Few things in life will always remain constant. However, two things will never change: Community Coffee’s promise to serve their customers with consistency, integrity, and excellence and JoEllen Mayfield’s love for her son. As the mother of 5x Wrangler National Finals Rodeo Qualifier Shad Mayfield and a schoolteacher in Clovis, New Mexico, JoEllen said she was a typical rodeo mom when her son was growing up.
“Every weekend, we were going somewhere, traveling to a rodeo. I was the typical rodeo mom,” JoEllen said. “I was with him every step of the way. I packed the clothes and the food and made sure everything was ready to go.
We spent hours and hours in the practice pen when he was growing up, and by the time he was in 10th grade, he was entering open jackpots,” she said. “So that year, we started homeschooling.” “He was such a good kid, and we were always really busy,” she said. “He didn’t have time to get in trouble.
JoEllen said Shad is not the only competitive member of the Mayfield family. “I am competitive too,” she said. “I was always out there coaching and helping where and when I was able to.”
Shad said that now that he lives in Lipan, Texas, his mother doesn’t get to travel with him and watch as often as she’d like to because of her obligations as a teacher. However, he added that he is thankful she was able to be there to watch him win the American in 2020. “She got to be there on the biggest day for me, which meant a lot,” he said.
JoEllen said she still messages her son daily and talks to him on the phone frequently throughout the week. “He doesn’t always reply as often as a mom would like, but I know how busy he is,” she said. “When I visit him in Texas, he is always going, and he never sits still.
“Growing up, he was a momma’s boy,” she added. “He still probably is one, even though he doesn’t talk to me as often as I want him to.” Shad said he would still consider himself a momma’s boy. He added that he couldn’t do many things without her. “She helps me make sure I’m getting everything taken care of with bills, paying fees at rodeos, anything with my house, and anything with life,” Shad said. “She is my go-to person.” “She visits and stays with me, and soon, she’ll move to Texas close to me.”
Shad says, “My mom has impacted my life in so many ways. She taught me the most outside of the arena, and that’s what I’m most grateful for. “It’s not always about what’s going on in the arena. Sometimes, it’s more about what is happening on the outside,” he added. That’s what my mom brought to me.” She also taught me how to be smart so that I could succeed in the arena.
Bravo to JoEllen and her many hours of being a rodeo mom, one of the best jobs on the planet. It certainly has paid off in the success of her son Shad and his appreciation and love for his mom.