Shad Mayfield lit the Thomas & Mack on fire Thursday night with a 6.8-second run on Figure To Fly, Lollipop, to win Round 1 and pocket $36,667.
In seven NFR qualifications, Mayfield had never kicked off the Finals by winning the first round, but the swing finally broke when he backed in the box behind a calf he knew fit his style.
“This feels amazing,” Mayfield said. “It’s the first time I’ve gotten tapped off in the first round like that and I’ve been wanting that for some time now. I’ve always wanted to go out there in the first round and start it with a bang. It worked out tonight.”
Mayfield’s Headspace
Mayfield came into this year’s Finals with a different outlook, knowing he couldn’t keep fighting through two torn labrums forever, and it pushed him to show up in Las Vegas ready enjoy every run before heading into surgery.
“The biggest thing, I feel like I’m roping with nothing to lose and that’s how I like to rope,” Mayfield said. “When you back in the box and you’re hard on yourself and worried about what everyone thinks, that’s not very fun, so it things looked a bit different for me tonight.”
Mayfield has worked on building that mindset for seven NFR trips.
“I’ve learned that going to the NFR and rodeoing is just a short part of life,” Mayfield said. “There’s more to life after all of this. I’m here to cherish every bit of it.”
The Draw, the Calf and the Start
When the Round 1 draw was posted, Mayfield liked what he saw.
“I seen that calf and knew he fit my style,” Mayfield said. “He was a bigger calf and felt a little stronger but was good on the ground and that’s what fits me.”
Read the Round 1 calf report here.
Mayfield’s run did more than pay. It gave him traction in a world title race where he’s coming from behind.
“It’s been a while since I’ve got to rope from behind the pack,” Mayfield said. “Riley has all the pressure on him this year. Riley, he’s a great roper and he won’t make mistakes, but I’m not worried about him this week. At the end of the day, I’ve just got to do my job.”
Dialing in with Lollipop
Lollipop, the 2024 AQHA Tie-Down Horse of the Year, looked every bit herself as she packed Mayfield to the pay window.
“She looks great and she feels great,” Mayfield said.
His final tune-up came a week before the Finals at Joe and Joseph Parsons’ place in Marana, Arizona.
“I wanted to focus on roping for a while before coming out here,” Mayfield said. “When I left there I felt more ready than I’ve ever felt before.”
Roping Through the Unknown
The work behind the scenes has mattered even more this season as Mayfield manages two torn labrums.
“I don’t know what it looks like after this NFR or if I’ll even be back next year,” Mayfield said. “I told myself I don’t care about my hips, I’m going to toughen it out and not even think about ‘em.”
He credits a strong team in Vegas for keeping him loose and able to fire off runs like Round 1.
“The adrenaline makes it where you can’t feel anything,” Mayfield said. “The biggest thing is keeping myself feeling good and flexible enough to make runs like that.”
Mayfield came into this year’s Finals with a different outlook, knowing he couldn’t keep fighting through the injury forever, and it pushed him to show up in Las Vegas ready enjoy every run before heading into surgery.
“The biggest thing, I feel like I’m roping with nothing to lose and that’s how I like to rope,” Mayfield said. “When you back in the box and you’re hard on yourself and worried about what everyone thinks, that’s not very fun, so it things looked a bit different for me tonight.”
Mayfield has worked on building that mindset for seven NFR trips.
“I’ve learned that going to the NFR and rodeoing is just a short part of life,” Mayfield said. “There’s more to life after all of this. I’m here to cherish every bit of it.”
Momentum Loading
One round doesn’t make a week, but a Round 1 win changes everything that follows.
“This sets me up big time,” Mayfield said. “It gives you confidence and it shows me that I can do it. I had to prove to myself that I could come out here do well.”