Ernie Kos said it's mostly the work of community members who also want the dinner to be a first step in deciding what type of sendoff to give Mayfield at the end of November.

Mayfield is no stranger to big stages, having previously competed at The American Rodeo at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, and he's trying to stay as collected as he can going into the Wrangler Finals.

"It's the same guys rodeoing (as all season)," Mayfield said. "There's a lot of pressure there. You've got to beat the pressure. It's under your hat.

"It's dang sure going to be tough, but I sure hope I can do good."