Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Shad Mayfield of Clovis shows his buckle for claiming the tie-down roping championship at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo.
ARLINGTON, Texas - Shad Mayfield, in a season compacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, won big early and gave himself quite a cushion in the tie-down money lead entering his second Wrangler National Finals Rodeo.
He needed every bit of that lead.
The Clovis native had to sweat it out after posting a no time in the 10th and final round of the NFR, but held just enough of a lead to claim the tie-down championship Saturday night at Globe Life Field.
For the season, Mayfield earned $198,399.13, beating out Marty Yates of Stephenville, Texas, by $230.66.
Mayfield finished in the money in just two rounds in Arlington -- $20,731 for a second-place run on opening night Dec. 3 (7.5 seconds), and $11,000 for a fourth-place run in the seventh round (7.8 seconds).
Mayfield could not be reached for comment this week, but during a Friday interview with The Gauge, he said he was frustrated with his finals performances. But he was also relieved he set himself up so well earlier in the year.
"After the first go-round (at NFR), I never had a good feeling," Mayfield said. "Nothing felt right. At first I was riding out of the arena with my head down, but I realized I'm just blessed to be here and I've got to ride out of here with my head held up."
Mayfield had narrow misses in his last three rounds, including Saturday's finale when he seemingly posted a run of 7.5 seconds that surely would have clinched the title. However, the calf managed to escape and Mayfield was forced to take a no time and keep his fingers crossed.
The world title came in Mayfield's second Wrangler NFR. His father, Sylvester, was a two-time NFR finalist himself, competing in 1985 and 1987. Mayfield credited his father with helping him qualify for the finals in 2019 when he was 18 years old, and noted making the finals was always more important to him than winning the Professional Cowboys Rodeo Association rookie of the year award.
"I've been prepared to rope against the pros," Mayfield told The Gauge. "I was roping with pros when I was 13. Even if I didn't win, it was going to make me a better roper."
